International Collaboration in Guatemala

In this week’s blog post, I (Kelly) would like to feature one of the international collaborations with Michigan State University’s Forensic Anthropology Laboratory— the Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Forenses (INACIF) in Guatemala City. This collaboration began when the current lead forensic anthropologist at the INACIF and I worked together in Guatemala in 2013. We got along very well and have stayed in touch over the years, allowing me to travel to Guatemala to collect data in 2020 for my dissertation. During this trip, the anthropologists and I realized that with the MSUFAL’s academic resources and the INACIF’s large case load, we could collaborate on research to improve methodology used for identification within Guatemala and international migration contexts in the U.S.

Specifically, I have been working with the forensic anthropologists at the INACIF to improve population affinity methodology since this is important for identification, repatriation, and the legal system in Guatemala. In early 2021, the INACIF purchased FORDISC 3.0 and I held a virtual workshop on the program including how to use it, what data are incorporated into Fordisc, and the overall benefits and limitations of population affinity estimates. This workshop was a success so in June 2021 when international travel restrictions eased, I was able to travel to the INACIF for some additional hands-on training that focused on locating and collecting cranial landmark data. Each of the anthropologists at the INACIF practiced individually and then the measurements across observers were compared. Additionally, we practiced collecting cranial macromorphoscopic data and using the freely available MaMD Analytical Program.

Forensic anthropology staff and Kelly Kamnikar at the INACIF in June 2021.

Apart from population affinity techniques and methods, we discussed transition analysis and used the TA3 program. Additionally, I gave a sneak peek of the Transition Analysis Dental Age (TADA) program that estimates dental age using transition analysis and dental development. The program stems from a NIJ-funded grant that Dr. Herrmann (TXST) and Dr. Hefner (MSU) received to estimate age in subadults using dental development. TADA will be released sometime next year pending the finalization of the NIJ grant. The workshops introduced the Guatemalan anthropologists and odontologists to different methods available for use in their forensic casework.

Through our collaboration, I was able to learn from those at the INACIF as well as look at forensic cases currently being analyzed, including remains from individuals who were killed during the eruption of the Volcán de Fuego (Jiménez 2020). I attended an identification meeting for some of the victims of the volcanic eruption to understand how identifications were made in the absence of many skeletal indicators and useable DNA profiles. As always, my time at the INACIF and with the forensic practitioners was wonderful. I am always treated with openness and kindness and am grateful for their friendship. I can’t wait for a return visit to Guatemala City.

Authored by: Kelly Kamnikar