Clemson researcher changes forensic science landscape with app to provide near-instant time of death estimations

In 2020, Katherine Weisensee, forensic consultant, professor and chair of the Clemson University Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice, developed geoFOR, an app to capture complex body decomposition data globally. Four years later, the app has a reference data set of more than 3,000 individuals and provides a near-instant estimated postmortem interval (PMI), or time since death, with 80 percent confidence.

After years as a forensic consultant, Weisensee said her frustration with the lack of academic rigor related to time of death estimations led to the app’s development. She designed geoFOR as a fast, intuitive and comprehensive tool to streamline forensic data collection and support death investigations through evidence-based research.  

“Historically, the variable nature of body decomposition, shortage of available reference data and inconsistent methods of data collection across agencies and geographical locations has complicated the process of estimating time since death,” said Weisensee. “Our ongoing, collaborative model of data collection from locations, cultures and climates across the world is systematically addressing a critical need for death investigators worldwide.”

Initially, the app was used by coroners, medical examiners, forensic investigators, faculty and graduate students to capture the variation in deceased individuals from decomposition facilities, or “body farms,” crime scenes and natural death investigations with known postmortem intervals. This collaborative model allowed Weisensee to build a robust dataset for the purpose of near-instant time of death predictions, which have been available to users for the last year.

Since its launch, Weisensee has worked with data scientists, Carl Ehrett and Hudson Smith, from the Clemson University Watt Family Innovation Center to expand the app’s capabilities by developing machine learning models to access and analyze weather station data. In addition to its analysis of information about the individual and scene – age, body size and apparent trauma, as well as location, insect presence and proximity to water, among other variables – the app will assess environmental factors based on data from weather stations near the body’s location at the time of discovery.

According to Weisensee, geoFOR uses a machine learning model that is unique in its ability to continuously learn, make improvements and fix bugs to provide increasingly accurate results.

“For too long, forensic investigations have relied on the knowledge and experience of the investigator rather than scientific data,” said Weisensee. “GeoFOR is an innovative, data-driven tool that has streamlined data collection processes, eliminated geographical inconsistencies and provided accurate results in death investigations across our state, nation and world.”

Recently, Weisensee received the Ellis R. Kerley Research Award at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Science for her presentation on the research behind geoFOR. The award recognizes creativity, depth of research, innovation and potential impact on the practices of forensic anthropology.

“Dr. Weisensee is an exceptional scholar and leader in the field of forensic science,” said Leslie Hossfeld, dean of the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences. “It is outstanding that she has been nationally recognized by the American Academy of Forensic Science for this innovative and impactful research.”

To learn more, visit www.geoforapp.info.

The Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice is a part of the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences. Established in July 2016, CBSHS is a 21st-century, land-grant college that combines work in nine disciplines – communication; nursing; parks, recreation and tourism management; political science; psychology; public health sciences; sociology, anthropology and criminal justice – to further its mission of “building people and communities” in South Carolina and beyond.