Lay Them to Rest: On the Road with the Cold Case Investigators Who Identify the Nameless
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- Create Date：2023-10-23 15:21:59
- Update Date：2025-09-13
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- Author：Laurah Norton
- ISBN：0306828804
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Summary
A fascinating deep dive into the dark world of forensic science as experts team up to solve the identity of an unknown woman named "Ina Jane Doe，" exploring the rapidly evolving techniques scientists are using to break the most notorious cold cases， written by the host of the popular true crime podcast， The Fall Line
Fans of true crime shows like CSI， NCIS， Criminal Minds， and Law and Order know that when it comes to "getting the bad guy" behind bars， your best chance of success boils down to the strength of your evidence--and the forensic science used to obtain it。 Beyond the silver screen， forensic science has been used for decades to help solve even the most tough-to-crack cases。 In 2018， the accused Golden State Killer， Joseph DeAngelo， was finally apprehended after a decades-long investigation thanks to a very recent technique called forensic genealogy， which has since led to the closure of hundreds of cold cases， bringing long-awaited justice to victims and families alike。 But when it comes to solving these incredibly difficult cases， forensic genealogy is just the tip of the iceberg--and many readers have no idea just how far down that iceberg goes。
For Laurah Norton， forensic science was always more of a passion than anything else。 But after learning about a mishandled 1990s cold case involving missing twins， she was spurred to action， eventually creating a massively popular podcast and building a platform that helped bring widespread attention and resources to the case。 LAY THEM TO REST builds on Laurah's fascination with these investigations， introducing readers to the history and evolution of forensic science， from the death masks used in Ancient Rome to the 3-D facial reconstruction technology used today。 Incorporating the stories of real-life John & Jane Does from around the world， Laurah also examines how changing identification methods have helped solve the most iconic cold cases。 Along the way readers will also get to see Laurah solve a case in real time with forensic anthropologist Dr。 Amy Michael， as they try to determine the identity of "Ina" Jane Doe， a woman whose head was found in a brush in an Illinois park in 1993。
More than just a chronicle of the history of forensics， LAY THEM TO REST is also a celebration of the growing field of experts， forensic artists， and anthropologists （many of whom Laurah talks to in the book）， who work tirelessly to bring closure to these unsolved cases。 And of course， this book asks why some cases go unsolved， highlighting the "missing missing，" the sex workers， undocumented， the cases that so desperately need our attention， but so rarely get it。
Engrossing， informative， heartbreaking， and hopeful， LAY THEM TO REST is a deep dive into the world of forensic science， showing readers how far we've come in cracking cases and catching killers， and illuminating just how far we have yet to go。
Fans of true crime shows like CSI， NCIS， Criminal Minds， and Law and Order know that when it comes to "getting the bad guy" behind bars， your best chance of success boils down to the strength of your evidence--and the forensic science used to obtain it。 Beyond the silver screen， forensic science has been used for decades to help solve even the most tough-to-crack cases。 In 2018， the accused Golden State Killer， Joseph DeAngelo， was finally apprehended after a decades-long investigation thanks to a very recent technique called forensic genealogy， which has since led to the closure of hundreds of cold cases， bringing long-awaited justice to victims and families alike。 But when it comes to solving these incredibly difficult cases， forensic genealogy is just the tip of the iceberg--and many readers have no idea just how far down that iceberg goes。
For Laurah Norton， forensic science was always more of a passion than anything else。 But after learning about a mishandled 1990s cold case involving missing twins， she was spurred to action， eventually creating a massively popular podcast and building a platform that helped bring widespread attention and resources to the case。 LAY THEM TO REST builds on Laurah's fascination with these investigations， introducing readers to the history and evolution of forensic science， from the death masks used in Ancient Rome to the 3-D facial reconstruction technology used today。 Incorporating the stories of real-life John & Jane Does from around the world， Laurah also examines how changing identification methods have helped solve the most iconic cold cases。 Along the way readers will also get to see Laurah solve a case in real time with forensic anthropologist Dr。 Amy Michael， as they try to determine the identity of "Ina" Jane Doe， a woman whose head was found in a brush in an Illinois park in 1993。
More than just a chronicle of the history of forensics， LAY THEM TO REST is also a celebration of the growing field of experts， forensic artists， and anthropologists （many of whom Laurah talks to in the book）， who work tirelessly to bring closure to these unsolved cases。 And of course， this book asks why some cases go unsolved， highlighting the "missing missing，" the sex workers， undocumented， the cases that so desperately need our attention， but so rarely get it。
