The director of the Institute of Forensic Sciences (ICF), María Conte Miller, announced an agreement with the U.S. Army Reserve’s 210th Regional Support Group (210th RSG) to create a mobile mortuary unit for emergencies such as Hurricane María or the earthquakes in southern Puerto Rico. Under the agreement, a group of soldiers was trained to set up a mortuary unit in an affected area within a single day, handle cadavers, store them in refrigerated units, and perform CT scans so forensic doctors can conduct autopsies remotely.
Col. José Ruiz Espada, the brigade commander, said the collaboration will allow immediate reaction in a national emergency, calling it something that shouldn’t go unnoticed given the difficulties of María and the earthquakes. Reservists have been supporting ICF’s daily operations while receiving training on body handling, CT scans, and virtual autopsies. Conte Miller said the unit was tested by processing about 100 fatalities at ICF, successfully assembling the alternate morgue and its units in one day and evaluating bodies without needing to go to ICF’s headquarters in Río Piedras. The announcement was made during a press conference at La Fortaleza.