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One of the first steps in pursuing justice in a homicide or missing person case is identifying the deceased person. A tool created by researchers at the University of New Mexico is making that process easier. The New Mexico Decedent Image Database includes 150 million images of whole-body CT scans. The database is the first of its kind in the nation. The scans help both forensic investigators and health care practitioners learn more about identifying unknown bodies, especially Indigenous people. Dr. Heather Edgar is a forensic anthropologist at the Office of the Medical Investigator and the creator of the database.
DR. HEATHER EDGAR: The database includes over 15,000 individuals. And there s not another database like this that includes whole-body CT scans of that many individuals, especially ones that are so well documented. So because of that, there s been a lot of interest across the world. There has been research done on the effects of cancer drugs, improving automobi
Project helps improve identification of Native American remains and resolve missing persons cases By Mary Beth King July 12, 2021
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) visited the Office of Medical Investigator (OMI) at The University of New Mexico recently to see the work being done by forensic anthropologist Heather Edgar and her team to improve the identification of Native American remains and resolve missing persons cases.
Edgar worked with many at UNM to create the New Mexico Decedent Image Database (NMDID), which includes thousands of whole-body CT scans. Each scan contains about 10,000 images of a single body. The scans are valuable in many research areas, including developing methods to help make positive identifications of unknown deceased people. Anthropologists compare unknown individuals to data about known individuals, narrowing the pool of missing persons for comparison using estimates of sex, age, and other characteristics. But in some cases, such as for Nativ
Some of the most famous anthropologists are women: Margaret Mead, Mary Leakey, Alice Roberts, and Jane Goodall, to name a few. Even in times when men were typically leaders in the field, women still made a name for themselves and continue to do so now. During Women’s History Month, the Department of Anthropology at The University of New Mexico is honoring university women in Anthropology and hosting a series of talks.
Anthropology department administrator Jennifer George and graduate students Laura Steele and Stephanie Fox have compiled a Women’s History Month web page to highlight the women and events, working on behalf of the department s IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-bias) committee. The UNM Anthropology department has a strong population of women as faculty, students, and alumni who have gone on to work in the field and make significant contributions.
NMiF discusses missing and murdered Indigenous women December 17, 2020
Of the nearly 6,000 missing and murdered Indigenous women reported each year in the U.S., many are never identified. This is due in part to an outdated database. Correspondent Gwyneth Doland talks to UNM professor Heather Edgar, who has been working with Native tribes and experts to find a respectful, high-tech solution.
Wildlife experts believe there were many factors that caused a massive die-off of birds migrating through New Mexico early this autumn. Correspondent Laura Paskus talks with NMSU professor Martha Desmond about why the bird carcasses were severely emaciated and what that might mean for the future.