Engrossing， informative， heartbreaking， and hopeful， LAY THEM TO REST is a deep dive into the world of forensic science， showing readers how far we've come in cracking cases and catching killers， and illuminating just how far we have yet to go。
Reviews
ASimpleLifeWithBooks
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3 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 My rating is partially due to the fact that I thought this book was going to be about multiple cases， even the chapter list made it look like a new victim/ story for each chapter， I was wrong。 Now the whole book wasn’t about one victim， “Ina Jane Doe” but it might as well have been！ Some of the chapters were extremely interesting that me want to keep going， while others were so wordy & so much information at once， I was tempted to DNF！ Not sure if this is one I’d recommend because 3 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 My rating is partially due to the fact that I thought this book was going to be about multiple cases， even the chapter list made it look like a new victim/ story for each chapter， I was wrong。 Now the whole book wasn’t about one victim， “Ina Jane Doe” but it might as well have been！ Some of the chapters were extremely interesting that me want to keep going， while others were so wordy & so much information at once， I was tempted to DNF！ Not sure if this is one I’d recommend because some area felt like a text book。 。。。more
Brenda Smith
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The severed head of “Ina Jane Doe” is found in an Illinois park in 1993。 If you’re a fan of true crime， or the plethora of crime related shows out there， you probably already know what follows; often years of frustrating investigations searching for the identity of and truth of what happened to the victim。 What you may not know is the exhaustive work put in by the forensics teams assigned to these cases。 Here we follow true crime podcast host Laurah Norton as she works with a forensic anthropolo The severed head of “Ina Jane Doe” is found in an Illinois park in 1993。 If you’re a fan of true crime， or the plethora of crime related shows out there， you probably already know what follows; often years of frustrating investigations searching for the identity of and truth of what happened to the victim。 What you may not know is the exhaustive work put in by the forensics teams assigned to these cases。 Here we follow true crime podcast host Laurah Norton as she works with a forensic anthropologist to uncover who this victim was。 This is not your typical episode of your favorite docuseries， but an in depth look at the science of forensics and the history of the research that makes this all possible。 While much of it is explained in fairly easy terms， there’s a good deal more that will lose readers who aren’t well versed in the more complicated aspects。 It did fascinate me though and the perseverance shown in these cases to bring closure to families is to be applauded。 It often takes decades to give a name to the unknown and the relentless pursuit of that is awe inspiring。 。。。more
Caitie
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Many people are called to the cases of the unidentified: scientists of every discipline， artists， researchers， writers， genealogists， investigators， even podcasters。4/5 stars。 I really thought this was an interesting look at how people （especially “citizen sleuths”） are invested in the cases of unidentified murder victims。 Laurah Norton takes the reader on a journey into her own investigation into the case of Ina Jane Doe， a woman who’s remains were found in the woods outside a small Illinois to Many people are called to the cases of the unidentified: scientists of every discipline， artists， researchers， writers， genealogists， investigators， even podcasters。4/5 stars。 I really thought this was an interesting look at how people （especially “citizen sleuths”） are invested in the cases of unidentified murder victims。 Laurah Norton takes the reader on a journey into her own investigation into the case of Ina Jane Doe， a woman who’s remains were found in the woods outside a small Illinois town。 Norton discusses how fascinated she was with cold cases like this one—from her days watching Unsolved Mysteries to current listening to podcasts。 The main reason I’m giving this four stars is because it got a little too scientific at points。 While Norton explains it well， it got bogged down in the details and she’d give random examples when talking about things like tooth analysis。 。。。more
Lea Pearl
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Nonfiction is really hit or miss for me and I only started reading more nonfiction this past year。If it doesn't grab and hold my attention from the start， I find my mind wandering more than I like and it becomes more of a chore than a hobby。 Unfortunately， that was the case with this book。 I just wasn't held by it。That being said， I won't leave a star rating as I didn't actually finish the book and that's by no means the book's fault。Thank you HachetteGo for the advanced copy to read。 Nonfiction is really hit or miss for me and I only started reading more nonfiction this past year。If it doesn't grab and hold my attention from the start， I find my mind wandering more than I like and it becomes more of a chore than a hobby。 Unfortunately， that was the case with this book。 I just wasn't held by it。That being said， I won't leave a star rating as I didn't actually finish the book and that's by no means the book's fault。Thank you HachetteGo for the advanced copy to read。 。。。more
