On Sunday, November 5th, the Mansfield Police Department made a grim discovery at North Lake Park, stumbling upon a decomposed body while responding to call. The coroner’s office and Mercyhurst University’s forensic anthropology team were called in to process the scene. The remains, having been exposed to the elements for an indeterminate amount of time, present a significant challenge for identification purposes. Despite this hurdle, the primary focus remains on identifying the individual and extending support to their grieving family. However, due to the deteriorated condition of the body, determining the cause of death presents a formidable task, if not an impossible one. The professional efforts of the involved entities seek to bring closure to this unfortunate incident by piecing together the puzzle of the deceased’s identity and shedding light on the circumstances surrounding their demise.
For those who are not aware of forensic anthropology, it is the branch of physical anthropology in which anthropological data, criteria, and techniques are used to determine the sex, age, genetic population, or parentage of skeletal or biological materials in questions of civil or criminal law. Definition Source.
