The content of dark arenas includes topics and subject matter that may not be suitable for all audiences.

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Information discussed by the host and interviewees includes content related to crimes against children, abuse, acts of terrorism and violence.

Listener discretion is advised.

Doctors have a medical obligation and oath to do everything that they can to care for a patient and save their life.

They work to figure out what's going on inside the body and determine the best course of action to treat it.

But there are some doctors who only show up after a person dies.

They're called upon to dissect death.

To deem whether a person's demise was a mishap or purposeful.

In today's episode, I'm taking you into the dark arena of forensic anthropology.

It's really a nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you too.

I'm excited.

Me too.

That's the moment that I met Dr. Heather Walsh Haney on a weekday morning at her office on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University.

I'd driven on paved roads to get into the parking deck outside of her lab building.

But on my way, I noticed that all around me, just a few feet from the asphalt surface, the landscape was swamp.

Hot, humid, bubbling patches of water with thick vegetation, tall grass, snakes, alligators, and mud.

The university itself has sleek state-of-the-art buildings, but the campus is in South Florida, so while nature is never far from anyone's front door.

The air conditioning inside of Heather's office was sweet relief.

So let me come up with you. We'll just go right up.

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