hen Laurance Donnelly was growing up near Manchester cartels, drug and buried in , he was fascinated by the surreal weapon stashes in W time-capsules of geology – rocks and fossils – that he Colombia, and murder found embedded in the craggy rock outcrops that pepper nearby victims’ graves across Moor and the rest of the Pennines. Europe and in other parts of the world. In Throughout his formative years he made regular trips to the bleak, a fateful twist worthy brooding beauty of this windswept landscape, untouched by human of a film noir crime Mortars from Colombia development for millennia. The young Laurance continued his thriller, such newly- (courtesy of Colombian Police) fascination with rocks and geology through his teenage years when applied geoforensic he eagerly enrolled himself onto a geology and mineral exploration techniques have degree course at Leicester University. His passion for the subject was gained ascendancy rewarded with a first class honours degree. And within a geological almost in tune with the public’s blink, he had secured himself a doctorate in fault reactivation from fascination with the wider criminal forensic discipline, as exemplified

Human remains at a crime scene in woodlands, Europe Nottingham University. by television shows such as CSI, Forensics Files, NCIS, and Bones. 2008. The Geological Society Forensic Geoscience Group)

Little did he imagine then that his fascination for all things geological Not surprisingly, dealing with the grisly and often disturbing cases would lead him to search for the body of Keith Bennett. Keith is the has left its mark on Laurance.

After Donnelly only one of five children murdered by Britain’s most infamous serial ( killer couple – Myra Hindley and Ian Brady – whose body still lies “Working in this field has affected me personally,” he acknowledged. undiscovered on the misty, rain-lashed moor. “It has made me more aware of the value of the work I do as a geologist. Many of the investigations carry ‘horrors’ with them such The notorious , committed between July 1963 as murder and decomposing bodies – especially traumatic where and October 1965, captivated and shocked the British public for a children are concerned. Clearly, I am not immune to these things, but generation. With Hindley now dead, Brady, fascinated by Nazism and as a professional geologist, I don’t let it cloud my judgement. Those of sadomasochistic literature and incarcerated in Ashworth high security us working in this field are not trained to deal with the emotive issues, psychiatric hospital, Merseyside, still refuses to reveal where the body but support and advice is on hand should it be needed.” of Keith lies. Some 15 years ago, when Laurance first began to develop and apply Laurance’s ground-breaking work means the Manchester-based the scientific geological disciplines to forensic work, geologists rarely geologist has advised law enforcement professionals all over the supported police investigations. In British universities there were few, world. He explains how best to apply these geological methods in if any, courses or research specifically focused on geoforensics and Continued ...

their hunt for the murdered victims of paramilitary and narcotic crime their potential role in supporting law enforcement. Laurance Donnelly combs the area for clues using geophysics, Europe

