Asheville Police Department boasts its own version of Dr. Temperance Brennan

Detective Sarah Foley may not be scraping human remains for the FBI on primetime television, but her unique background in forensic anthropology makes her a huge asset to investigations at the Asheville Police Department. Detective Foley has a B.S. in Forensic Anthropology and Criminal Justice from Western Carolina University and is currently enrolled in Field Recovery of Human Remains and Surface Recovery of Human Skeletal Remains. Detective Foley currently works as a Detective in the Criminal Investigations Divisions (CID) of the Asheville Police Department and is assigned as a General Assignment Detective for the Central and South Asheville areas.

From the City of Asheville’s Blog

Press Release

Detective Sarah Foley’s unique background in forensic anthropology makes her an asset at the Asheville Police Department.

“When remains are discovered I have the ability to go on-scene and determine whether remains are from a human or animal, rather than having to send them to a lab and have them tested,” said Foley.
Just earlier this month Detective Foley was called out to inspect a tree with the letters “R-I-P” carved into the trunk, signifying a possible tombstone. She worked to carefully excavate the area and was quickly able to determine that the location was not a burial site.
Foley has a B.S. in Forensic Anthropology and Criminal Justice from Western Carolina University. Her fascination with anatomy started in high school when she took an advanced anatomy and physiology course. She applied to Western specifically for the forensic anthropology degree. While there she started doing research on a degree to pair with it and discovered a lot of uses within the criminal justice field, specifically for field recovery.
“I have always enjoyed meticulous work,” Foley said. “I like the intricacies of carefully sifting through remains and piecing them back together.”

Continue Reading:

http://coablog.ashevillenc.gov/2015/05/asheville-police-department-has-its-own-bones/

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About Melissa Sibley
Melissa Sibley is from a tiny town near the coast of North Carolina called New Bern, and will be a senior next year at UNC Asheville. She is a Literature major with an emphasis on Creative Writing, and a Psychology minor. She plans to stay in Asheville after graduation and continue to work on her personal and public writing through internships/employment with local publications. Follow me @MissMelissaSib

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