Clyde Snow, a forensic anthropologist who worked on cases ranging from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy to mass graves in Argentina, has died. He was 86.
Snow's wife, Jerry Snow, told The Associated Press her husband died Friday morning at Norman Regional Hospital in Norman, Oklahoma. Jerry Snow says her husband had lung cancer and emphysema.
Snow examined mass graves in countries such as Argentina, Bolivia, Peru and Croatia. He often helped build criminal cases against government leaders who carried out the killings.
He also assisted in identifying victims of the Oklahoma City bombing and the remains of serial killer John Wayne Gacy.
Jerry Snow says her husband will be remembered most for his great sense of humor and dedication to human rights.
The University of Oklahoma Center for Social Justice created the Clyde Snow Social Justice Award in 2012, noting that "We believe the time is right for the University of Oklahoma to honor Clyde Snow's exceptional work in the field of human rights and social justice. Dr. Snow's commitment to recovering humanity for thousands of victims of brutal regimes around the world, his generosity in training dozens of forensic anthropologists in human rights investigation, and his humane attitude toward victims, their families, and their communities make him an exceptional member of our University family."
OETA interviewed Clyde Snow in 2012, writing, "His techniques are now used around the world. And now, the name of Clyde Snow has become synonymous with a scientific field that largely did not exist until he entered it."
