Forensic Anthropology Services & Resources

Services:

The Cal Poly Humboldt Department of Anthropology and the Biological Anthropology Research Center offer forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology services to local and regional law enforcement, search and rescue, Tribal agencies, and cultural resources organizations, including:

• Examination of fully or partially skeletonized remains in various states.
• Assessment of remains as human or nonhuman, based on photographs and/or in-person examination (at facilities or field sites).
• Processing of remains, including separation from other materials, cleaning, and sorting.
• Comparison of remains against presumptive ID, including radiographic comparison.
• Forensic anthropological assessment of age, stature, sex, trauma, pathological conditions, individualizing features, and postmortem interval.
• Assistance with location and recovery of remains, including fieldwork, both surface scenes and excavation. We are able to mount large crews with survey and archaeological expertise. 
• Workshops on identifying human skeletal remains, including differentiating from nonhuman animal remains. These workshops can be accomplished with use of plastic casts of human remains, if preferred.

Resources:

• eSkeletons - Virtual human skeleton
• Idaho Virtual Museum - Virtual animal skeletons
• Field Guide (available upon request)

For more information or to request services, please contact:

Marissa Ramsier, Ph.D.
Department of Anthropology
Cal Poly Humboldt
1 Harpst St.
Arcata, CA 95521
marissa.ramsier@humboldt.edu
Office: (707) 826-4948*

*For forensic services or other matters needing quick response, please use email.