Author(s): Jeff Benedict

Science & Natural History

The story of the Smithsonianâs leading forensic anthropologist and the most stunning cases of his international career. Doug Owsley, a forensic anthropologist at the Smithsonian Institution, is an expert in the study of ancient skeletons. From the start of his career he has helped identify the remains of victims in some of the most notorious cases in the world, including bodies found in Bosnia after the war; American journalists murdered and burned in Guatemala; and David Koreshâs remains and those of other Waco victims. Owsleyâs career veered onto an unusual path when he was called on to study the 10,000-year-old caucasoid skeleton known as the Kennewick Man. Caught up in a battle against both the Justice Department and the Indian tribes who claim the skeleton is a Native American, Owsley enlisted fellow scientists worldwide, filed suit against the government and is now at the forefront of a landmark case that may alter repatriation laws, as well as impact on the classic views of âNative Americansâ, migration patterns, anthropology, and our understanding of prehistory. Suddenly, a man who depends on bones to tell our history has a hand in making some himself.