USF anthropologists introduced their plans at a public meeting April 23, for a 2-acre research and training facility that could be constructed at a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office site in Lithia.
This Facility for Outdoor Experimental Research and Training, or FORT, would allow anthropologists, criminologists, forensic scientists and law enforcement officials to study cadavers that have been exposed to the outdoor elements. The training would help these professionals improve their skills of identifying bodies of missing persons, determining how homicide victims had died and more.
“This is in no way a done deal. We are trying to understand your concerns,” Eric Eisenberg, dean of arts and sciences at USF, said.
Some Lithia residents said they would support the facility and were eager to sign up to donate their own bodies after death. Others were strongly opposed to the location of the FORT.
“We do not want a body farm in Lithia. It is not compatible with our beautiful area,” Lithia resident Terry Holden said.
All of the cadavers would be provided through USF’s Living Donation Program. Funding for the facility and training programs would come solely from donations and grants; there would be no taxpayer money involved.
For an extended version of this story, pick up the May 1 edition of the Plant City Times and Observer.