S24-C18A, Forensic Anthropological Outdoor Research Facility (FARF), a.k.a. the Body Farm

Dr. O’Toole will present an overview of the Forensic Anthropological Outdoor Research Facility (FARF), commonly referred to as the Body Farm, which is located on five acres of the George Mason Science and Technology campus in Manassas, Virginia. She will discuss the history of this facility, its use as a training laboratory for students, and the type of scientific research that will be conducted on the farm. Dr. O’Toole will explain the human donor program, the department’s collaboration with its law enforcement partners, and specific areas of research and training that will involve cadaver canines and honey bees.The faculty of GMU’s Forensic Science Program has several hundred years of shared investigative and forensic experience working in the field. This experience includes involvement in murder investigations where outdoor crime scenes were critical to explaining how and even why the crime occurred. It is their experience that served as the premise for developing this facility and Dr. O’Toole will discuss some of her cases to demonstrate the importance of understanding human decomposition in outdoor crime scenes involving human remains.

Presenter: Dr. Mary Ellen O’Toole
Dr. Mary Ellen O’Toole is the director of the Forensic Science Program at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, one of the most prominent forensic science programs in the United States. She directs a faculty of experts in a wide range of sciences. Dr. O’Toole herself is a full time professor at the university and provides training in critical thinking and the assessment of violent crime scene behavior. She is an internationally recognized forensic behavioral consultant, who specializes in the recognition and assessment of concerning, troubling, and dangerous behaviors. She served as an FBI agent for nearly 28 years, for more than half of that time working in the Bureau’s prestigious Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU). As a senior agent, she consulted on many of the FBI’s highest profile and most complex criminal cases. Recognized as the FBI’s leading expert in the area of “psychopathy,” Dr. O’Toole worked closely with Dr. Robert Hare, one of the world’s experts in psychopaths and psychopathic behavior. Dr. O’Toole is on the forefront of mental health and the law regarding this devastating personality disorder. She was the principal investigator for the FBI’s research on school and mass shootings and the primary author of the FBI’s publication, A School Shooting: A Threat Assessment Perspective. Dr. O’Toole is the author of a number of publications and editor of the groundbreaking peer reviewed journal, Violence & Gender. A complete biography will be sent to class participants.

LLI Coordinator: Jo Anne Renton