The use of Radio Transmitters to Track Specific Bones of Scavenged Pig Carcasses

Abstract

This is the first report on a pilot study using radio transmitter to track skeletal remains of scavenged pig carcasses. Three adult pigs were placed on property con- trolled by the Highlands Ranch Law Enforcement Training Facility in Douglas County, Colorado, from June to October 1994. Approximately eleven acres of this facility is designated for research conducted by NecroSearch International, a group of forensic scientists who conduct research with pig carcasses for the purpose of developing methods for locating clandestine graves. To simulate actual crime scenes, two pigs were placed in shallow graves while the third was left partially exposed in a drainage ditch. The three carcasses were instrumented with at least one radio transmitter. Following the burials, the radio transmitters allowed the researchers to monitor the movement of the instrumented bones to distances that, in one case, exceeded 400 meters from the burial site. Results from this study indicate that radio telemetry is an unexploited research tool that can effectively monitor the movement of certain skeletal remains during the process of scavenging.