Tina Rae
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So this is one of the best nonfiction books I’ve ever read！ I love true crime but this went in a totally different （and very fascinating） direction。I had honestly never realized that there are so many cold cases/unidentified victims in the US。 And I’d also never realized why。 That was a heartbreaking lesson but this book was， sadly， full of them。I learned so much from these pages and I enjoyed all of it。 I had originally considered forensic anthropology as a major but it wasn’t offered at the co So this is one of the best nonfiction books I’ve ever read！ I love true crime but this went in a totally different （and very fascinating） direction。I had honestly never realized that there are so many cold cases/unidentified victims in the US。 And I’d also never realized why。 That was a heartbreaking lesson but this book was， sadly， full of them。I learned so much from these pages and I enjoyed all of it。 I had originally considered forensic anthropology as a major but it wasn’t offered at the college I was able to attend。 So being able to read about it here and learn more accurate information （that’s not from a show like Bones） was truly amazing。I also just loved the author’s writing style and meeting all of her friends。 They make a wonderful， fascinating team and I’m almost sad this won’t be a series。 I would happily read hundreds of books， watching them solve cold cases and bring families answers！While this book focused mainly on one case， it did mention so many others。 And while I found each story fascinating （and heartbreaking）， as a single woman who lives alone and has little contact with her family， this book is absolutely horrifying。 There are so many ways to die and so many ways to never be identified or even found。But I’m glad there are so many out there striving to identify victims and bring answers to families。 While this book did terrify me to the core， it also gave me a lot of hope。So。 EXCELLENT book and I’m so glad to have read it！ Could not recommend it more highly！ If you’re looking for Nonfiction November reads， please pick this up！！And thank you so much to HachetteGo for both the arc and the finished copy！ What a treat！！ 。。。more
Rebecca Hill
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Cold cases are hard to solve。 Time， distance， and the loss of witnesses and evidence can make it difficult to close a case out。 However， every now and then， someone comes along that can help make or break a case。 Through "Lay Them To Rest" Laurah discusses several cases that they worked on， and the one that takes center stage - the one that they worked diligently on to solve。 It was an interesting mix of science， internet sleuthing， and know-how。Enjoyed this read！ It was a really good one， and a Cold cases are hard to solve。 Time， distance， and the loss of witnesses and evidence can make it difficult to close a case out。 However， every now and then， someone comes along that can help make or break a case。 Through "Lay Them To Rest" Laurah discusses several cases that they worked on， and the one that takes center stage - the one that they worked diligently on to solve。 It was an interesting mix of science， internet sleuthing， and know-how。Enjoyed this read！ It was a really good one， and a lot of fabulous information。 。。。more
Denice Langley
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I'm fascinated with the ability of those cold case investigators who fight for their victims using every scrap of evidence and the technology of today's crime lab。 Their jobs are made harder with time and mother nature as enemies。 LAY THEM TO REST follows several cases that rate 5 stars for difficulty alone。 Yet these dedicated investigators will accept no excuses for the cases to be closed unsolved。 A fascinating look at a job that is no meant for everyone。 It takes special people to follow thr I'm fascinated with the ability of those cold case investigators who fight for their victims using every scrap of evidence and the technology of today's crime lab。 Their jobs are made harder with time and mother nature as enemies。 LAY THEM TO REST follows several cases that rate 5 stars for difficulty alone。 Yet these dedicated investigators will accept no excuses for the cases to be closed unsolved。 A fascinating look at a job that is no meant for everyone。 It takes special people to follow through and give the victims and their families the resolutions they deserve。 。。。more
Jeremy Booty
