When human bones turn up in South Florida, this professor and her students get the call

"The discovery of what appeared to be a human femur and pelvic bone might have unnerved the construction workers who unearthed them near Lake Worth Beach last week, but for Dr. Heather Walsh-Haney and her students, it was just an average Monday. The forensic anthropologist and Florida Gulf Coast University professor is often one of the first calls officials make when they need to solve the mysteries of Florida's dead."

"She travels the state with her team of staff and students, working about 200 cases a year alongside police and medical examiners, from human remains discoveries like Monday's to mass-casualty events and cold cases including the Surfside condo collapse, Hurricane Irma, the death of Brian Laundrie and the high-profile disappearance of 8-year-old Christy Luna, who disappeared over 40 years ago and has never been found."

Construction workers unearthed a human femur and pelvic bone near Lake Worth Beach, prompting a forensic response. Dr. Heather Walsh-Haney, a forensic anthropologist at Florida Gulf Coast University, and her staff and students routinely investigate such discoveries and handle about 200 cases a year with police and medical examiners. Her work ranges from single-settlement remains to mass-casualty events and cold cases, including the Surfside condo collapse, Hurricane Irma, the death of Brian Laundrie, and the decades-old disappearance of 8-year-old Christy Luna. Beyond Florida, investigations have included Sept. 11, the Tulsa race massacre and femicides in Latin America. Her team measures, scans, and X-rays bones to reconstruct identity and circumstances of death, and recovered bones are transferred to the medical examiner for further analysis while active investigations remain confidential.

Read at Sun Sentinel