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By Lanita Withers Goins, University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-3890
Posted 11-19-09
GREENSBORO, N.C. — The question has lingered for years: What happened to Henry Wilson?
A team from UNCG’s Department of Anthropology may have helped uncover the answer.
The Guilford County Sheriff’s Department was called Tuesday to investigate human skeletal remains found in a wooded area northeast of Greensboro. In search of more information, investigators reached out to UNCG’s Dr. Carlina de la Cova.
A biological anthropologist, de la Cova has collaborated with the sheriff’s department since she arrived at the university in 2008. Law enforcement officials would call her when bones were found and they needed to know if the remains were human.
This time, the investigators wondered if de la Cova would be willing to come and help excavate the site of the skeletal remains. She contacted fellow anthropology faculty member Dr. Linda Stine and senior Tamara Cagle, and headed to the scene.
Her research makes de la Cova uniquely qualified to help. An expert in skeletal anthropology, she’s well versed in how to identify skeletons, properly excavate them, and give estimates of their age, ancestry and other identifying characteristics.
“I can do what ‘BONES’ does,” de la Cova explained, referring to the popular forensic anthropology drama on FOX. “Some of my friends who aren’t anthropologists have given me that nickname.”
The team from UNCG spent close to eight hours on the scene, working long past nightfall. As they toiled, clues to the bones' identity surfaced. They were able to tell the sheriff’s department that the victim was an African-American male who was older than 40 to 50 years old, over 6 feet tall and suffered from severe arthritis. With that information, the sheriff’s department has tentatively identified the remains as those of Henry Wilson, who has been missing since 2004. Investigators have notified a family member who will help with DNA testing for final identification.
For her part, de la Cova said she was happy to assist the investigation. “It’s rewarding to bring closure to families, in the forensic context,” she said, “to bring peace to families, to let them know what happened to their loved ones. It is very rewarding.”
And if she’s called on again, de la Cova is ready to serve. “That’s what we’re here for, to provide any assistance that we can,” she added. “It’s an important service to the community and it’s something I personally enjoy doing.”