Southeast Mo. State students work real cold cases alongside anthropology professor

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) - Southeast Missouri State University Anthropology Professor Dr. Jennifer Bengtson and her students dig deep into real unsolved cases.

They’re members of a college team you’ve probably never heard of before. One scoring real victories for families.

“We open the boxes and start right in and do the inventory.”

A meeting of the Forensic Anthropology Cold Case Team at Southeast Missouri State means another cold case to try and help solve.

“Much like my students demonstrated here, the first thing we do is lay out the bones in anatomical position,” Dr. Bengtson explained. “Take an inventory of them. And go from there.”

Bengtson started doing human identification work at Southeast back in 2013. She had just finished a one-year term at SEMO and the University had just hired her on full-time.

She said she only takes on real cases where law enforcement allows her students to assist.

“It’s the ones who have proven themselves that they’re serious about it. That they’ve taken enough classes to know the basics of osteology.

Students like Advance native Dakota Black, who demonstrated how a bullet can impact a human skull.

“The way that physics works is that a projectile would enter and exit from here, leaving this kind of mark where it leaves. Because it’s expended all its energy once it’s gone through,” Black explained.

Senior Alex Meyer showed how to identify the bones of a child.

“If you look at this, does it look like a regular femur?”

“The answer is no,” she said.

Meyer explained a child’s thigh bone would not look the same as those of an adult.

“They’re still growing. They’re still fusing. So, their bones look a bit off.”

Each team member has a story about how they joined the cold case team.

Southeast Missouri State junior and team member Zoe Rees is from Jackson.

“I found out about this. And I was like, ‘oh my gosh.’ This is what I’ve been looking for,” she said.

“I didn’t get a letter from Hogwarts or anything like that,” Black said with a smile. “But yeah. Something like that. And I’m very grateful for the opportunity.”

“I think I’ve worked on about a dozen cases, which is really invaluable,” Southeast senior Briony Ferguson said. “It means a lot. I’ve learned a lot. And one of the best ways to learn this kind of stuff is to just get into it.”

Bengtson has a senior team member lead a particular case, with the younger students learning from them as they go. The students create a bio-profile of the remains and cheekbones for possible DNA testing.

“As an incoming member, it feels like a lot of pressure,” sophomore Madden Delaney said. “But the team is really, really great about showing you the ropes. Making you feel really comfortable. And it’s just a really good environment to work in.”

Dr. Bengtson and her students have helped identify four sets of remains so far, including those of murder victim Guy Travis.

Travis was killed along I-55 in Cape Girardeau County in 1977.

Former students Meghan Cook and Amanda Milbrandt worked on Guy’s case.

“It’s humbling that we were trusted enough to have that job,” Cook said. “I also think that it’s rewarding because we get a side of what we learned in class with hands-on experience.”

“So, we feel kind of responsible and attached,” Milbrandt said of the cases they work. “We want to give them the best chance at identification.”

Dr. B and her students give their time and attention free of charge. But running the needed tests on remains comes with a cost. So, they hold fundraisers, work on grants and appreciate donations from the community.

“How do you put a price on finding someone’s identity and returning them to their family,” Bengtson asked.

Dr. Bengtson called this work a responsibility. One she and her young staff do not take lightly.

“I am doing what I want to be doing for the rest of my life here,” Meyer said. “I feel very grateful for Dr. Bengtson.”

“I have this ability to work on cases like this. I have students who have the desire. Who have the ability. Who want to help. And there are lots of unidentified remains in Missouri. In our region. In this country. Somebody needs to do that work for them. And we want to do it.”

Dr. Bengtson said it cost close to $7,500 for the testing used to identify Guy Travis’ remains.

Donations made to the Forensic Anthropology Cold Case Team are handled through the University Foundation.

For donations, people can drop off or mail a check to the University Foundation, or they can donate online here: https://semo.edu/giving/index.html.

Donors should make sure to specify that the donation is for the Anthropology Club Cold Case Fund.

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