The New Detectives

It's difficult to have a murder investigation without a body, and burning up the victim is a time-honored method of destroying physical evidence. But what happens when the charred remains are found, unrecognizable, seemingly impossible to identify? Dr. John Verano and Dr. Doug Owsley of the Smithsonian have faced these challenges, identifying the burned remains of two American journalists found in Guatemala seven years after their reported disappearance.