Decoding Death: The Unique Science of Georgia’s Top Bug Expert
Warning: the following article is graphic in nature and is not suitable for all readers.
The Gruesome Scene at the Portal Hunting Club
Georgia Bureau of Investigation Agent Brett Dickerson got the call on a chilly Friday afternoon in December 2022. The Liberty County Sheriff’s Office found a woman’s remains scattered across the grounds of the Portal Hunting Club. They found her torso first.
“The scene was gruesome,” Dickerson admitted. “But as a professional in this situation, your wheels really start turning as you try to figure out what happened.“
Dickerson, a crime scene specialist, ensures the evidence collection process starts as soon as possible.
“We wanted to learn as much as we could about the original portion that was found,” he said. “Once we arrived, we quickly realized that there were other pieces of her that were missing.”
Days later, the woman’s leg was found in an advanced state of decomposition. As he watched maggots crawling across the remains, Dickerson realized he would need expert help to find her killer.
“I knew I had to call Ed,” he said.
Georgia Southern University Biology Professor Ed Mondor, Ph.D., is more than just the top forensic entomologist in the entire state of Georgia — he’s the only one. He uses insects recovered from bodies to develop a timeline of when a death occurred. Whenever bugs are collected at a crime scene with fatalities, he’s the first call agents and officers make.
“If anyone could figure it out, it was him,” said Dickerson.
Mondor was in a hurry to get to his lab at Georgia Southern the day the evidence arrived. Timing is critical in cases like these.
“Insects cannot regulate their own body temperature, so they function as a sort of biological clock,” explained Mondor. “Once they come in, they go straight under a microscope for analysis. This is when the clock starts ticking.”
He starts his analysis by determining what larval stage the bug was found in.
“When a body is found with insect evidence on it, I simply work backward to figure out when that body first became a hospitable environment to the insects that were found,” he explained.
The body parts were eventually identified as those of Savannah resident Mindi Kassotis. Her husband, Nicholas Kassotis, was charged with her murder.
“There’s a huge responsibility that comes with this work,” said Mondor. “You have to be certain with the science, because someone’s life is hanging in the balance.”
The next few weeks were a blur for Mondor. If he wasn’t teaching or sleeping, he was shut away in his laboratory, eyes glued to his microscope, analyzing the insects removed from Mindi’s body.
“Using the evidence collected, I determined that her remains were colonized between Nov. 27 and Nov. 29,” said Mondor. “It wasn’t until later that the prosecution revealed video camera evidence of Nicholas’ car going back and forth to the scene from where her remains were found. Our timelines matched up very, very well.”
Mondor’s testimony, combined with other investigative efforts, led the jury to find Kassotis guilty of his wife’s murder. He received a life sentence and will never be eligible for parole.
“I always tell people what I do is probably one of the most rewarding jobs there is,” Mondor explained. “There’s a peace of mind I get to bring to families who need to know how long their loved ones have been deceased.”
“If I can make even one person realize their potential in the field of forensics , that will make me a happy man knowing that’s the legacy I can leave behind.”
— Ed Mondor, Ph.D.
The Great Turkey Caper and Other Local Mysteries
Mondor also assists the Statesboro Police Department
with investigations.
“One time, Statesboro PD got a tip that there was a body in a trash can outside of a convenience store,” explained Mondor. “Half the cops in town were at this trash can when I pulled up.”
The trash can was full of bones, covered with bugs. Mondor and his graduate assistant, Gillian Johnson, got to work examining the evidence.
“I’m not a bone guy,” said Mondor. “I do know one, though. He’s pretty good.”
Mondor called Georgia Southern Professor Matt Williamson, Ph.D., who specializes in human anatomy and physiology. He would be able to help investigators understand what they were looking at.
“Matt took one look at the bones and started chuckling to himself,” said Mondor. “He picks one of them up and says, ‘Well…I know they belong to a bird. They look like giant turkey legs.’”
Case closed. But this wouldn’t be the only time Mondor called on a Georgia Southern colleague to help with his investigations.
“I got called in on one case where officers found a person’s remains in a really dilapidated home with no central heat or air,” he explained. “The body was in a really advanced state of decomposition.”
Mondor quickly realized he was the one who needed expert help this time.
“Climate plays a crucial role in developing a death timeline,” Mondor explained. “So I knew I would have to figure out what the temperature inside the home was leading up to the time of death. But I don’t know how to do that.”
He reached out to the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing for help. That’s how he met David Calamas, Ph.D., a mechanical engineering professor specializing in heat transfer.
“When we first met, David was quick to tell me that he probably wouldn’t be able to help, as he had no expertise in forensic science,” said Mondor. “I explained to David that I see these cases as puzzles that need to be solved. All scientists are always looking for a new challenge.”
Calamas’s expert knowledge of heat transfer, combined with Mondor’s guidance, made him a major asset in the case.
“David was able to build a computer simulation to determine what the temperature was inside the home before death,” explained Mondor. “That helped us establish the timeline of death for police, which they used to close that case.”
The Future of Forensic Science at Georgia Southern
Mondor credits collaborative relationships with fellow academics like Williamson and Calamas as just one way that Georgia Southern is setting the standard for forensic studies in the state.
“This is a field that requires a lot of expertise from a lot of different people,” he said. “We have these skills right here on campus, from talented professors who might not know or even think they can contribute to forensics. But they can.”
That’s why he’s so excited about Georgia Southern’s first-ever Center for Forensic Sciences, which opened in January.
“We’ll be able to bring these experts who work in different areas of forensics and completely different colleges for the first time,” explained Mondor. “They can share their expertise in both teaching and research to help prepare the next generation of forensic scientists.”
As with any professor, Mondor is excited to watch his students plan for their future.
“I think Georgia Southern is really good at getting students to the finish line in their undergrad, but we also excel at helping them figure out what that next step in their career will look like,” he said. “I really view this Center for Forensic Sciences as another resource that can help them get to that next step.”
Mondor said he can’t wait to see what’s next for forensic sciences at Georgia Southern.
“My dream is to train students using the incredible pool of resources we have right here at Georgia Southern,” he said. “If I can make even one person realize their potential in that field, that will make me a happy man knowing that’s the legacy I can leave behind.”
— Bradley Mullis