NecroSearch Specialty

Animal Signs and Scavenging

Evidence at a crime scene may be destroyed, altered, or transported by animal behavior. Knowledge about the patterns of animal activity, including scavenging, is important when investigating outdoor scenes.

NecroSearch Specialty

Human and Non-human bone identification

When bones are discovered at a site, it is critical to differentiate between human and nonhuman bone, as well as materials easily mistaken for bone. Very often, photographs taken at the scene and emailed to a forensic anthropologist (DLF@HumanIDLab.com) can result in rapid identification of a nonhuman bone.

NecroSearch Specialty

Botany

Many different things can disturb the vegetation at a crime scene. Branches can be broken by a vehicle, or even by a human moving through the bushes. Dates of disturbance can be determined by botanical evidence. Layers of leaf litter may have accumulated on the grave and can be counted to assist in determining the season of the disturbance. Roots growing into the body can be aged. Small pieces of plant material found in a grave can be identified and can perhaps tie the suspect to the crime scene. The botanist must have a working knowledge of plant taxonomy, plant anatomy and micro-anatomy, succession patterns, the history of the area, and many other subjects. Ideally, the botanist will have access to the site at the beginning of the search to document as much evidence as possible.

NecroSearch Specialty

Hydrology

The impact of water on a burial site can be important in terms of atmospheric moisture, surface flow and drainage, soil moisture content, and groundwater flow and drainage. Water chemistry may also impact a site. For example, precipitation patterns and surface flow may relate to the transport of evidence on the surface and the type of vegetation and wildlife present. Variations in soil moisture may be indicative of a disturbance (such as a burial site) and could impact decomposition. Ground and surface water may also be important to the distribution of scent in the area (and may affect the patterns of detection by scent dogs). A hydrologist is usually needed to interpret these water related aspects of a potential burial site.

NecroSearch Specialty

Meteorology

A meteorologist is able to give specific information for a search area regarding the microclimate and general weather before, during, and after the body's presumed disposal. The conditions before and during body disposal could affect where the body may be deposited. Microclimate at a site is also useful for interpreting the patterns and rates of decomposition. Plant species and stages of growth are affected by climate. Weather events resulting in flooding or erosion could transport or otherwise alter evidence.

NecroSearch Specialty

Geology

A geologist uses knowledge of mineralogy, petrology, stratigraphy, structure, and geomorphology to help recognize and interpret disturbances. Digging a grave disturbs the geology. Soil horizons are disrupted and mixed and material from the depth of the disturbance is moved to the surface. Rocks are re-oriented and the porosity and compaction of the soil is changed. Soil and sediment may be transferred to the perpetrator and to his/her tools.

NecroSearch Specialty

Geopysics

Geophysical methods are nondestructive and can reduce the time spent on searches. Remote sensing methods include geophysical surveys, which are based on determining contrasts (anomalies) within the subsurface, and can therefore be used to discover disturbances potentially relating to criminal activity. Geophysical techniques can also be used to detect weapons. Many geophysical surveys used by NecroSearch can also be used in water.

NecroSearch Specialty

Computer Analysis of Search Area Data

Locating clandestine grave sites often involves multiple disciplines such as archaeology, geology, geophysics, botany, entomology, remote sensing, etc. Merging and analyzing the field observations and measurements obtained by these different disciplines has been historically problematic. This is particularly true given the time constraints typically associated with high profile searches.

Fortunately, computer methods developed for natural resource exploration have been adapted by NecroSearch to search for hidden graves. These programs are executed on laptop computers in the field in order to quickly isolate targets for subsequent excavation. The foundation for these methods involves the superposition of an imaginary grid over the project area. Numeric values corresponding to observations and measurements are assigned to the individual cells within these grids. Separate grids are created for each type of data set. For example, grid "A" might contain soil conductivity measurements while grid "B" might represent the density of a particular plant species within each cell boundary. These grids are then statistically analyzed and combined in order to identify atypical regions, or "anomalies." These anomalies define the exploration targets that merit additional examination.

NecroSearch Specialty

Decomp Dogs

Dogs that can detect the odors of decomposition are valuable for detecting human remains, but a dog and handler must be properly trained for this work. Well-meaning volunteers not involved with NecroSearch may claim that their dogs are trained for this work, but caution should be used when employing them.

NecroSearch Specialty

Entomology

Identification of insect species and observations of their distribution at a site can indicate how long ago a body was deposited and the conditions at the time. Correct collection and preservation is essential.

NecroSearch Specialty

Search Methods

NecroSearch members are experienced in organized line searches.

NecroSearch Specialty

Excavation Methods

NecroSearch uses modified archaeological techniques to excavate. Grid construction, sifting, scene mapping and recording are some of the techniques we use to preserve and demonstrate the spatial relationships between any evidence found.

