When skeletal remains are found, one of the first calls local law enforcement makes is to Butler County Coroner Dr. Lisa K. Manniz. Her follow-up question is, “Is it human?” If the answer is yes, then a process begins from there that combines compassionate applications of medicine, and anthropology. It reminds us how science can restore names and histories to give dignity to those who cannot speak for themselves. 

For a special presentation hosted by the Department of Anthropology, Manniz spoke to a room of students and professors about the crucial role of anthropology in forensic science. She shared how her collaboration with anthropologists, genealogists, and other coroners can help bring closure to families facing long-unsolved cases. 

“The Butler County Coroner’s Office investigates all violent, suspicious, or unexplained deaths by providing dignity and respect to the dead while giving truthful answers to the living,” Manniz said. 

She explained that identifying an individual is a complicated process that involves possibly examining fingerprints, dental records, medical implants, or DNA. However, on some occasions, the answer may only come after years of searching. 

An example of one of these cases began in March 2015. Skeletal remains were discovered in a wooded area in West Chester, Ohio, where Manniz was able to immediately confirm that the skull was human. She assembled a group of investigators, police officers, and search dogs to recover the rest of the remains. Anthropologist Elizabeth Murray was called in to help reconstruct the skeleton and identified the subject as an adult white female, approximately between ages 35 and 60 years old, measuring around 5’3” to 5’9” in height.

The team uncovered dentures, clothing, and a shotgun shell at the site of the remains (while this shotgun shell may have been completely unrelated, it still could have been used to solve the case). However, even with a facial reconstruction by forensic artist, Catyana Falsetti, and a dental analysis by forensic ordontologist, Franklin Wright, the case went cold. 

Then, in 2018, the coroner’s office was contacted by the DNA Doe Project, which uses forensic genealogy to identify unknown individuals. In early 2019, they achieved a breakthrough in the former cold case. Through a complicated genealogical process which involved assembling a family tree, a match was finally revealed. The woman’s name was Darlene Wilson Norcross. 

Norcross had lived in Baltimore for a brief period of time. Her dental work was done there, which is why Manniz was unable to identify her by contacting dentists in the Greater Cincinnati area. She moved to West Chester and died around the age of 61 years old. Her family, who were long estranged, finally received closure. 

The cause of death still remains unknown, but Manniz was able to return dignity to a person who was lost, making this story a success.