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This is the account of how a group of people， with only a years old skull found in a state forest to work with， identified a victim and brought peace to a family。 Norton is an academic， writer and most pertinently， a true crime podcaster。 She takes the reader behind the scenes to show us how genetic genealogists， forensic dentists forensic anthropologists and forensic artists work。 She shares the background of those who helped identify this Jane Doe。 I very much enjoyed this book and learned a l This is the account of how a group of people， with only a years old skull found in a state forest to work with， identified a victim and brought peace to a family。 Norton is an academic， writer and most pertinently， a true crime podcaster。 She takes the reader behind the scenes to show us how genetic genealogists， forensic dentists forensic anthropologists and forensic artists work。 She shares the background of those who helped identify this Jane Doe。 I very much enjoyed this book and learned a lot。 。。。more
Amber Smith
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This follow everything involved in investigating Jane/John Doe cases。 How things have changed through the years。 Through most of the book we are following one case and the journey that they went through to find the identity of the person。 I had no idea the cost of the techniques and the difficulties they went through with DNA analysis。 I really enjoyed this book。 Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Books for the arc in exchange for my honest review。
Shannon
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You know how sometimes you pick up a book based on the cover & the title， with only a vague understanding of what it might be about， & then it blows you away？ That’s ‘Lay Them to Rest’ for me。 （In fact， that seems to be happening a lot with me when I pick something up from Hachette Books。） ‘Lay Them to Rest’ is a book that breaks down all the ways that the unidentified （mostly the unidentified dead） are given back their names。 And it is so incredibly interesting & inspiring & fascinating…& somet You know how sometimes you pick up a book based on the cover & the title， with only a vague understanding of what it might be about， & then it blows you away？ That’s ‘Lay Them to Rest’ for me。 （In fact， that seems to be happening a lot with me when I pick something up from Hachette Books。） ‘Lay Them to Rest’ is a book that breaks down all the ways that the unidentified （mostly the unidentified dead） are given back their names。 And it is so incredibly interesting & inspiring & fascinating…& sometimes a little over my ability to understand ha。 （But I appreciate that the book treats the reader as an intelligent human being who might be able to understand these complicated processes。）In the age of advanced DNA identification techniques & genetic genealogy， it feels like there’s a “famous” true crime case getting solved every day， whether the unidentified is the suspect （as in the Golden State Killer） or the victim （as in The Lady of the Dunes）。 But outside of the vocabulary that is familiar， I don’t think I ever gave too much thought to how these identities are discovered & how it’s more often a collaborative effort of investigators & techniques。 Focusing on mostly one case， this book breaks down all the different techniques that might be used - facial reconstruction， composite sketches， dental identification， citizen detectives， & genetic genealogy。 While I didn’t make the connection at first - having picked up this book blindly - I realized that I was already familiar with the work of the author， Laurah Norton， through her podcast ‘The Fall Line。’ I have always enjoyed Norton’s work because of the care that she puts into the cases she works on & shares。 We see this in her book， too， which gives us a blend of beautifully written narrative & easy-to-digest technical explanations of the various processes。 It’s easy to become attached to her story， along with the stories of the other professionals & families that she works with。 I would recommend this book to anyone interested in missing person cases， true crime， genealogy， & the justice system。 It truly illustrates the reality of it all， which is sometimes upsetting， but also incredibly inspiring。 It’s easy to assume that the behind-the-scenes work is “easy” or automated in the age of better technology & more robust reference databases， but this book shows that it’s anything but。 It also shows that there are a lot of good people out there putting their skills， time， & money toward finding answers for families who have been waiting too long。 These are “The Helpers” that Mr。 Rogers told us to look for & they deserve all the attention & support needed to give the names back to many， many more of the too-long unidentified。 Thank you to NetGalley & Hachette Books for providing an advanced digital copy of this book for review。 All opinions & thoughts expressed are my own。 。。。more
Elizabeth Mellen
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Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette for the ARC of this！ Perfect for fans of I’ll Be Gone in the Dark， this follows the investigation（s） into specific Jane/John Doe cases。 Well explained the difficulties and costs that can come up when trying to solve such as case。 Overall， the main thread of the book was easy and interesting to follow， and the author had an interesting narrative voice。
Francesca Wallach
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Amazingly well written， informative， and interesting book。 I have Always had an interest in forensic anthropology and this was incredibly easy for me to understand。 I will be reading more by this publisher and author。