NecroSearch Specialty

Forensic Art

Sometimes remains of a decedent are located whom authorities are unable to identify. It is the responsibility of the Coroner or Medical Examiner to make such identification. Matching decedent dental, fingerprints and DNA to missing person databases is very effective, however, it requires awareness a person is missing. Many decedents remain unidentified throughout the US as they await their personal data to be entered into such databases as a missing person. This could happen when a family does not want to believe their loved one is deceased.

As trauma, decomposition will render a person unrecognizable, Forensic Art is a tool which allows authorities to provide a presentable image of a decedent to the public in hopes of making an identification.

A Forensic Reconstruction is often requested when other methods of identification have been exhausted and the public’s help is needed. The Forensic Reconstruction is a combination of art and science. A Forensic Artist must work closely with a Forensic Anthropologist to produce a likeness, which when released to the public will trigger recognition.

NecroSearch Specialty

Man Tracking

Tracking may lead to the discovery of a clandestine grave. “Sign” is left behind by the passage of a person; with tracking, we may find further physical evidence and interpretation of a crime scene. Disturbance, compressed areas, dislodged items, even a scuffmark can help determine the line of sign. With the consideration of natural elements and the region, age of sign can be estimated.

Getting Assistance From NecroSearch

Typical Assistance Scenario

Please note: While NecroSearch would like to assist families and friends in their search for a loved one, we cannot. NecroSearch only responds to law enforcment requests for assistance so that we do not compromise a case or its evidence.

Contact
A law enforcement investigator contacts NecroSearch via phone or email and gives a brief overview of the case.

Q and A
The investigator will be provided with a detailed questionnaire that asks case related questions.

Assessment
The completed questionnaire is reviewed by NecroSearch members to determine the optimum methodology to assist in the investigation.

Planning
NecroSearch members confer with the investigator to establish an operational plan. At this stage, remote sensing specialists will also review available air photographs and satellite images. Members will also advise the investigator of resources in addition to those offered by NecroSearch.

Field Assistance
If requested, a NecroSearch field team then conducts a site investigation under the direction of the requesting agency. Field investigations typically start with a sequence of non-invasive methods (such as botanical analysis and ground penetrating radar), and may progress to excavation.

Testimony
NecroSearch members are able to provide expert testimony pertaining to the case. NecroSearch members assist in a case for expenses only up to the point of courtroom testimony. Expert witness fees may apply in court.

Need assistance? Email assistance@necrosearch.org

The information you provide will remain strictly confidential!

Al Bieber (-2017)

Geophysicist/Geologist

After 20 years in Petroleum Exploration, Al Bieber joined Ocean Systems Inc. to assist them with their DOD contract to locate anything lost in the oceans. He formed a separated division to handle civil searches and to assist in the military contract. During this time he located a submarine, airliner, numerous military aircraft, and performed hydrographic and geotechnical surveys for construction planning. Bieber and his partners bought the survey division from Ocean Systems, and moved it to Connecticut with Bieber as president. They performed a wide variety of searches and surveys worldwide including Pakistan, Egypt, Columbia, Iran, Nicaragua, and Argentina for a wide variety of clients. Later, Bieber formed his own company, Bieber Associates, and continued to perform searches, including sunken yachts, aircraft, fishing vessels, and all sorts of construction debris. His clients included engineering and construction companies, insurance adjusters, the Corps of Engineers, and historical societies. He retired from offshore searches in 1989 and returned to Colorado, where he became involved in forensic land and water searches with Necrosearch. Bieber held a BS in Engineering from Oklahoma A & M. He had five years electronics training with the US Navy, plus graduate courses in marine geology. He was an ASCM Certified Hydrographer and a Registered Professional Engineer, and held the rank of LCDR, USNR(Ret).

Dick Hopkins (1941-1998)

Criminalist & NecroSearch Co-Founder

United States Army (SP4/E-4)
Colorado State Patrol 1963
Littleton Police Department 1964-1966
Bow Mar Police Department 1966-1968
Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office 1968-1996.

Jack Swanburg (19xx-20xx)

Criminalist & NecroSearch Co-Founder

Jack Swanburg is a co-founder of NecroSearch International and Past President of the organization. He was named “Homicide Investigator of the Year” by the Colorado Homicide Investigators Association in XXXX. Prior to his retirement, he was Coroner for Arapahoe County, Colorado, appointed to that office from his position as Senior Laboratory Technician in the crime lab of the Sheriff’s Office. He was also a past president of the Rocky Mountain Division of the International Association for Identification. He was a member of the International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts, The Association for Crime Scene Reconstruction, The Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team, and the RMD Body Identification Team. He was a Certified Crime Scene Analyst and a Certified Latent Print Examiner. Jack began his experience with law enforcement when, in 1958, he helped the Denver Police Department develop an ID camera that used 35 mm motion picture film. In 1969 he began teaching crime scene photography on a formal basis. He has teaught criminalistics and related subjects at the Colorado Law Enforcement Training Academy, Colorado State University, Arapahoe Community College, Red Rocks Community College, and other institutions. Several of his research papers have been published.

