A true story of the largest exhumation of murder victims ever undertaken by the FBI, seeking justice for 200 families
In the shadows of Detroit's abandoned buildings and beneath the soil of county cemeteries lay hundreds of murder victims-buried anonymously, their killers uncharged, their families not knowing why they disappeared. For decades, only decaying police files hinted at what happened to these forgotten cold cases murders.
Until two women decided to listen to the dead.
Women Who Talk to the Dead chronicles the remarkable journey of Detroit Police Detective Shannon Jones and FBI Special Agent Leslie Larsen. Surrounded by skepticism and bureaucratic roadblocks, these women spearhead Operation UNITED-the largest coordinated exhumation of unidentified murder victims in FBI history.
Through rain-soaked cemetery digs, crumbling case files, and bone-filled body bags, Jones and Larsen assemble a team led by female forensic anthropologists, scientists, and investigators who methodically unearthed Detroit's painful past. Their primary goal: to identify the nameless dead and bring closure to families who had spent decades wondering what happened to their loved ones. Their ultimate goal: solve 200 murder cases.
Katherine Schweit takes readers inside this unprecedented cold case investigation, revealing:
- The scientific breakthroughs that allow forensic experts to "hear" what bones can tell us decades after death
- The emotional toll of searching for answers when everyone else has moved on
- The bitter reality of which murders are solved and which victims society deems disposable
- How a small team of dedicated women changed a system that has too often allowed killers to escape justice simply because their victims were poor, marginalized, or forgotten
Part forensic procedural, part social justice narrative, this book exposes the tragic consequences when the criminal justice system fails those most vulnerable. It also celebrates the resilience and determination of the law enforcement officers who refuse to let these forgotten victims remain nameless.
Some of Detroit's dead have finally reclaimed their identities-but hundreds more still whisper from unmarked graves, waiting for someone to listen.
Schweit, Katherine: - Katherine Schweit is an attorney and author who also serves as an adjunct professor at DePaul College of Law. She brings to her work a rare depth of experience: she served 20 years in the FBI, retiring as a senior official, and previously worked as both a journalist and a Chicago prosecutor. During her time at the FBI, she was instrumental in creating the Bureau's first-ever active shooter program, launched in response to the Sandy Hook massacre.She is the author of the award-winning "Stop the Killing: How to End the Mass Shooting Crisis" and a Benjamin Franklin Award recipient for "A Simple Guide to the Second Amendment" (formerly "How to Talk About Guns With Anyone"). In her latest book, "Women Who Talk to the Dead," Katherine combines her deep expertise in law enforcement and her gift for storytelling to this unprecedented true crime narrative-a work that restores names to the victims and helps bring closure to their families.She lives outside Washington, D.C., where she continues to write, teach, and advocate for a safer, more hopeful future.