14 Vox | issue four ... continued Halcrow steps up Petrom partnership

At the stroke of midnight, as 2006 ticked over into the New With Petrom setting its sights on the highest corporate A Year, Romania took its highly-anticipated first steps into the environmental standards, Halcrow and Ramboll have been European Union (EU) fold. Along with heightened economic commissioned to provide design, permitting and construction prospects, massive investment and freer trade, accession brought tender documentation services for this hugely important, expensive strict new health, safety and environmental requirements. As the programme. The team will also supervise the construction of a gunpowder clouds subsided after frenetic firework celebrations, network of bioremediation plants and waste landfills across businesses from across the country woke up to a slew of EU the country. legislation – and began seeking technical expertise on compliance. Police officers and a forensic geologist conduct a search for a murder victim’s In practical terms, the Halcrow-Ramboll project will focus on grave in a remote, mountainous part of Eastern Europe (After Donnelly 2008. The Geological Society Forensic Geoscience Group) Halcrow has joined forces with Ramboll to help Petrom, Romania’s establishing the physical bioremediation and landfill infrastructure, largest oil and gas producer, meet stiffer environmental obligations. and kick-starting their operations. The scheme is shot through Under these provisions, Petrom is responsible for the timely closure, with Petrom’s overarching objective to fulfil increasingly stringent This gradually began to change after 2002, when Laurance was Uruguay to set up an decommissioning and remediation of a range of production facilities, corporate, social and regulatory obligations. invited to give a presentation on ‘forensic geology’ in Westminster international working sludge pits, tank farms and oil wells. Palace, House of Commons, as part of the All-Party Parliamentary group on geoforensics Halcrow’s Romanian environment team is collaborating with both Group for Earth Sciences. This single act helped raise the profile of with the Geoforensic First on the agenda is a technological overhaul, moving on from the the water and power, and transportation business groups to deliver forensic geology in the UK and drew attention to the potential support International Network. waste management processes used for decades in the Romanian this complex contract. Project director Stewart Neal is leading the the geoscientific community could offer to the police and other law This is part of the oil industry. If Petrom is to meet more rigorous EU regulations, scheme, with Lindsay Renfrew and Catalin Paunescu managing enforcement agencies conducting criminal investigations. International Union of as well as its own improved, self-imposed standards, new waste design activities, and George Stoian overseeing the environmental Geological Sciences’ Firearms from Colombia management techniques and related infrastructure are urgently and permitting components. The same year, Laurance published an article on forensic geology in Commission on (courtesy of Colombian Police) needed. Halcrow and Ramboll’s proposed solution is a combination the journal Geoscientist, entitled Finding the silent witness. This was Geosciences for of bioremediation plants and properly constructed waste landfills. Halcrow’s regional environment director, Steve Paley, who manages quickly followed in 2003 by a second offering – How forensic geology can Environmental Efficient, cost-effective and less environmentally damaging than relations with this important client, said: “Petrom seeks out the help solve crimes in the journal European Geologist. Management. It will bring existing methods, this infrastructure is up to the task of processing highest standards, and has come to expect effective, reliable together forensic geoscientists from across the waste from current operations, as well as removing residual traces technical solutions, delivered smoothly – on time and to budget. It is In 2004, The Geological Society hosted a forensic geoscience world to promote the discipline and develop best practice. of antiquated extraction activity. imperative that we maintain the level of service our client has come conference. Laurance then set up the Geological Society of London to expect from Halcrow.” Forensic Geoscience Group, formally launched in December 2006. Petrom’s planned waste management facilities will be capable of the processing, partial recovery and, where necessary, proper disposal His work as a geologist has now taken him all over the world. In of solid residues from its ongoing operations. The infrastructure 2008, he visited the University of Tennessee’s department of forensic will also be used to decontaminate huge quantities of polluted soil, anthropology – aka ‘The Body Farm’– an FBI training facility in resulting from Petrom’s large scale abandonment programme as the

Knoxville, USA. The 3ha wooded plot, surrounded by razor wire, is a Petrobrazi Refinery oil giant moves to decommission thousands of decaying oil wells. multidisciplinary training and research facility using human cadavers. Corpses are left exposed to the elements to provide insights into decomposition under varying conditions.

Laurance Donnelly and Ray Murray Laurance says he came away from the facility with a deeper with police escort in Bogota, Colombia understanding of the influence of geology on human decomposition.

Earlier this year, he spent time in Bogota, the Colombian capital, as an integral part of an international team delivering training Geoforensic specialists can support law enforcement investigations to help to judges, lawyers, police, forensic determine what happened, where and when it occurred, how and why it took place, scientists and geologists. He also and to assist in the search for graves. Since 1994, Laurance has been advising the provided specific advice to the police police on two areas of forensic geology – geological (trace) evidence and searches. on geological methods to help search for explosive devices The physical aspect of a search involves exploration and site investigation and firearms, as well as homicide techniques, such as geological mapping, hydrogeology and geophysics, to help locate and genocide graves, related a murder victim’s grave, weapons or other buried objects. to cocaine trafficking and paramilitary activities. Trace evidence involves the collection and analysis of geological evidence, such as soils, rocks, micro-fossils or man-made materials like glass or bricks. These may Laurance recently be sampled from human remains at a crime scene (from skin or under fingernails), returned from or from vehicles, clothing or other objects. An evaluation can determine if there is an association between the samples collected from the suspect and those found at the crime scene, helping to implicate or eliminate a potential offender. 16 Vox | issue four