The Mass Grave Project: Advancing Mass Grave Investigation Through an Interdisciplinary Program of Actualistic Taphonomic Research

Abstract

The “Mass Grave Project” is an interdisciplinary program of taphonomic experiments simulating clandestine mass and single graves with human body donors at the Forensic Anthropology Center, Texas State University (FACTS). It aims to contribute to the development, testing, and validation of scientific methods for mass grave investigation, by increasing current knowledge and understanding of mass grave taphonomy. Specific objectives include, among others: refining remote and ground-based detection methods and 3D documentation techniques, investigating the potential of biomolecular and microbial biomarkers for more precise and accurate postmortem interval and age-at-death estimation, studying DNA degradation and transfer between individuals in mass graves, and evaluating diagenesis and alteration of isotopic signatures of different human tissues. The project aims to generate recommendations for documentation, sampling, and analysis protocols, as well as develop advanced virtual reality simulation and training environments that can be used for testing scientific hypotheses as well as the training of investigators in mass grave excavation and documentation methods.