The mystery of shipping for identification

Here is an imponderable: How do you get a body to the Center for Human Identification at the University of North Texas if none of the common carriers will handle/move body parts?

That came up recently because we were sending what turned out to be two sets of skeletalized remains there for examination and DNA identification testing. We contacted the usual companies that move packages around these United States and were told they do not allow the shipping of body parts (or most of a body for that matter). We contacted the folks in Texas and they reported that they get hundreds of shipments on a regular basis for their services.

How could that be? Well, as you can imagine, we solved our conundrum. We were able to send 2 sets of skelatalized remains to them for their services. One has returned and the family, after assurance of identification, was able to have services and burial of their loved one. The Center continues to work with the other set, but once the DNA matching is done those remains will also return to our office for release to his family for burial.

The cloaking of mystery, the remains go to Texas and return from Texas, but they can not be shipped. Sometimes it is best not to pull back the curtain.