In central Gloucester, a highly trained team of archaeologists, anthropologists, crime scene officers and research officers search the basement of the Clean Plate Cafe.
They are looking for possible human remains belonging to Mary Bastholm, who disappeared in 1968 at the age of 15.
Their work is complex, meticulous and meticulous – and takes place in confined spaces.
The excavations are expected to last about two weeks.
Gloucestershire Police Crime Scene Coordinator Martin Cuffe tells Sky News how the process works.
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The basement
“It is probably about 20 meters long by 10 meters wide. It is not a large area. It is a very old building, several hundred years old and we have a number of challenges.
“There are many other dangers, including very low ceilings – around four to five feet. Our staff have a lot of time to work leaning over. This creates a pretty tough environment; a lot of our time is spent on hands. And the knees are crawling. “
The cellar is divided into two parts.
“The coal cellar section at the front of the building and the toilets at the back,” he says. “Part of the planning for this was figuring out how to best approach the six voids – you don’t want to have to dig and then climb over to pass.”
Six voids
Over the past week, police have identified six so-called “voids” using ground-penetrating radar equipment. These are basically holes or holes in the ground that are abnormal.
“Each void will be studied one by one, ”says Cuffe.
“For an archaeological process like this, you want to rule out the possibility of cross-contamination and moving things between voids.
“Voids vary between 500 and 600mm below the surface.”
Excavation process
While every void is sought, there is …
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-05-20 07:30:00
