CUMRU TOWNSHIP, Pa. – It’s a tough thing to hear.
“I’ve had families say to me before, ‘I realize my loved one is dead, but I need to know that for sure’,” said Deputy Coroner George Holmes.
Human remains found in the Flying Hills area of Cumru Township Sunday night only leading to more questions — and possibilities — with police informing the family of Travelle Martin, a wanted man last seen in that area about a year ago, that they are looking into the possibility that it’s him.
Meanwhile, identifying the unidentified is a key focus for those in the Berks County Coroner’s Office.
“I’ve probably spent the last year really focusing on the unidentified that we have in Berks County and we’ve been able to make progress on a lot of them,” Holmes said.
It’s a complex science but one that forensic investigators must handle with the same scrutiny and attention to detail as police at a fresh crime scene.
“When you have a suspected person you think it might be, the first thing you do is try to gather medical and dental records to compare against the remains you’ve recovered,” Holmes said.
Pieces of a puzzle that reveal the identity of a person.
“You take all these things and put them together and try to come up with an identity,” Holmes said.
Often, time and location can play a role and have an impact on how quickly the complex process can come to a conclusion.
“If you don’t recover all of the remains, if someone has been missing for years, the bones can be scattered from all kinds of things: animal activity, weather, what have you.” Holmes said.
Obstacles still to overcome – on the road to closure for investigators – and a person’s family.
“When you’re able to identity somebody and inform the family, and you see that that emotion from them that they finally know, it makes it all worth it. We try to get to that resolution. That’s what it’s all about in the end,” added Holmes.