Fresno State — Forensic Anthropologist Dr. Chelsea Juarez of Fresno State Forensic Anthropology Institute The body is analyzed to estimate age, sex, height, ancestry, etc., and to investigate the type and timing of trauma, whatever the coroner requires.
With the help of about six undergraduate students in her lab, her research helps find solutions for people who have gone missing or experienced violent deaths, and puts an end to families waiting for answers. It also leads to
Dr. Chelsea Juarez.
This summer, Juarez has 41 more cases, most of them from the Central Valley. “I’m really proud to be doing this work for the community,” said Dr. Juarez. “It is important not only to be active in the case, but also to think holistically of all people in the Central Valley and leave no one behind.”
Dr. Juarez came from Fresno in 2018. North Carolina State University At Raleigh, she was an Assistant Professor and Chancellor’s Distinguished Undergraduate Fellow. Forensic Institute. When the opportunity arose to attend Fresno State University, Juarez jumped at the chance to return to his California hometown, even though it was during his tenure. She wanted to be near her aging parents in Merced County.
When she took the job, she believed, and still does, that the state of Fresno could be a leader in forensics. The campus houses the Department of Justice’s forensic laboratory, which has many different faculty members specializing in forensic medicine, and there is a need for good forensic science in the underserved Central Valley, she said. rice field. Her goal, she said, is to build an impactful forensic program at Fresno State University and a pipeline of well-trained students of color in fields that lack diversity.
Dr. Elizabeth Roham.
“At the heart of Dr. Juarez’s work is the ability to provide meaningful and needed services to our communities while also providing students with the opportunity to receive education and training for practical employment,” said Dr. Juarez. said. Dr. Elizabeth Roham,Dean Faculty of Social Sciences in Fresno. “Integrating these goals under her guidance and guidance creates an unparalleled learning experience for her students.”
Students working in laboratories must obtain human osteology and a forensic anthropology class to better understand the human skeleton and the methods used in forensic anthropology. Then you can learn and help with real cases in the lab. Fresno has no shortage of cases, and the number can range from 2 he’s to nearly 12 he’s a month.
In May Dr. Juarez said, Kings County Sheriff’s Office Estimate postmortem time and ancestry of bones found in bags along country roads.She also, from another case, in 2020 Madera County Sheriff’s Office As a result, the DNA was found to be positive, and the remains were returned to the family on May 1.
“There is only one place in the United States that I can think of that does active, undergraduate-focused casework. It is run by one of my colleagues in Florida,” said Dr. Juárez. I was. “Nowhere else we have cases, especially cases like ours. [undergraduate] Students receive hands-on training using state-of-the-art equipment. ”
Dr. Juarez says students will learn how to remove the meat if there is meat on the bone. They learn how to take pictures of bones, measure bones and record information, and use statistical computer programs to extrapolate data points. The work is done with respect and care until the remains are returned to their families.
Kayleigh DamrallAdvanced Major in Anthropology and Geography Port Orchard, Washington, used a saw to cut small bone shards during the final week. She packed up the pieces and cataloged them so they could be identified by the next semester’s students. “Not many people can say they sawed a bone,” says Dameral. Dameral said her lab was a safe place for her and her classmates to work together, she added. What did she like about the lab? “We got to see the CSI part,” she said. “This is how you take someone’s teeth and send them for sampling and make all the official seals and documents. That was interesting.”
In a recent Kings County Sheriff’s Office case, Dr. Juarez was sent pictures of skeletal remains after a dairy farmer found bones in a bag on a country road. Dr. Juarez has determined that the remains are historical Indigenous/Native American remains and are not related to crime.
Christine Lester.
On May 1, Madera County Sheriff’s Detectives and Forensic Experts returned the remains. Christine Lester29-year-old Navajo woman, to family navajo tribe of arizona. Lester was positively identified by new forensic anthropology techniques and his DNA technology in collaboration with the Fresno State Forensic Institute and Sheriff’s Office.
Lester was one of several unidentified bodies buried in a Madera County cemetery after being murdered in 1987. Her body and another were exhumed in hopes of identifying her remains. Dr. Juarez said Ms. Lester is one of many Native American women, girls and spirits who have gone missing or been found murdered across the United States.
“The Fresno State Institute of Forensic Anthropology, along with our partners, are committed to working collaboratively with Native Americans, Indigenous communities, and all those with missing family members,” said Dr. Juárez. “We will treat people in custody with love, respect and cultural sensitivity, and we will do everything possible to identify and reunite people in custody wherever possible. I promise to
To Bonia Lee.
