Every unidentified victim was once someone’s child.
Someone’s sibling. Someone’s friend.
Most people assume that when a person goes missing or unidentified human remains are discovered, investigators continue searching until that person is identified. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case.
Across the United States, thousands of unidentified murder victims and missing persons remain without names. Cold case files sit untouched for years, evidence deteriorates, and families spend decades searching for answers about what happened to someone they loved.
That’s what makes the work behind Women Who Talk to the Dead so extraordinary. I recently joined the She Goes By Jane podcast to discuss the true story behind the book, the investigators who refused to abandon nearly 200 forgotten victims, and why restoring a person’s identity is the first step toward justice.
Our conversation explores the challenges of investigating unidentified victims, the power of forensic science, and the determination required to solve decades-old cold cases. Most importantly, it reminds us that every unidentified victim was once a person with a name, a family, and a story that deserves to be remembered.
What We Discuss
During our conversation, we explore:
- Why unidentified persons cases often remain unsolved for decades
- The investigation that became one of the FBI’s largest coordinated efforts to identify forgotten murder victims
- How forensic science gives investigators new opportunities to restore identities
- The emotional weight carried by investigators and victims’ families
- Why every restored name represents far more than solving a case
Beyond the Podcast: The Story Behind Women Who Talk to the Dead
The podcast introduces the investigation. The book takes you inside it.
Women Who Talk to the Dead follows Detroit Police Detective Shannon Jones and FBI Special Agent Leslie Larsen as they lead Operation UNITED, the largest coordinated exhumation of unidentified murder victims in FBI history. Working alongside forensic anthropologists, scientists, and investigators, they sought to restore the identities of nearly 200 forgotten victims and bring long-awaited answers to their families.
More than a story about forensic science, this is a story of perseverance, compassion, and the unwavering belief that every victim deserves to be remembered.
A Note from the Author: Why These Stories Matter
During my years with the FBI, I learned that justice doesn’t always come quickly. Sometimes it takes decades, and sometimes it begins because one investigator refuses to let a victim remain unidentified.
Those stories rarely make headlines, yet they represent some of the most meaningful work in law enforcement. Every restored identity gives a family something they have lived without for years: answers.
That pursuit of justice is what inspired me to write Women Who Talk to the Dead. I hope this conversation reminds us that every unidentified victim was once someone’s loved one, and every name restored is a life remembered.
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