Christine Piepmeier
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From one of the hosts of the podcast， The Fall Line， comes a look into the world of forensics with regard to unidentified bodies。 I thought a lot of the info here was really interesting。 However， I do feel like it could’ve been organized better。 It might have also just been the writing style that felt a little rambling。 I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。
Jenna Deaton
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Lay Them To Rest by Laurah Norton is a highly informative non fiction work perfect for fans of the true crime looking for a book more focused on the victims and granting an identity back to those it has been stolen from。
Erin Clemence
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Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free， electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review。 Expected publication date: October 17， 2023 Laurah Norton is an author， researcher， podcaster and true crime fanatic。 Her novel， “Lay Them to Rest: On the Road with the Cold Case Investigators Who Identify the Nameless” is a non-fiction， scientific deep dive into the very exhaustive， very comprehensive world of forensic anthropology。 Don’t expect anything like K Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free， electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review。 Expected publication date: October 17， 2023 Laurah Norton is an author， researcher， podcaster and true crime fanatic。 Her novel， “Lay Them to Rest: On the Road with the Cold Case Investigators Who Identify the Nameless” is a non-fiction， scientific deep dive into the very exhaustive， very comprehensive world of forensic anthropology。 Don’t expect anything like Kathy Reichs’s Temperance Brennan though， as “Rest” is definitely written for informative， not entertainment， purposes。 In 1993， a severed head was found in the woods of Illinois by two young girls。 The head， at first glance， appeared to belong to a redheaded female， but further investigation would be needed to identify the head， and to finally uncover the person behind it。 That’s where Laurah and her team come in。 In each chapter， Laurah exhaustively details the minutiae that takes place to identify the thirty-year-old skull。 Her team includes forensic anthropologists， genetic specialists， artists and scientists from all walks of life， all of them playing a specific role in identification。 Laurah brings her recording technology along for the ride， and shares the journey with readers。 I was fascinated from the get-go in the identification of the unknown， and Norton presented many organizations （government， paid and volunteer） that exist solely to “name the nameless”， delving into cold cases and bodily remains that have been unidentified for years and decades。 I had no idea that so many organizations like this existed， let alone that many of them actually played important roles in discovering the truth behind actual missing person’s cases。 Norton’s writing is very scientific and very detailed。 Readers can expect to get pages and pages of detail on DNA sequencing， bone， skin and tissue analysis procedures， technology usage， among other things so anyone expecting a quick dead-body to case-solved story should stick to television。 Norton， however， does eventually find out the identity of the person behind the missing head， and I was grateful for that fact。 “Rest” will appeal to fans of “Bones” and “CSI”， but Norton’s novel focuses more on the scientific methods and technology used to uncover the identity of the deceased than Hollywood provides。 Although the body in Norton’s case is identified， the mystery surrounding what happened to her remains， and there are numerous other unidentified corpses nationwide that are equally shrouded in mystery。 “Rest” is definitely unique， as Norton uses her writing skills to translate the details given to her from the scientific community。 。。。more
bookishblondegirl
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Review to come！
Elisa
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How does one go from the skeletonized remains of a dismembered head to a mother， sister and wife who loved animals and had bad teeth？ That is the path that this book follows。 The rise of the internet has made identification of Jane and John Does， people unknown in death， if not easier at least more public。 The author has a podcast herself， and she brings that expertise to this book。 Since Norton is not a scientist， she had to partner with forensic and genetic experts and， as is obvious in this v How does one go from the skeletonized remains of a dismembered head to a mother， sister and wife who loved animals and had bad teeth？ That is the path that this book follows。 The rise of the internet has made identification of Jane and John Does， people unknown in death， if not easier at least more public。 The author has a podcast herself， and she brings that expertise to this book。 Since Norton is not a scientist， she had to partner with forensic and genetic experts and， as is obvious in this volume， they are a good fit together。 The advances in the technical field of genetics have also helped， but someone still needs to do the work， make the calls and analyze the data。 I’m not a fan of true crime， and I’ve never listened to Norton’s podcast， but I was interested in this book because of the science。 What is possible to learn from bones and how the forensic anthropologists like Doctor Brennan work in real life。 I was not disappointed， it is amazing how much work goes into identifying these remains， and how involved the people behind it are。 What I didn’t love was all the details about the author’s life， which made it a little too long and cause me to lose focus。 This may be a true crime feature and genre readers may not mind。 I was also disappointed at the lack of progress， even if it’s understandable that’s how these people work， which makes it more commendable that they keep trying。 I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased。 Thank you， #NetGalley/#Hachette Books！ 。。。more
