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Dr. Karen Burns
Forensic Anthropologist / Archeologist, Fulbright Scholar, University Prefessor, Ph.D.
Why I am a Marauder
I became acutely aware of the fate of families of disappeared persons during the 1990’s in
Guatemala while teaching short courses in human skeletal analysis for the newly-forming
Guatemalan forensic anthropology teams.
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Dr. Karen Burns
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My years of experience in U.S. forensic laboratories,
disasters, and crime scene investigations had prepared me to work with unidentified human
remains, but it was the Mayan Indians who taught me empathy for the survivors.
The Mayans had requested exhumation and identification of victims because of their belief that
personal and community recovery depended on the revelation of truth and the opportunity to
rebury their loved ones according to custom and tradition. Throughout our work, the victims’
families gathered at the sides of the mass graves. They lit candles, prayed, and cried. After
the analysis was completed, team members met with the families, explained results, and
participated in reburial ceremonies. The experience provided a model for my work in many other
places.
The loss of a loved one is a heart-wrenching experience, but most people can find a sense of
peace if they are provided with the truth about the death and given the opportunity to lay the
body to rest in their chosen way. I am committed to facilitate the process of healing by
offering my knowledge and experience in recovery and analysis of human skeletal remains.
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Background: Dr. Karen Burns
Karen Ramey Burns, Ph.D., forensic anthropologist, specialist in human identification,
international consultant in human rights investigations, Research Professor at the University
of Utah, Fulbright Scholar, National Disaster Medical System Anthropologist, co-founder of
EQUITAS – a Colombian non-governmental organization devoted to aiding families of the
disappeared through psychosocial and forensic science assistance.
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About Moore's Marauders...
 Moore's
Marauders is a non-profit organization that receives no government funding. We
rely solely on your contributions to help us locate the 35,000
WWII MIAs the
U.S. government maintains are still recoverable.
For as
little as 30 cents a day, you can help us bring home the thousands who made the
ultimate sacrifice so that we could live in freedom.
Donate today.
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