Abstract
The Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State (FACTS) began accepting whole-body donations for scientific research and educational purposes under the Texas Anatomical Gift Act in 2008. Research conducted with donated whole bodies involves studies in taphonomy and human decomposition, including reconstructing the postmortem interval. Following decomposition, the skeletal elements of all donors are collected, cleaned, and permanently curated into the Texas State Donated Skeletal Collection (TXSTDSC), which is used for teaching and research by faculty and students at Texas State but is also open to external researchers. To date, FACTS has received 710 donors. Fifty-eight percent of donors are male and 42% are female. Donor ages range from 21 weeks’ gestation to 103 years old at the time of death, with a mean of 66 years, and a median of 68 years. Based on self-identified or family-identified ancestry, 90% of donors are White, 4.5% are Hispanic, 3% are Black, less than 2% are of mixed ancestry, and less than 1% are Asian or Native American. Information collected about each donor includes geographic/residential history; occupational history; socioeconomic status; anthropometrics; parity status; alcohol, tobacco, and drug use history; mobility status; an overall health questionnaire; cause and manner of death.
Highlights
The Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State (FACTS) is a center within the Department of Anthropology at Texas State University with a mission to advance forensic anthropology and related sciences through world-class education, research, service, and outreach
The center was established in 2006 by the late Dr Jerry Melbye who served as the Director of FACTS from 2006 to 2008, during which time the FACTS established its Willed Body Donation Program (WBDP) and outdoor human decomposition/taphonomy facility known as the Forensic Anthropology Research Facility (FARF)
In 2017, FACTS moved into the Grady Early Building, which offers a total of 12,000 ft2 of classroom, office, and laboratory space including the Grady Early Forensic Anthropology Research Laboratory (GEFARL)
Summary
Sci. 2022, 2 under both provisions by allowing individuals to pre-register as ‘Living’ donors and accepting donations from family members deemed ‘ of Kin’ donations It is legally permissible under the Texas Anatomical Gift Act, FACTS does not accept either unclaimed bodies or of Kin donations from family members who are estranged from the decedent. By only accepting pre-registered Living donors and of Kin donations where the family was familiar with the decedent’s wishes, FACTS can ensure that the resulting TXSTDSC is only comprised of individuals who wanted their remains used for forensic science teaching and research purposes. The body donation document/release forms differ for Living donors and of Kin donors as dictated by requirements in the Texas Anatomical Gift Act. For individuals pre-registering as Living donors, the release form requires the donor’s signature as well as the signatures of two witnesses, one of whom must not be a family member. The other donor was born biologically male but had undergone sexual reassignment surgery to female 17 years prior to their death and had been continually on hormone therapy until their death
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