Carla
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This was a really interesting book。 With my nursing background and interest in true crime， I found myself drawn to the premise of this book。 The book is broken down in to multiple chapters， each one focusing on a different aspect of body identification。 There were definitely times throughout the book that I got overwhelmed with all of the information and terminology， but overall it is fairly easy to follow and understand。 I especially enjoyed the chapters about the development and use of dental This was a really interesting book。 With my nursing background and interest in true crime， I found myself drawn to the premise of this book。 The book is broken down in to multiple chapters， each one focusing on a different aspect of body identification。 There were definitely times throughout the book that I got overwhelmed with all of the information and terminology， but overall it is fairly easy to follow and understand。 I especially enjoyed the chapters about the development and use of dental records and forensic art。 It’s amazing how far technology has come， especially in relation to DNA。 Overall， a fascinating book that I would recommend to readers who enjoy medical nonfiction and true crime。 。。。more
Sky
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Well researched and respectful。 As someone who spends a ton of time researching true crime， I found this to be incredibly fascinating。 There were a few instants when the science felt a bit confusing， but I think Laurah explained it as best as she could。
Sam Hughes
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I LOVED THIS SO MUCH。 I am so thankful to Hachette Books， Novel Suspects， and Laura Norton for granting me advanced physical access to Lay Them To Rest before this gem hits shelves on October 17， 2023。 I am such a fan of true crime warriors such as Sarah Turney， Payne Lindsey， Paul Holes， and so many other advocates who've gone above and beyond to lay cold cases to rest， secure justice and answers， and provide a resolution to decades-old queries。 From the advancement of scientific measures and o I LOVED THIS SO MUCH。 I am so thankful to Hachette Books， Novel Suspects， and Laura Norton for granting me advanced physical access to Lay Them To Rest before this gem hits shelves on October 17， 2023。 I am such a fan of true crime warriors such as Sarah Turney， Payne Lindsey， Paul Holes， and so many other advocates who've gone above and beyond to lay cold cases to rest， secure justice and answers， and provide a resolution to decades-old queries。 From the advancement of scientific measures and other methodologies to the intellectual progression in law enforcement departments， and even looking at cases from a different perspective， with an emphasis on handling evidence more securely， it's magnificent how far we've come， but also sad that our system had the bar set so low。 I can't wait to see what else comes out of this project and can't wait to see what my pals think of this collection。 。。。more
Allison Badger
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I am a lover of true crime and have been watching shows like Dateline since I was a child。 I even went to school to major in Forensic Science， so when I came across this book on NetGalley。。。 I knew it was my cup of tea。Lay Them to Rest was a thrilling story of science and perseverance to try to uncover the identity of a woman from a cold case from 1993。 The author， Laurah Norton， explains through science and available resources the complexities of identifying unknown persons。 While I found this I am a lover of true crime and have been watching shows like Dateline since I was a child。 I even went to school to major in Forensic Science， so when I came across this book on NetGalley。。。 I knew it was my cup of tea。Lay Them to Rest was a thrilling story of science and perseverance to try to uncover the identity of a woman from a cold case from 1993。 The author， Laurah Norton， explains through science and available resources the complexities of identifying unknown persons。 While I found this to be exciting， informative， and intriguing。。。 I will say that at times， that because of the complexities of the science and resources used it became a bit confusing and I would often have to go back to relearn what certain things were or reread entire pages。 Being a lover of science and crime， this wasn't a deal breaker for me， but for those who are not。。。 they might have a hard time following along。 Overall， I really enjoyed the journey that Laurah and her team went through and the dedication and compassion they put into trying to solve this cold case was truly endearing。 I would recommend this to anyone who loves forensic science and can't wait for this to be published to add it to my library。 Very well done。 Thank you Hachette Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Darcia Helle