Colorado Homicide Investigator of the Year 2004

John McPhail (19xx-20xx)

Registered Nurse / Clinical Forensic Specialist

A former police officer and investigator, first commissioned in 1964, John held a degree in Nursing and a Doctorate in Public health. After retirement from the Forensic Division of the Colorado Mental Health Institute, he founded Forensic Education Services and has conducted forensic workshops, seminars, and keynote addresses nationally and internationally in the nursing, forensic mental health and law enforcement fields. He was a clinical instructor at CSU-Pueblo and is a visiting forensic specialist at UCCS. John was also a national trainer for the Verbal Judo Institute teaching “tactical communication”. A former President of NecroSearch International, he has previously served as both secretary/treasurer and as vice-president. John was a past two-term president of the Southeastern Colorado Law Enforcement Association and is a Diplomat of the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators. His professional memberships included the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, The Forensic Science Society (Great Britain), International Wound Ballistics Association, International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts, International Homicide Investigators Association, Colorado Law Enforcement Officers Association, International Association of Forensic Nurses, American Society of Law Enforcement Training, and American Correctional Association.

Vickey Trammell (19xx-2017)

Botanist

Victorine Trammell had over 30 years experience as a field botanist, ecologist and college teacher. She received her BS from Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea Ohio with a major in biology and a minor in chemistry. After graduate work at Ohio University, Athens Ohio, she completed her MA at the University of Colorado Boulder in plant ecology. She joined the faculty of Arapahoe Community College in 1972 where she teaches botany, ecology, biology and anatomy and physiology and served as department chair for 5 years. She retired in 2002 but is still teaching. Vickey's research interest involves plant distribution in relation to the geology of the area. She has done community mapping and rare plant lists for state parks. Vickey joined NecroSearch in 1989 as a botanists, soil sifter and general searcher.

Red

Elbert Co Sheriff Colorao - Tracker and Body Scent Canine

Training Details

Yearly Class

Periodically, NecroSearch International, Inc. offers training sessions for law enforcement and others who assist in the location of clandestine graves and the recovery of remains and related evidence. The primary focus is to assist law enforcement, but other professionals may apply, as well.

Note: This class is intended for law enforcement and experts involved in forensic investigations. With justification, others may be admitted at the discretion of NecroSearch International, Inc.

Participation in this class does not automatically lead to membership in NecroSearch International, nor will it make the participants experts in the fields presented.

Class Description

• The Interplay Between Law Enforcement and NecroSearch International
• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children First Responders
• Animal Sign and Scavenging Behavior
• Basic Human and Nonhuman Bone Identification
• Botany
• Geology
• Geophysics
• Computer Analysis
• Scent Detection Dogs
• Entomology
• Man Tracking
• Search Techniques, Mapping, Excavation Methods
• Landfill Search Techniques

Some of the course presenters

• Julia Bauer, M.A. Anthropologist
• Wayne Bryant, Retired Agent, Colorado Bureau of Investigation
• Tim Deignan, Ph.D., Geophysicist
• Diane L. France, Ph.D., D-ABFA, Forensic Anthropologist
• Julie Fulton, M.S., Criminalist
• Frank Hurst, Dog handler
• Al Nelson, Dog handler
• Ed Pearl, Meteorologist
• Jim Reed, Geologist, Computer Expert
• Henry Schmidt, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
• Pamela Smith, Ph.D., Botanist
• Anastasia Patterson, Man Tracker
• Cecilia Travis, M.S., Geologist, Naturalist
• Lee Reed, Landfill Search Specialist

*Substitutions may be made by NecroSearch International

Would you like to Volunteer with us?

Here's what you should know

Because of the nature of what we do, we have a lengthy, multi-step membership process. We are seeking members with high amounts of expertise and/or experience in Physical Sciences, Law Enforcement, and Forensics and related fields.

• Step one is for you to send a copy of your resume or CV. Your resume will be circulated among members of our membership committee and an NSI member who most closely matches your area of expertise.
• After review of your resume, the membership committee will decide to invite you to a meeting. If you are not invited, we will notify you via email and this will terminate your petition for membership.
• If you are invited, we would prefer to see you in person but we have an online meeting option for out of town folks.
• After you have attended at least two meetings, and if you are still interested in becoming a member, the membership committee will send you a copy of our membership application.
• After completion of the application, a one year application period will start. During this one year period, you must agree to and pass a background check.
• You must attend at least one meeting in person here in Colorado and you must attend at least two other meetings (in person or via the online method).
• Within a couple of months of your application being received, you must also make a presentation to the group introducing yourself and explaining what you think you can contribute to NSI. You must also assist somehow in at least two NSI cases with the supervision of at least one active member.
• When the qualifications have been met and the one year period is over, you will be asked to give a second presentation recapping your qualifications and your involvement with NSI, and the NSI membership will vote to accept or deny your membership in the group.

After reading the process, if you are still interested, please contact us here: