Arpad Vass

Last updated
Arpad Vass
Born
Arpad Alexander Vass

(1959-08-30) August 30, 1959 (age 65) [1]
Flemington, New Jersey [1]
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater BS: Virginia Tech
MS: Virginia Commonwealth University
PhD: University of Tennessee
SpouseVictoria Ann Longo
Scientific career
FieldsForensic anthropology
Doctoral advisor William M. Bass

Arpad Alexander Vass (born August 30, 1959) is a forensic anthropologist. He has researched the processes involved in human decomposition. Vass claims to have developed several devices and methods to locate human remains; however, those claims have not been validated by other experts.

Contents

Personal Life

Vass is the son of a Hungarian immigrant. [2] He grew up in Arlington, Virginia, where he graduated from Yorktown High School in 1977. He is married to Victoria Ann Longo. [1]

He formerly taught at the Law Enforcement Innovation Center, which is part of the University of Tennessee's Institute for Public Service. [3] For 23 years, [4] he worked as a research scientist within the Life Sciences Division of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory [5] until September 2012. Subsequently, he has been a part-time instructor at the National Forensic Academy in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and has offered various services in missing person cases. [6]

Education and research

In 1980, Arpad Vass obtained the Antarctic Exploration certification from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The following year, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Virginia Tech. In 1984, Vass earned a Medical Technology degree from Fairfax Hospital. He earned a Masters of Science degree in 1989 from the Virginia Commonwealth University in Administration of Justice (Forensic Science). In 1991, he earned his PhD from the University of Tennessee in anthropology after defending his dissertation titled Time Since Death Determinations of Human Cadavers. [5]

In his work at the University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility (ARF), Arpad Vass researched the processes involved in the decomposition of human remains. He isolated specific tissues of the human body and the species of bacteria that affect their decomposition. [7] He was particularly interested in using the chemicals released by a cadaver to determine the time since death [2] and how the detection of those chemicals could assist in locating remains.

Vass's research centered on a forensic science technique called decomposition odor analysis, or DOA. Using air samples collected around cadavers at the ARF, he was able to identify "chemicals containing 424 specific compounds associated with burial decomposition." [8] A database of such vapors could enable the forensic investigators to detect the location of remains of human beings. [9] The database is located at the ARF. [10] However, based on his research, Vass and colleagues concluded that the prevalence of these chemicals is highly variable dependent on environmental conditions of the burial site and the health of the individual prior to death. They were also unable to determine the exact origin of the compounds in the decomposition process. [8]

LABRADOR

In an effort to be able to detect chemicals released during composition better and more efficiently than a cadaver dog could, Arpad Vass invented the "Light-Weight Analyzer for Buried Remains and Decomposition Odor Recognition" (LABRADOR). [6] In his 2012 TED Talk, he claims that the device has been used to identify over 100 hidden graves and can identify the stage of decomposition, as well differentiate whether the remains belonged to a human or another type of animal. [11] In the 2010 report for the U.S. Department of Justice., Vass states that LABRADOR's ability to identify non-human remains was only studied in a limited capacity on pig carcasses. [12] Furthermore, in the same report, he qualifies that the device is not yet as sensitive as a dog's nose and can only be used for shallow graves in temperate environments. [12]

Vass holds three patents for LABRADOR [13] . In 2010, the estimated cost of the device was $1,000-$1,500; [12] however, as of March 2022, the device has not been sold commercially. [6]

Casey Anthony Trial

In 2011, Arpad Vass was a key expert witness for the prosecution in the trial of Casey Anthony, who was accused of murdering her daughter Caylee. [14] Vass's testimony centered on his analysis of air samples taken from Anthony's car [14] as evidence that the child's remains had been placed into the vehicle. [6] The defense had requested in pretrial that the air sample tests be excluded from the evidence presented; however, the judge permitted the tests to be presented in court. [14] Prior to the Anthony case, no other trial in the U.S. had aver allowed such tests to be admitted. [14]

Vass's testimony was disputed in court by an analytical chemist who testified that air sample analysis lacked scientific evidence and that the detected compounds could have been caused by food waste in the car. [6] Vass, himself, admitted shortcomings in his methodology. [14] Legal and forensic experts criticized allowing a technique that lacked "established scientific validity" and that was proprietary to the witness to be presented in court. [14] Vass believes that his role in the trial and the criticism he received for it may have lead Oak Ridge National Laboratory to terminate his employment. [6]

Unsubstantiated Claims

Arpad Vass claims, without scientific evidence, that he has developed several tools to help detect and uncover forensic cases. [15] Experts in forensic anthropology have expressed concerns that the services Vass offers are "very misleading to families and law enforcement" and that since he is not a member of professional organizations in the field, he is not being held to "ethical and scientific standards." [6]

Dowsing

Vass has claimed that dowsing rods can be used to find corpses. [6] This may have started as a practical joke, when Vass coincidently located a corpse on the Body Farm in Tennessee while holding two pieces of wire like divining rods. [2] Since then, Vass has gone on to claim that "dowsing is based on scientific principles and the fact that it was admitted in court is proof of the technique’s credibility." [6] He suggests that buried "bones under mechanical stress" emit a piezoelectric charge [6] which causes the rods to cross when held over a burial site. [16] Vass claims that not everyone can successfully locate a skeleton with dowsing rods because the operator must "have the right voltage, [or] it’s not going to work.” [6] He also admits that the rods could give the same response to a small rodent's bones or to underground power lines as to human remains. [6]

As of 2022, there has not been any peer-reviewed study published that corroborates that any piezoelectric sensor can detect interred bones. [6] A joint study conducted by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, the FBI Laboratory, and George Mason University, [6] published in 2021, asked participants to use dowsing rods to attempt to identify which 3 out of 9 areas contained buried bones. The results were not significantly different from control subjects who visually inspected the burial sites. [17] Scientists posit the ideomotor effect as a rational explanation for the movement of the divining rods. [6]

Quantum Oscillator/INQUISITOR

Vass filed five patents [13] related to a device he now calls the Quantum Oscillator, but had given the name INQUISITOR during the research and development phase. [18] As he explains it, this handheld device is supposed to point in the direction of any distant object (up to 75 miles away) by using the vibrational frequency of a similar material. [6] He claims that this technology can located a missing person, dead or alive, by using DNA from a family member's fingernail. [4] He has not made the device publicly available, citing national security concerns. [4] When requesting Vass to implement his Quantum Oscillator, he "allow[s] only essential personnel to be present" citing the propriatary nature of his equipment and wanting to "guarded company secrets." [18]

Experts have investigated the success rate of the Quantum Oscillator/INQUISITOR. Andrea Lankford, "a former search and rescue park ranger", could not find any case, out of 27 on which Arpad Vass worked where the device successfully "detected an actual missing person or their remains." [19] She consulted Dr. Monte Miller, who holds a PhD in biochemistry and has over 20 years of experience in forensics and DNA analysis, to investigate the claims Vass has made about Vass's device. [19] Miller concluded that "the INQUISITOR is a hoax" and that there is "no research, proofs, or any substantial reason to believe" that it "can actually perform the abilities claimed. [20]

Flies with tracking chips

Citing flies' natural inclination to seek out "a corpse within minutes of death," [6] Vass has put forth a proposal to locate human remains with the use of such insects equipped with a tracking chip. [21] However, he admits losing most of his trackers due to birds consuming the insects. [6]

Selected publications

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dowsing</span> Pseudoscientific attempts to locate underground objects

Dowsing is a type of divination employed in attempts to locate ground water, buried metals or ores, gemstones, oil, claimed radiations (radiesthesia), gravesites, malign "earth vibrations" and many other objects and materials without the use of a scientific apparatus. It is also known as divining, doodlebugging or water finding, or water witching.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forensic entomology</span> Application of insect and other arthropod biology to forensics

Forensic entomology is a branch of forensic science that uses insects found on corpses to help solve criminal cases. This includes studying the types of insects commonly found on cadavers, their life cycles, their presence in different environments, and how insect assemblages change with decomposition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Decomposition</span> Process in which organic substances are broken down into simpler organic matter

Decomposition or rot is the process by which dead organic substances are broken down into simpler organic or inorganic matter such as carbon dioxide, water, simple sugars and mineral salts. The process is a part of the nutrient cycle and is essential for recycling the finite matter that occupies physical space in the biosphere. Bodies of living organisms begin to decompose shortly after death. Animals, such as earthworms, also help decompose the organic materials. Organisms that do this are known as decomposers or detritivores. Although no two organisms decompose in the same way, they all undergo the same sequential stages of decomposition. The science which studies decomposition is generally referred to as taphonomy from the Greek word taphos, meaning tomb. Decomposition can also be a gradual process for organisms that have extended periods of dormancy.

Putrefaction is the fifth stage of death, following pallor mortis, livor mortis, algor mortis, and rigor mortis. This process references the breaking down of a body of an animal post-mortem. In broad terms, it can be viewed as the decomposition of proteins, and the eventual breakdown of the cohesiveness between tissues, and the liquefaction of most organs. This is caused by the decomposition of organic matter by bacterial or fungal digestion, which causes the release of gases that infiltrate the body's tissues, and leads to the deterioration of the tissues and organs. The approximate time it takes putrefaction to occur is dependent on various factors. Internal factors that affect the rate of putrefaction include the age at which death has occurred, the overall structure and condition of the body, the cause of death, and external injuries arising before or after death. External factors include environmental temperature, moisture and air exposure, clothing, burial factors, and light exposure. Body farms are facilities that study the way various factors affect the putrefaction process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forensic anthropology</span> Application of the science of anthropology in a legal setting

Forensic anthropology is the application of the anatomical science of anthropology and its various subfields, including forensic archaeology and forensic taphonomy, in a legal setting. A forensic anthropologist can assist in the identification of deceased individuals whose remains are decomposed, burned, mutilated or otherwise unrecognizable, as might happen in a plane crash. Forensic anthropologists are also instrumental in the investigation and documentation of genocide and mass graves. Along with forensic pathologists, forensic dentists, and homicide investigators, forensic anthropologists commonly testify in court as expert witnesses. Using physical markers present on a skeleton, a forensic anthropologist can potentially determine a person's age, sex, stature, and race. In addition to identifying physical characteristics of the individual, forensic anthropologists can use skeletal abnormalities to potentially determine cause of death, past trauma such as broken bones or medical procedures, as well as diseases such as bone cancer.

A body farm is a research facility where decomposition of humans and animals can be studied in a variety of settings. The initial facility was conceived by anthropologist William M. Bass in 1981 at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, where Bass was interested in studying the decomposition of a human corpse from the time of death to the time of decay. The aim was to gain a better understanding of the decomposition process, permitting the development of techniques for extracting information such as the timing and circumstances of death from human remains. Body farm research is of particular interest in forensic anthropology and related disciplines, and has applications in the fields of law enforcement and forensic science. By placing the bodies outside to face the elements, researchers are able to get a better understanding of the decomposition process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Post-mortem interval</span> Time that has elapsed since a person has died

The post-mortem interval (PMI) is the time that has elapsed since an individual's death. When the time of death is not known, the interval may be estimated, and so an approximate time of death established. Postmortem interval estimations can range from hours, to days or even years depending on the type of evidence present. There are standard medical and scientific techniques supporting such an estimation.

The health risks of dead bodies are dangers related to the improper preparation and disposal of cadavers. While normal circumstances allow cadavers to be quickly embalmed, cremated, or buried; natural and man-made disasters can quickly overwhelm and/or interrupt the established protocols for dealing with the dead. Under such circumstances, the decomposition and putrefaction of cadavers goes unchecked, and raises a series of health, logistical, and psychological issues. After disasters with extensive loss of life due to trauma rather than disease—earthquakes, storms, human conflict, etc.—many resources are often expended on burying the dead quickly, and applying disinfectant to bodies for the specific purpose of preventing disease. Specialists say that spraying is a waste of disinfectant and manpower, that "resources that should be going into establishment of water supply, sanitation, shelter, warmth and hygienic food for the survivors are being applied to digging mass graves", and that "Time and time again, eminent and authoritative experts have pointed out that dead bodies do not constitute a health hazard".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Search and rescue dog</span> Dog trained to locate or retrieve a missing or trapped person

A search-and-rescue (SAR) dog is a dog trained to respond to crime scenes, accidents, missing persons events, as well as natural or man-made disasters. These dogs detect human scent, which is a distinct odor of skin flakes and water and oil secretions unique to each person and have been known to find people under water, snow, and collapsed buildings, as well as remains buried underground. SAR dogs are a non-invasive aid in the location of humans, alive or deceased.

José Jaime Maussan Flota is a Mexican journalist, television personality, and ufologist. He has promoted claims of supposed alien remains that have turned out to be hoaxes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disappearance of Kristen Modafferi</span> Unsolved 1997 disappearance of 18-year-old American woman

Kristen Deborah Modafferi is an American woman who, at the age of 18, in the early summer of 1997, disappeared in mysterious circumstances after leaving her work at the Crocker Galleria Mall in San Francisco, California. The soon-to-be college sophomore at North Carolina State University was spending the summer in the Bay Area; Modafferi had relocated from her native North Carolina to Oakland only recently and was expected to start summer photography classes at UC Berkeley on the day after she vanished.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skeletonization</span> Remains of an organism after soft tissues have broken down after death

Skeletonization is the state of a dead organism after undergoing decomposition. Skeletonization refers to the final stage of decomposition, during which the last vestiges of the soft tissues of a corpse or carcass have decayed or dried to the point that the skeleton is exposed. By the end of the skeletonization process, all soft tissue will have been eliminated, leaving only disarticulated bones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadaver</span> Dead human body

A cadaver, often known as a corpse, is a dead human body. Cadavers are used by medical students, physicians and other scientists to study anatomy, identify disease sites, determine causes of death, and provide tissue to repair a defect in a living human being. Students in medical school study and dissect cadavers as a part of their education. Others who study cadavers include archaeologists and arts students. In addition, a cadaver may be used in the development and evaluation of surgical instruments.

Forensic entomological decomposition is how insects decompose and what that means for timing and information in criminal investigations. Medicolegal entomology is a branch of forensic entomology that applies the study of insects to criminal investigations, and is commonly used in death investigations for estimating the post-mortem interval (PMI). One method of obtaining this estimate uses the time and pattern of arthropod colonization. This method will provide an estimation of the period of insect activity, which may or may not correlate exactly with the time of death. While insect successional data may not provide as accurate an estimate during the early stages of decomposition as developmental data, it is applicable for later decompositional stages and can be accurate for periods up to a few years.

The University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility, better known as the Body Farm and sometimes seen as the Forensic Anthropology Facility, was conceived in 1971 and established in 1972 by anthropologist William M. Bass as the first facility for the study of decomposition of human remains. It is located a few miles from downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, behind the University of Tennessee Medical Center, and is part of the Forensic Anthropology Center, which was established by Dr. Bass in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microbiology of decomposition</span>

Microbiology of decomposition is the study of all microorganisms involved in decomposition, the chemical and physical processes during which organic matter is broken down and reduced to its original elements.

Decomposition in animals is a process that begins immediately after death and involves the destruction of soft tissue, leaving behind skeletonized remains. The chemical process of decomposition is complex and involves the breakdown of soft tissue, as the body passes through the sequential stages of decomposition. Autolysis and putrefaction also play major roles in the disintegration of cells and tissues.

The smell of death is a smell occurring during decomposition. It is made up of over 800 different chemicals. There have been efforts to synthesize the smell of death. It has also been used as evidence in court trials involving murder.

The necrobiome has been defined as the community of species associated with decaying remains after the death of an organism. The process of decomposition is complex. Microbes decompose cadavers, but other organisms including fungi, nematodes, insects, and larger scavenger animals also contribute. Once the immune system is no longer active, microbes colonizing the intestines and lungs decompose their respective tissues and then travel throughout the body via the circulatory and lymphatic systems to break down other tissue and bone. During this process, gases are released as a by-product and accumulate, causing bloating. Eventually, the gases seep through the body's wounds and natural openings, providing a way for some microbes to exit from the inside of the cadaver and inhabit the outside. The microbial communities colonizing the internal organs of a cadaver are referred to as the thanatomicrobiome. The region outside of the cadaver that is exposed to the external environment is referred to as the epinecrotic microbial communities of the necrobiome, and is especially important when determining the time and location of death for an individual. Different microbes play specific roles during each stage of the decomposition process. The microbes that colonize the cadaver and the rate of their activity are determined by the cadaver itself and the cadaver's surrounding environmental conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corpse decomposition</span> Process in which animal bodies break down

Decomposition is the process in which the organs and complex molecules of animal and human bodies break down into simple organic matter over time. In vertebrates, five stages of decomposition are typically recognized: fresh, bloat, active decay, advanced decay, and dry/skeletonized. Knowing the different stages of decomposition can help investigators in determining the post-mortem interval (PMI). The rate of decomposition of human remains can vary due to environmental factors and other factors. Environmental factors include temperature, burning, humidity, and the availability of oxygen. Other factors include body size, clothing, and the cause of death.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Vass, Arpad A (August 1991). Time Since Death Determinations of Human Cadavers Utilizing Soil Solution (PDF) (Ph.D. thesis). University of Tennessee, Knoxville. OCLC   25539141. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-26. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  2. 1 2 3 Smirnov, Alexei. "Top Ten Scientists". Business TN. Archived from the original on 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  3. ↑ Robertson, Susan (2018-05-08). "Hands On". Our Tennessee. Archived from the original on 2024-07-20. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  4. 1 2 3 Taylor, Michelle (2022-02-16). "Adding Scat to the Missing Persons Identification Forensic Toolbox". Forensic: On the Scene and In the Lab. Archived from the original on 2024-07-26. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
  5. 1 2 Costner, Robert (2003-04-10). "Lunch/lecture by Arpad Vass". Fornlist (Mailing list). Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 "He Trains Cops in "Witching" to Help Find Corpses. Experts Are Alarmed". Archived from the original on April 22, 2024.
  7. ↑ Pennisi, Elizabeth (2015-09-22). "Researchers isolate the 'human smell of death'". Science. Archived from the original on 2024-07-26.
  8. 1 2 Vass, Arpad A.; Smith, Rob R.; Thompson, Cyril V.; Burnett, Michael N.; Wolf, Dennis A.; Synstelien, Jennifer A.; Dulgerian, Nishan; Eckenrode, Brian A. (2004). "Decompositional odor analysis database" (PDF). Journal of Forensic Sciences. 49 (4): 760–769. ISSN   0022-1198. PMID   15317191. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-07-31. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  9. ↑ "UNCOVERING THE EVIDENCE". Oak Ridge National Laboratory Review. 37 (1): 19. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-08-31. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  10. ↑ Vass, Arpad A; et al. (November 14, 2003). "Decompositional Odor Analysis Database - Phase 1" (PDF). ORNL.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 24, 2011. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  11. ↑ TEDx Talks (2012-07-05). Forensics: Dr. Arpad Vass at TEDxYYC . Retrieved 2024-07-26– via YouTube.
  12. 1 2 3 Vass, Arpad; Thompson, Cyril V.; Wise, Marc (July 2010). "New Forensics Tool: Development of an Advanced Sensor for Detecting Clandestine Graves". U.S. Department of Justice: Office of Justice Programs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-07-26. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
  13. 1 2 "Arpad A. Vass Inventions, Patents and Patent Applications - Justia Patents Search". patents.justia.com. Archived from the original on 2024-07-26. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mann, Camille (2011-06-06). "Casey Anthony Trial: Car air sample was "overwhelmingly strong," says "body farm" doctor - CBS News". CBS News. Archived from the original on 2024-07-28. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  15. ↑ Sachs, Jessica Snyder (January 7, 2003). "New Science for the Murder Victim Search". Popular Science. Archived from the original on May 23, 2011.
  16. ↑ Underdown, Jim (2022-03-23). "Dowsing for Corpses". Center for Inquiry. Archived from the original on 2024-07-26. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
  17. ↑ Easter, Michael; Christensen, Angi M.; Miller, Michelle (2021-01-01). "Dowsing for Bone: A Blind Test". Forensic Anthropology. 4 (1): 15–20. Archived from the original on 2024-07-25.
  18. 1 2 "FAQs – ForensicRecoveryServices.org". Forensic Recovery Services. Archived from the original on 2024-07-29. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  19. 1 2 Lankford, Andrea (2019-01-26). "If the scientist Arpad Vass says he can find your missing loved one using fingernail clippings, don't believe him". MISSING FROM THE PACIFIC CREST TRAIL. Archived from the original on 2024-07-28. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  20. ↑ Miller, Monte (2018-12-17). "Forensic DNA Experts" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-07-28. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  21. ↑ Goforth, Sarah (December 16, 2003). "Bodies and Bones: Where the bodies are". WhyFiles.org. Archived from the original on July 4, 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.