With the approach of the 50th anniversary of the Big Thompson Flood near Loveland, Colorado State University is remembering the role of the late forensic anthropologist Michael Charney, who led the successful identification of 139 recovered bodies – and, in the process, helped advance the field of disaster victim identification.
At the time, Charney was an anthropology faculty member at CSU and deputy coroner for Larimer County. As a physical anthropologist with expertise in human skeletal remains, he was quickly called to help identify flood victims. Through his response, he left his mark on Colorado history. Charney worked with a forensic pathologist, who conducted autopsies to determine cause and manner of death, and a forensic odontologist, a specialized dentist who could compare physical remains to dental records. He would later urge law-enforcement and other agencies nationwide to improve and standardize victim identification using such scientific teams. He also advocated for policies that clearly outlined distinct roles and responsibilities in disaster victim identification.
