CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — In the realm of cold case investigations, law enforcement agencies across Tennessee have found an unlikely ally in Austin Peay State University’s Dr. Daniel Frederick, who uses ground-penetrating radar (GPR) technology to help locate potential burial sites in decades-old cases.
Frederick, a paleontologist by training, has assisted multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) and sheriff’s departments in Wayne, Robertson, and Rutherford counties, offering a unique service that combines geological expertise with criminal investigation.
You might have some preconceived notions, based on CSI. It’s not quite like that.
“We’re not seeing bones, contrary to what you might see on TV,” Frederick said. “What we’re looking for is where the ground was disrupted. If somebody digs something, it leaves a signal behind.”
The technology works by transmitting radar signals into the ground, which bounce back when they encounter changes in soil density or composition. In Middle Tennessee’s clay-rich soil, the GPR unit can penetrate approximately 6 to 7 feet below the surface, making it particularly useful for investigating potential burial sites. This has practical applications beyond law enforcement as well. Locally, Frederick and his students have worked with Riverview Cemetery on a mapping project to find unmarked graves.
Frederick’s most recent assistance in a cold case involved a 20-year-old murder investigation in Robertson County, where law enforcement received information suggesting victims might have been buried near a family cemetery. While this particular search didn’t yield results, his work has proven valuable in helping law enforcement agencies narrow down search areas and eliminate locations from consideration, including a Wayne County investigation where the team ruled out an entire area suspected of being a burial site.
“It’s much more efficient than going in with a large group of people and digging up a whole area,” Frederick said. “If nothing else, it allows the authorities to eliminate and narrow down and say, ‘OK, it’s not here. Where else can we look?’ And it’s a longshot, we realize—20 years is a long time, particularly in this climate and with the types of soil we have in Middle Tennessee.”
The service, which Frederick provides free of charge to law enforcement agencies, evolved from consulting on a case at Fort Campbell over 20 years ago, which first put him and Austin Peay on law enforcement’s radar. While the GPR unit was initially purchased to study geological features, the clay-rich soils of Middle Tennessee limited its effectiveness for that purpose. However, this led to an unexpected opportunity in forensic investigation.
Frederick occasionally involves students in the real-world application of geological technology, though always with law enforcement permission and under careful supervision. The work provides unique learning opportunities while serving a crucial public service.
“In many of these cold cases, it’s not even so much about putting somebody behind bars anymore,” Frederick said. “Sometimes it’s about giving families final answers about what happened to their loved ones.”