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Cold cases have become more popular with the current trend of true crime shows， books， and podcasts。 But with those cases， we almost always know the victim’s identity。 What happens when a body—or random body parts—remain unidentified？Lay Them to Rest is an in-depth exploration into the complex process of identifying long forgotten， nameless victims of often brutal crimes。The book’s central focus is "Ina Jane Doe，" a female head found， on its own， in an Illinois park back in 1993。 We follow the a Cold cases have become more popular with the current trend of true crime shows， books， and podcasts。 But with those cases， we almost always know the victim’s identity。 What happens when a body—or random body parts—remain unidentified？Lay Them to Rest is an in-depth exploration into the complex process of identifying long forgotten， nameless victims of often brutal crimes。The book’s central focus is "Ina Jane Doe，" a female head found， on its own， in an Illinois park back in 1993。 We follow the author and an entire team of forensic experts as they work to finally give this woman back her name， which will hopefully， someday， also lead to answers to her murder。Other cases are interwoven throughout the book。 Apparently， some of this was covered in the author’s podcast， but I don’t listen to podcasts。For the most part， I found the book well written， engaging， and fascinating。 Some sections were overly and unnecessarily detailed， feeling more like a college forensic science lecture than a true crime book。 And some things， like various cases and tests， were mentioned but then never followed up on later in the book。Overall， I don’t want to call this “enjoyable，” because that’s kind of morbid， but it’s definitely an interesting and informative read。*Thanks to Hachette Books for the free copy。* 。。。more
Tina
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Such brilliant collaboration and strength that signifies so many heroes that work behind the scenes and solve difficult cases and heal those unidentified with their names。 Highly educational and thought provoking from start to finish and so honestly written。Thank you Goodreads giveaway and publisher。
Patti Kirby
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Nice peek into the world of forensics。 Would highly recommend to anyone interested in true crime， forensics， or mysteries。
Melissa Kitson
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This nonfiction book is an ARC and will be released October 2023 and if you’re into true crime， John and Jane Doe’s and genealogy you’ll love this book！ It’s written by the host of the podcasts The Fall Line and One Strange Thing， Laurah Norton。 This was a very respectful and easy to understand book on how science had made it possible to identify decedents through a variety of methods。 First， we walked through the case of Ina Jane Doe out of Jefferson County， IL who’s dismembered head was found This nonfiction book is an ARC and will be released October 2023 and if you’re into true crime， John and Jane Doe’s and genealogy you’ll love this book！ It’s written by the host of the podcasts The Fall Line and One Strange Thing， Laurah Norton。 This was a very respectful and easy to understand book on how science had made it possible to identify decedents through a variety of methods。 First， we walked through the case of Ina Jane Doe out of Jefferson County， IL who’s dismembered head was found January 1993。 It sat on a shelf as a cold case for decades until the author and her anthropologist friends decided to give it a shot in identifying her。 We went through learning about forensic anthropology， skeletal analysis， odontology and dental comparisons， forensic art and reconstruction， DNA analysis， investigative genetic genealogy， Redgrave Research and The Trans Doe Task Force and eventually the identity of the Ina Jane Doe。 A lot of cases were mentioned in this book and I’ll list my notes below， but I so love and appreciate that this was written purely for scientific purposes and didn’t glorify death and made sure to remind readers that these were people and had families and loved ones and to never forget that。 Highly recommend this for anyone who loves true crime or genealogy。Notes while reading:Case of 15 year old twins， Jeanette and Dannette Millbrook out of Georgia。“Ina Jane Doe” Jefferson County， IL January 1993“Doe’s are found and lost in the same moment， caught between mystery and resolution”。Dardeen Family homicideLitchfield Jane Doe found two hours south a few months after Ina （identified as Lynn Matchem-ThomasRedhead murders is mentioned and has always fascinated me as it took place exactly where I spent my summers growing upSo between UC Berkeley and the DOI they have around 13，000 Native American skeletons not yet released back to their people…Cranial suture line science is super interesting The Tilton MummyThe Trans Doe Task Force is super cool and I’ve never heard of them before 。。。more
Erin
