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Who are you walking ON?

Who are you walking ON?

This presentation will take forensic science into the cemeteries, old and new, with amazing forensic discoveries.  We will use simple methods to read the inscriptions on old grave stones. New forensics will demonstrate ways to locate and gender the long dead. Our research data base covered 500 marked graves including buried cremations (human ashes) and graves dating back 1200 years.

Our team has located over 3,000 unmarked graves and determined the gender and age. The City of Sevierville asked our team to scan the Riverside/McMahan Cemetery between the new fire station and Sevier County High on Dolly Parton Parkway. This cemetery revealed 410 unmarked graves. Three graves revealed infant males buried with adult females. We did verify an adult female is in the Beloved Nancy Ward’s grave and located the grave of her grandson (Chief Jack Walker) who betrayed his people during the Trail of Tears. We also located the grave of Sarah Hawkins Sevier, wife of Captain John Sevier. A lost mass grave was located in Bean Station indicating 15 adult males killed during the Battle of Bean Station in December 1863. The possible location of The Battle of Boyd’s Creek was located with the imprint of 18 adult males in a semi circle in the Boyd’s Creek Community. Recently identified a lost Native American Mound near Sevierville with 12 adult males with back toward the center as though they were guarding something important. I just finished one where TVA moved 11 graves in 1942 for Douglas Lake, the owner wanted to know if they were moved or TVA just said they were moved to a new location near Dandridge. The list goes on and on of the lost graves we have located all over East Tennessee.

Our team was also requested in a missing person investigation and was able to pinpoint his location for recovery. Another was a missing child who disappeared 36 years ago. We located evidence and human remains in only ten minutes. This is an ongoing active criminal investigation. We have requests in two more missing person cases one dating back over twenty years.

Come visit, see, learn and ponder much! We are thankful and blessed as this was inspired by God.

Art Bohanan

April 2022

Art Bohanan

Arthur M. Bohanan

Printsofaman@gmail.com

Artbohanan.wordpress.com

 Arthur M. Bohanan is an internationally award winning patented inventor, researcher, lecturer and author, a Certified Latent Print Examiner (one of 960 in the world-19 in TN (ret) and a certified police instructor with 60 years in the study and practical application of forensics in thousands of violent crime scenes.   He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from East Tennessee State University (Legacy Award 2017) with further studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Art created the first ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) task force in Tennessee in 1998 and worked in an online undercover capacity until he retired in May 2001, as a Police Specialist III, former AFIS Manager and Senior Forensic Examiner with the Knoxville Police Department (26 years).

Art received the Knoxville Police Officer of the year award (twice), over thirty letters of commendation, Mayor’s Merit Award (twice) and the Legacy Award (2018) for his dedicated leadership and inspiring the future. He was awarded Walters State Community College’s first “Distinguished Alumnus Award” in March 2000 for his contribution as a researcher, consultant and lecturer in the field of forensics.

Bohanan was inducted into the International Hall of Fame in Atlanta (sponsored by the Inventors Clubs of America) with two distinguished awards plus a doctorate in science and technology for pioneering research involving children’s fingerprints.  He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 by the East Tennessee CPIT Advocacy Counsel and the National Children’s Advocacy Center’s (Huntsville, AL) Outstanding Service for Law Enforcement in 2011.

Art received the Citation of Excellence Award from the Dept of Justice and the Amber Alert when he retired May 2012.  He has completed research at the University of Tennessee’s “Body Farm”, with the F.B.I., and Oak Ridge National Lab.  He was a senior forensic consultant and instructor for the Fox Valley/Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention/National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the national Amber Alert Program. Co-author of  “Child Fatality Investigations”, “Investigative Strategies for Missing and Abducted Children”  and “Forensic Response to Missing and Abducted Children” that he taught nationwide. Also retired as Communications /Environmental Officer with the U.S. Public Health’s DMORT WMD (disaster response) Team.

Bohanan was a deputy corner in Knox County for 5 years and a founding father of the National Forensic Academy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, a founding board member and past President of Safe Harbor Child Advocacy Center and a founding father of the DMORT WMD team. Currently researching and inventing instruments for locating missing and lost graves and determine the gender of the long dead.

