Kate Spradley

About Kate's Work

Kate Spradley is a forensic anthropologist enabling identification and repatriation of the remains of migrants who have perished along the Texas-Mexico border. Spradley integrates scientific analysis, coalition building, and policy reform in Operation Identification (OpID), which she founded in 2013 to address the multifaceted challenges of identifying human remains in South Texas.

In 2012, the number of people attempting to enter the United States over the difficult terrain at the Texas border increased, leading to a spike in deaths that Texas counties along the border were under-resourced and ill-equipped to properly investigate. Unidentified migrants were often buried without investigation or obtaining DNA samples. In response, Spradley created OpID, a model for recovery, analysis, identification, and repatriation of migrants’ remains. She developed partnerships with county officials and landowners to allow exhumation of remains in cemeteries and on privately held land. To enable more accurate forensic analyses of skeletal remains, Spradley established one of the first population-specific sets of reference data and classification criteria for skeletal remains of Latin American origin (most prior reference data sets were based on remains of European and African ancestry). With this more comprehensive data, Spradley and her team can better identify the sex and geographic origin of remains, allowing them to target their search for relatives in specific countries or databases of missing persons. She and her team also trained with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for recovery of fingerprints from decomposed remains. With this more precise information, OpID has identified and repatriated the remains of nearly 300 people.

As co-founder and member of the Forensic Border Coalition, Spradley has influenced policy changes at both the local and national levels to facilitate identification and connections with family members. For example, Spradley and coalition partners worked with the FBI to create the first cross-border humanitarian DNA database. Family members looking for loved ones can submit DNA samples that are then compared to samples from remains recovered by OpID and other organizations working on the border. In addition, Spradley is developing a pipeline of skilled practitioners: she trains students on the full-spectrum of forensic anthropology tools and on building coalitions with a range of domestic and international stakeholders. In bridging the gap between research and practice, Spradley is restoring dignity to people who have died on the Texas-Mexico border, bringing closure to their families and communities, and setting the standard for ethical, humanitarian forensic work.