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This was a phenomenal book on true crime， it definitely was an enjoyable read。 It felt highly researched and was very informative。 Definitely recommend for any true crime junkie out there。 4/5 stars
Jenny Lawson
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A fascinating and compassionate book for fans of true-crime/forensic science。 Covers lots of stories but mainly follows the cold case identification of Ina County Jane Doe。 Heartbreaking and hopeful。
Emma Charles
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Fans of true crime will find this book interesting。 Lay Them To Rest primarily focuses on forensic science and how it is being used to help identify John & Jane Does。 While I learned a lot about the identification methods being used to solve cold cases， I found some of the chapters to be extremely difficult to get through。 Norton uses very technical language while trying to explain complex forensic processes。 There were certain chapters that I wish were “dumbed down” a little more as I had a dif Fans of true crime will find this book interesting。 Lay Them To Rest primarily focuses on forensic science and how it is being used to help identify John & Jane Does。 While I learned a lot about the identification methods being used to solve cold cases， I found some of the chapters to be extremely difficult to get through。 Norton uses very technical language while trying to explain complex forensic processes。 There were certain chapters that I wish were “dumbed down” a little more as I had a difficult time getting through them。 （PUB DATE: 10/16/2023）（I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions expressed above are my own。） 。。。more
scijessreads （Jess）
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher （Hachette Books） for the ARC。 All opinions are my own。 Lay Them to Rest was a fascinating， in-depth look at how investigators， researchers， doctors， and scientists use various methods of discovery to identify unknown remains。 Jane and John Does that have met their end without a name。 Laurah Norton and her associates take on some of these cases， seeking to name the nameless。 But the road to identification is anything but easy in many cases。 This book takes Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher （Hachette Books） for the ARC。 All opinions are my own。 Lay Them to Rest was a fascinating， in-depth look at how investigators， researchers， doctors， and scientists use various methods of discovery to identify unknown remains。 Jane and John Does that have met their end without a name。 Laurah Norton and her associates take on some of these cases， seeking to name the nameless。 But the road to identification is anything but easy in many cases。 This book takes the case of Ina Jane Doe as the backbone for learning about the technology and the hands-on research and investigation needed to identify unknown remains。 It delves into the changes and progressions that have been made across many fields， but also highlights how the final identification requires so much more than a DNA sample or dental record。 A lot of identification is in the context clues， and those can be hard to sift out of what is left behind。 It also notes that databases are only as good as the information they contain and that so much of the process is finding the right information at the right time and in the right context。 Which is not always possible。 This is the real-life version of the TV show Bones， and it shows just how long things can take， and how much one has to be cognizant of bias and ethics and the realities of the science to be able to piece together an identity from remains that can't talk （at least not in a way most of us can understand）。 Using the process of identifying a single set of remains， and tying in other cases was a great way to bring along the reader into the entire process， from start to finish， of what is needed to happen to put a name to a reconstructed face。 And that even once you have a name， there can still be a lot of unanswered questions。 。。。more
Bruce Sembar
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book was very interesting。 It followed the case of an unidentified person that was only a skull from almost thirty years ago。 The author talked about all the advances in forensic science that is making it possible to identify someone who has been an unknown person for years。 The book was pretty technical for the most part but when they finally found the name of the person and we heard about her story from her sisters it was pretty touching。 I think a series about people who have been unknow This book was very interesting。 It followed the case of an unidentified person that was only a skull from almost thirty years ago。 The author talked about all the advances in forensic science that is making it possible to identify someone who has been an unknown person for years。 The book was pretty technical for the most part but when they finally found the name of the person and we heard about her story from her sisters it was pretty touching。 I think a series about people who have been unknown for years and are now being identified through forensic science would be interesting to read。 。。。more
Tag
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lay them to rest on the road with the cold case investigators who identify the nameless