 LAW ENFORCEMENT:

Began at the Sevier County Sheriff’s Department while still in high school (1962), then FBI, US Army Military Police(SGT), Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department and retired from the Knoxville Police Department. He is currently the Forensic Examiner  with  Jefferson County and sworn special deputy for Sevier County Sheriff’s department.

 FEDERAL DISASTER RESPONSES AND ACTIVATIONS:

  • 1997, Guam, Korean Airlines 801 disaster (human remains identification)
  • 1998, Houston TX, World Energy Conference (WMD advisor)
  • 1999, Princeville NC, floods, cemetery disaster (identified human remains in over 400 caskets that floated)
  • 2000, Philadelphia, PA, Republican National Convention, (WMD advisor)
  • 2001, New York City, World Trade Disaster 911 (human remains identification)
  • 2001, New York City, American Airlines 587 disaster (human remains identification)
  • 2002, Salt Lake City, US Olympics Games (WMD advisor)
  • 2003, Washington, D.C. State of the Union Address (WMD advisor)
  • 2003, Hemphill, TX, Discovery Shuttle disaster (recover human remains)
  • 2004, Florida for hurricane of Danielle and Charley (victim placements)
  • 2005, Louisiana for Katrina and Rita (over 1200 caskets floated from graves plus over 100 people drown)

BOOK CHARACTER: Bohanan was featured in Patricia Cornwell’s bestseller, “The Body Farm” as Dr. Thomas Katz. Featured as Art Bohanan in eight of the novels  written by Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson. Author of “Prints of A Man” (2017 biography) ,Watauga (2017), Pigeon Rivers (2018), Volunteer Patriots, Hornets and Crowes, Guerilla Fighters, Two Deadly Enemies(2020),Patriotic Duties (2021), Return to Watauga,(2021), Protecting Our Assets(2021) Left for Dead (2022) Who are you walking ON? and Abigail (2022).  He wrote “Care of the Dead and Their Families”, a chapter in “Advanced Disaster Medical Response” published by Harvard Medical International (printed worldwide in 9 languages).  He has also written over a dozen technical articles and numerous training manuals.

INVENTOR:  Holds patent # 5,395,445 issued 7 March 1995 for “Method and Apparatus for Detecting Fingerprints on Skin”. He also discovered that fingerprints of children prior to puberty are chemically different from adult prints.

Meeting – 2022 April

The Anderson County Historical Society will hold its April 2022 monthly meeting on Thursday, April 28th at 6:30p.m. in the community room of the Clinton Public Library at 118 South Hicks Street, Clinton. This month’s speaker will be DruAnna Overbay, Melungeon historian, author and former teacher, who will speak about Melungeon DNA studies as well as the history of the Vardy community in Hancock County.

OVERBAY TO DISCUSS LIFE IN VARDY,
A MELUNGEON COMMUNITY

Anderson County Historical Society will be hosting a special presentation about the Melungeons on April 28 at 6:30 in the Clinton Public Library.  Former Lake City High School and Clinton High School teacher DruAnna Overbay will be sharing stories about her life in Vardy, a Melungeon Community.

Overbay’s discussion will feature some of the large photos of the community taken in the 20s, 30s, and 40s.  These photographs were transferred from over 37 glass lantern slides that were made during that time.  She will also discuss contradictory DNA studies and the popularity of being a Melungeon in today’s culture.

A direct descendant of the patriarch Vardemon Collins, Overbay and her husband Fred were instrumental in the formation of the Vardy Community Historical Society in 1998.  Their efforts have led to the restoration of the 1899 Vardy Presbyterian Church which now serves as a museum and the relocation and restoration of the Mahala Collins Mullins Cabin which is now located across the street from the church.

In 2005 Mercer University Press published her book  “Windows on the Past” which focuses on excerpts from oral history tapes of  over 37 former Vardy School students who lived in the valley and were educated at the Vardy Home Mission School.  The start up book as well as other books by Melungeon authors will be available to purchase at the event.

Overbay’s teaching career spans a total of 46 years having been hired by both famous school superintendents in the area, Mildred Doyle in Knox County and John Rice Irwin in Anderson County, and she will share special anecdotes about them.  She sends a special invitation to all of her former students and friends in the Clinton area to come.  She would love seeing each of you.