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Forensic Sciences Institute Trains Army Reserve Mortuary Unit in Handling Remains

Published Jul 16, 2026, 4:38 PM ASTvia El Nuevo Día

At a glance

  • The ICF trained the US Army Reserve’s Mortuary Unit to handle corpses and perform remote autopsies
  • The training includes theoretical and practical components, with a formal curriculum
  • The collaboration strengthens the response capacity in emergency situations, such as Hurricane María

Why this matters: This training and agreement enhances Puerto Rico’s emergency response capacity, particularly in handling large-scale fatalities, which is crucial given the island’s vulnerability to natural disasters like hurricanes.

Puerto Rico’s Institute of Forensic Sciences (ICF) has trained U.S. Army Reserve Mortuary Unit soldiers to handle cadavers, store them in refrigerated units, and perform CT scans allowing forensic pathologists to conduct autopsies remotely during emergencies like Hurricane María, ICF Executive Director María Conte Miller announced Thursday.

Speaking at the biweekly "En récord" press conference at La Fortaleza’s Palacio Rojo, Conte Miller said the formal training includes an academic curriculum with theoretical and practical components, verified as ICF experts complete sessions combined with daily case-handling practice.

In context

SourceEl Nuevo DíaOriginal in Spanish · 787daily summarizes; the reporting is theirs · How we work · Report an error

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