Tag Archives: Forensic science

New York Academy of Art Students Help Identify Migrants Who Died at the Border

Unidentified remains can be reconstructed to a reasonable likeness

Joe Mullins, a forensic artist with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, cannot give the gift of life back to eight unknown migrants whose dehydrated remains were found in the Arizona desert near the U.S.-Mexico border a few years … Continue reading

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How Can a Family Best Work with a Coroner or Medical Examiner? Interview with Judy Melinek

A medical examiner shares Information about death investigations

Today, SevenPonds speaks with Judy Melinek, M.D., a forensic pathologist who does autopsies for the Alameda County Sheriff Coroner’s Office in California. Dr. Melinek has a bachelor’s degree from Harvard and medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. She … Continue reading

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Behind Death Masks: A History of How a Funeral Decoration Transformed Into a Tool to Improve Lives

The ancient funerary art of death masks allows us to look through the eyes of our ancestors

The practice of creating death masks to remember those who have passed is a ritual that can be traced back to ancient Egypt and Rome. The most recognizable death mask comes from the tomb of Tutankhamun himself. The likeness of … Continue reading

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Corruption and Incompetence in the Coroner’s Office

Many coroners do not provide quality end of life investigation

Massively controversial but often overlooked is the institution of the coroner. Inherited from Great Britain back in colonial days, the position originated as the King’s investigator who kept track of deaths and, more importantly, collected some last death taxes. Today … Continue reading

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