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George Mason University

Support the FSRTL at George Mason

Contribute to the FSRTL

You can support the mission of the George Mason Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory (FSRTL) by providing a financial contribution. Your contribution will be greatly appreciated and will allow us to continue to provide support for research, education, and training opportunities for the next generation of forensic scientists as well as our law enforcement partners. 

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Anatomical Donation

The Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory at George Mason University gratefully welcomes anatomical gifts for crucial forensic research. Such gifts are coordinated through the Virginia State Anatomical Program, overseen by the Virginia Department of Health. If you are contemplating this profoundly generous act, we invite you to initiate the process by directly engaging with the Virginia State Anatomical Program. Should you choose to proceed, the necessary forms and detailed guidance are available below.


Should you choose to make an anatomical gift:

  1. Eligibility Review: It’s essential to check the eligibility criteria as set by the Virginia State Anatomical Program (VSAP) to ensure you can donate. This includes conditions related to the donor’s state after death, such as certain contagious diseases, body condition, and time since death. You can review the full eligibility criteria on the VSAP website.
  2. Documentation: While registration isn’t mandatory, it is encouraged. You need to fill out and submit the forms found on the VSAP website. Once your forms are received, a confirmation letter and wallet cards are sent to you.
  3. Registration: Registering with the VSAP can be done online, where you can download and submit forms, or by phone if you prefer to have forms sent to you. Their contact number is (804) 786-2479. Remember that registration does not guarantee acceptance at the time of death.
  4. Confirmation: After you’ve registered, keep the confirmation notice for your records. However, acceptance as a donor will only be determined after death based on specific criteria and the needs of the participating programs at that time.
  5. At the Time of Passing: Within 24 hours of the potential donor’s death, VSAP must be notified. Contact the FRSTL at fscience@gmu.edu or 703-993-5071 to receive information on the FSRTL donation process. 
  6. Donation Process: After death, the medical condition will be reviewed, and the next of kin will need to provide authorization. If accepted, arrangements for the transportation of the donor’s body will be made by VSAP. 

You can indicate in your paperwork that you intend for your or your loved one’s body to be donated to George Mason University. If you are interested in proceeding with body donation to us, you can complete the paperwork below and return it to us to complete the pre-registration process with us. Please also pre-register with VSAP if you are pre-registering with us.

Donating one’s body to science is the ultimate gift. Because of your generosity, we will be able to pursue and accomplish our research goals at the Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory. With this knowledge, we can assist law enforcement and others in significant ways to locate loved ones more quickly, better understand what happened to them, solve cases, and ultimately pursue justice on their behalf.

Donation FAQ

What kind of research does the George Mason FSRTL conduct?

The FSRTL is engaged in a wide variety of research and training focused on the location and identification of human remains to include the establishment of the postmortem interval or time since death.

Some of the research planned for the FSRTL include but are not limited to the following:

  • Overall rates of outdoor decomposition in the Mid-Atlantic region
  • Buried or above ground body decomposition rates
  • Ability to locate human decomposition with honeybees
  • Identifications of volatile organic chemical compounds in human decomposition
  • Identification of animal predation on decomposing bodies and impact they cause to rates of decomposition
  • Wound and injury effects to decomposition
  • DNA analysis
  • Ability to locate clandestine graves using drones with specialized equipment
  • Post-mortem offender behavior

We will protect the donor’s anonymity and they will be always handled with respect. A single donor can be used for multiple research projects to maximize the scientific research across a broad area of disciplines to include:

  • Forensic Biology/DNA
  • Chemistry
  • Entomology
  • Geology
  • Botany
  • Crime Scene Investigation
  • Fire and Arson Investigation
  • Cadaver Dog Training and Research

What scenarios are designed around the placement of each donor?

There will be a variety of scenarios that are designed around the placement of each donor. These scenarios include but are not limited to:

  • Encasement in, around, and under cement; mass grave placements
  • Vehicle encasement
  • Burials
  • Above ground placement
  • Dismemberment
  • Mutilation
  • Burning/fire and other attempts to destroy a body or parts
  • Water Submersion
  • Hangings

Does the FSRTL conduct this research currently and how are they handling this research?

Up to now, this type of research has not been conducted in this region of the United States, and research from similar facilities indicate that different regions of the country and their specific ecosystems can and do impact human remains and human decomposition in significant ways. The more we understand about our specific ecosystem here in northern Virginia and along the mid-Atlantic seaboard, we can educate and train researchers, law enforcement, and others to more quickly locate and better understand human remains, the impact of the environment on a human being left outside offender behavior and treatment of a victim at an outdoor crime scene/body disposal area, the science of decomposition, clandestine graves and more.

Must an individual pre-register to be donated to the FSRTL?

Pre-registration for the FSRTL is available, however pre-registration is not necessary to donate a body to Mason FSRTL. If the donor has already passed away, and the next of kin decide to donate their loved one to science, the next of kin will be responsible for registering the donor. All donors to the FSRTL must come through the established protocols of the Virginia State Anatomical Program (VSAP) of the Virginia Department of Health as required by Code of Virginia § 54.1-2825. Potential donors must register with the Virginia State Anatomical Program to be eligible. George Mason University reserves the right to decline a donation due to the condition of the body after death or issues with authorization. Should a potential donor be declined, the family/next of kin would assume responsibility for arrangements of disposition.

What happens to a donor’s body once it is donated to the FSRTL?

George Mason will work with the VSAP to arrange for transportation of the donor to Mason FSRTL. Donors will then be placed within the secure FSRTL facility by the Forensic Science Donor Response Team for various forms of research/training mentioned above. Donors will be retained by George Mason in perpetuity to allow for future research as well as instruction to Forensic Science students.

Will the FSRTL accept a donor who has donated their organs, been autopsied, or embalmed?

The George Mason FSRTL will accept donors who have donated organs and been autopsied but will not accept donors who have been embalmed.