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Feb 9, 2017 10:00 AM

Gallery: Out on the Texas Ranch Where Scientists Study Death (NSFW)

Robert Shults
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Cages cover bodies at Texas State University’s Forensic Anthroplogy Research Facility on Freeman Ranch in San Marcos, Texas. The cages protect against scavenging by vultures, coyotes and other animals. Spanning 26 acres of land, the facility is the largest human decomposition laboratory in the world.
Robert Shults
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Graduate students Nandar Yukyi, Lauren Meckel, Annie Riegert, and Audrey Schaefer bury a body in the outdoor decomposition facility. The burial began in the afternoon but didn't finish until sunset, due to the rocky, hard soil.

Robert Shults
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Graduate student Courtney Siegert examines burned pig remains as part of her thesis research testing recovery methods for burned bones.
Robert Shults
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Graduate student Devora Gleiber notes the state of a body at the outdoor decomposition facility.

Robert Shults
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Undergraduate student Jordan Daem inspects a casket as part of a forensic investigation.
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Graduate student Justin Pyle studies a body at the outdoor decomposition facility. It was placed outdoors without a cage, and consequently has been scavenged.

Robert Shults
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Undergraduate student Jordan Daem and graduate student Devora Gleiber disassemble a skeleton at the end of a human decomposition experiment.
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Students tag limbs using a unique identification number so they can be identified even if separated from the body during decomposition.

Robert Shults
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Graduate students Annie Riegert, Chloe McDaneld, Lauren Meckel, and Devora Gleiber position a body with a forklift before transporting it to the decomposition facility.
Robert Shults
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Graduate students Brittany McClain and Lauren Meckel examine a vicitim’s teeth.

Robert Shults
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Graduate students mix special detergent and water in a kettle containing a skeleton. It’s the first step in cleaning, labeling and archiving remains for the university’s osteological research collection.
Robert Shults
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Researchers compare an unidentified victim's skull to a replica. The model will be used to help reconstruct the victim's face. The research is part of Operation ID, a university project dedicated to identifying over 200 suspected migrants found along the Texas-Mexico border.

Robert Shults
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Visiting researcher Dr. Hayley Mickleburgh reconstructs a face using a three-dimensional model of a skull.
Robert Shults
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The clothing and personal effects of unidentified migrants dry on the floor of the osteological research and processing laboratory.

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Graduate student Nandar Yukyi arranges an unidentified skeleton prior to photographing it.

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