Dr. Thomas Jordan and Dr. Jeffrey Dick of Physics, Astronomy, Geology and Environmental Science continue to receive and fulfill requests from the FBI Cleveland Field Office to assist with their Evidence Response Team in the detection of clandestine burials. See this recent article on the FBI's recognition of this work.

Jordan and Dick have been called on by the FBI Evidence Response Team to assist with two separate homicide investigation cases in recent months. In June they assisted with the location of buried evidence on private property near the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. The nature of the investigation required precision imaging of deeply buried metallic material. A combination of magnetic gradiometry, ground penetrating radar, and electromagnetic induction instrumentation proved successful in the identification and delineation of items of interest. Around the same time, Jordan and Dick assisted the FBI Evidence Response team in cooperation with the Stark County Sheriff’s Office with the location of a shallow clandestine burial in the greater Canton area. The investigation identified two possible burial sites on private property. In September they were on-site for excavation operations.

Jordan and Dick and the Department of PAGES maintain the state-of-the-art Forensic Geology and Geophysics Lab. Through generous support from PAGES, STEM and THG Geophysics of Murrysville, Pennsylvania, the Lab is equipped with multiple ground penetrating radar instruments, multiple electromagnetic induction instruments, sophisticated magnetic gradiometry instrumentation as well as a complete compliment of seismic, resistivity, gravity, magnetic and precision surveying instruments. The lab instruments support Jordan and Dick’s research of long-term geophysical and geochemical monitoring of the decomposition of buried hogs at the “simulated clandestine burial” research site in rural Columbiana County.