Why do remains scatter?
Where the heck do all the bones go?
Is there any hope of recovering the bones so we can identify the person, catch the bad person, and give the next of kin closure?
These are the foundational questions behind the cross-Canada Scavenging Study, started by Dr. Shari Forbes. I am the anthropologist working on the Alberta portion of this study. We’re investigating factors involved in the scattering of remains, like scavenger activity, and hope to discover patterns in the way the remains are scattered.
If we can find patterns, forensic investigations can then:
- increase their recovery rate of scattered potential forensic evidence
- increase the likelihood of identifying the deceased
- increase the likelihood of closing the case, and
- increase the amount of remains returned to the next of kin.
Sounds pretty good, right? We think so too.
Check out the videos below to see what we’ve discovered so far.
Videos
Somethings are best expressed in pictures. Below you can find summary videos of each site, and some miscellaneous videos of wildlife we’ve captured on camera, and other odds and sods.
2022 Summary Videos
2021 – 2022 Summary Videos
Water Valley, AB Open 2021 – 22
Water Valley, AB Forest 2021 – 22
Edmonton Dump, AB Open 2021 – 22
Edmonton Dump, AB Forest 2021 – 22
2022 – 2023 Misc.
Nanton Grizzly, AB Forest 2022
Nanton Bear and cubs, AB Open 2022
3-legged coyote, SK Forest 2022
Okotoks Cougar, AB Forest 2022
2021 – 2022 Misc.
Water Valley Forest Decomposition
Ghost Lake, AB June 2022 (2nd prelim search)
Music by Bensound.com and by Coma-Media from Pixabay
Yvonne Kjorlien: Host, Producer & Writer
I’m a physical anthropologist and archaeologist who studies scattered and scavenged remains. This is an undervalued and understudied topic. I hope this podcast will help people understand the importance of researching and being trained in scavenged and scattered remains.
Yvonne Kjorlien 