First Responders

The Body Farm: The FBI’s Outdoor Training Classroom For Forensic Experts

May 12, 2020Matt Fratus
A student excavates a shallow grave at the Body Farm in Knoxville, Tennessee. Photo courtesy of FBI.gov

A student excavates a shallow grave at the Body Farm in Knoxville, Tennessee. Photo courtesy of FBI.gov

Ever wonder how the FBI trains its agents to collect forensic evidence, preserve outdoor crime scenes, and recover human remains? The know-how required for these sensitive jobs cannot be fully grasped or understood just by reading a textbook, so the students need to be hands-on and experience it for themselves. Those priceless lessons come from the Forensic Anthropology Center at the Anthropology Research Facility in Knoxville, Tennessee — a 2.5 acre woodland area commonly known as “The Body Farm.” 


The facility was founded in 1981 by anthropologist William Bass to study human decomposition and insect activity. Nearly two decades later, after participating in large-scale body recovery operations in Kosovo and other places overseas, the FBI recognized a weakness in their expertise.


Since 1999, the Bureau has consulted the training classroom that hosts their annual Recovery of Human Remains course each year. Agents from the FBI’s Evidence Response Team Unit (ERTU) learn from forensic anthropologists who teach them the slow and methodical process of detecting “clandestine burials” and excavating challenging crime scenes


FBI Body Farm coffee or die
An FBI Evidence Response Team member sketches a burial site at the Anthropology Research Center in Knoxville. Photo courtesy of FBI.gov.

Dressed in hazmat suits, rubber boots, and protective gloves, the students spend five days in the field where they use notepads to sketch crime scenes, consult forensic entomologists (what you might just call a “bug expert”) to recognize how maggots decompose a body, and learn the technical aspects to the clues left behind at archeological digs and sophisticated sites. The students survey a potential crime scene, comb through every pebble and clump of dirt, and document each bullet, bone, or piece of clothing found in the layers of the graves. Identifying what may be a hint or signal to the human puzzle that ultimately helps recreate the story of what may have happened to the victim is a difficult, but imperative task in an investigation. 


These observation techniques require the students to question every part of the landscape because it’s critical in ensuring that no evidence is missed. Dawnie Wolfe Steadman, the director of the Body Farm, suggests a scenario: “A cigarette butt at an outdoor crime scene — is that evidence or is it garbage?” 


The controlled environment gives the students the realism they will see when they are doing it for real, including the sights and smells of real human corpses.


The Body Farm coffee or die
The FBI provides a variety of forensic services and capabilities, including crime scene documentation; evidence and hazardous evidence response; investigative/forensic photography and imaging support; scientific, technical, and forensic support for investigations involving chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials; and expertise in health and safety matters. Photo courtesy of FBI.gov.

“I definitely don’t think anyone could just walk in here and deal with the smell and also the sight of a human being decomposing,” said Medora Arnaud, a field photographer from the Houston field office. “But you know you have a job to do. And I’m sure a lot of times that’s what gets a lot of people through it.” 


The human remains that are donated, including a collection of 1,700 individuals, are permanent guests at the facility to aid in scientific and forensic research.


“We have over 4,000 people from around the world who have donated their body to us while they are living,” said Steadman. “They feel strongly about the science that we do and they want to be a part of it. And I think one of the things that the donors feel very strongly about is that they are benefiting law enforcement, and particularly the FBI directly, by their gift of body donation.” 


Once completing the course, ERTU members return to their field offices with a new and improved expertise. This knowledge makes them an asset when deployed on the ground at complex crime scenes including mass shootings, cold case homicides, and stateside terrorist attacks — like Ground Zero on 9/11 or the finish line of the Boston Marathon Bombing in 2013. The ERTU and forensic experts also deploy overseas to assist other governments and authorities in evidence collection after catastrophic world events including war crime killing fields, Al-Shabab bombings across Africa, and in the Middle East where explosive analysis needs to be performed. 



Matt Fratus
Matt Fratus

Matt Fratus is a history staff writer for Coffee or Die. He prides himself on uncovering the most fascinating tales of history by sharing them through any means of engaging storytelling. He writes for his micro-blog @LateNightHistory on Instagram, where he shares the story behind the image. He is also the host of the Late Night History podcast. When not writing about history, Matt enjoys volunteering for One More Wave and rooting for Boston sports teams.

More from Coffee or Die Magazine
Curtis LeMay
Curtis LeMay: The World War II General Who Firebombed Japan

Who exactly was Gen. Curtis LeMay? And how did he become the commander who razed more than 60 Japanese cities during World War II?

eric smith marine corps commandant nominee
Highly Decorated Marine Officer Nominated To Be Next Commandant

President Joe Biden has nominated a highly decorated Marine officer who has been involved in the transformation of the force to be the next Marine Corps commandant.

USS Arizona
Profile of a Ship: USS Arizona

When the USS Arizona sank, it took 1,177 crew members with it. Today it remains beneath the water as a memorial to all those who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor.

b1 bombers bosnia
US Bombers Fly Over Bosnia in Sign of Support Amid Continued Secessionist Threats

A pair of U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers flew low over Sarajevo and several other Bosnian cities...

SR-71 Blackbird
SR-71 Blackbird: The Spy Plane That Could Outrun Missiles

Lockheed Martin’s SR-71 Blackbird was a government secret for years. Now retired, a newer version plans to take its place.

medal of honor recipient remains returned
Missing 73 Years, Medal of Honor Recipient's Remains Return To Georgia

Soldiers of the 9th Infantry Regiment made a desperate retreat as North Korean troops closed in arou...

dear jack
Dear Jack: My Battalion Is Out of Control

In this installment of “Dear Jack,” Marine veteran and amateur life coach Jack Mandaville advises a lieutenant colonel on how to restore order in the lower ranks.

  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
Contact Us
  • Request a Correction
  • Write for Us
  • General Inquiries
© 2023 Coffee or Die Magazine. All Rights Reserved