Presented by Cris Hughes
Clinical Associate Professor, Anthropology
Forensic anthropologists are tasked with assisting death investigators when unidentified human skeletal remains are found. They apply knowledge of human skeletal variation to cases to help narrow down who that person might be, from more generic estimations of biological sex, height, age at death, and ancestry, to individuating details like serial numbers from surgical implants or comparisons of dental work from x-rays. This information can be compared with missing persons reports to assist in matching with the unknown person. But what if the very same information forensic anthropologists are producing to aid investigations is being used to prioritize certain cases over others? Dr. Hughes will discuss the data from criminal justice research that such a hypothesis is based on, and will discuss her own research based on over 1,000 U.S. forensic anthropology cases to better understand whether such biases exist, and the larger contextual factors that impact investigative success.
Cris Hughes research interests include the use and limitations of ancestry estimations in the forensic investigative context, reliability (e.g. accuracy) measures of the biological profile estimation methods, and disparities in investigations of missing and unidentified persons. She is a board-certified forensic anthropologist, assisting unidentified persons investigations in Illinois since 2013 through consultation with coroner’s offices. Since 2023, she has served as an appointed member of the Illinois Forensic Science Commission. As Director of the Institute of Genomic Biology's Investigative Technology Exchange, Professor Hughes partners with the Illinois State Police to facilitate research and developments to enhance forensic science in Illinois, currently focusing on forensic investigative genetic genealogy.
If this event is full when you try to register, please email chp@illinois.edu to be placed on a waitlist.