JJ Frid, a senior forensic anthropology student, was able to work alongside the State Bureau of Investigation on a case in Cherokee County in February.
Frid said that being able to say they worked with the SBI and having familiarity with how cases operate will be helpful whether they decide to pursue a master’s or immediately get into casework.
There are a lot of ways that classwork applied to the case, but Frid said that the biggest differences in working the case and class were the amount of time to think and the number of moving parts.
“We were following the lead of an investigating team and having to follow their technique and the plan they already set into motion,” Frid said. “It had similar components, but it definitely elevates what we’ve heard in lecture and what we’ve practiced in lab, seeing people who do this every day for a living come up with a modality to run this investigation.”
WCU forensic anthropologists make themselves available to law enforcement for questions regarding cases. SBI reached out to Rebecca George, an anthropology professor, who advocated for student involvement in the case.
“It was very solidifying of this is what I want to be doing, because how are you supposed to know unless you’re actively doing it?” Frid said. “Overall, it was a really amazing experience.”
