Giving names to the dead

[preciousdove]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-0509090157sep09,1,644955.column?coll=chi-news-col

The Tribune's Mary Schmich reports from the morgue
Published September 9, 2005

ST. GABRIEL, La.

....Edwards explained that the team's job begins when the deceased are taken off the trucks and checked for any accompanying paperwork.

Each one is then decontaminated. A file is opened, with a case number. A determination is made on whether there was foul play. Photos are taken, conditions assessed, belongings bagged in plastic.

Then come fingerprints, dental investigation, a DNA sample from a bit of bone.

Eventually, the person is placed in a body bag, personal effects included, and the bag is wiped clean. It then goes into a receiving vault to be transported later. Meanwhile, the state uses the team's evidence to try to find the name and family...