"I worked the midnight shift and whenever someone brought something into the station during the day or afternoon and they wanted to know if it was human or animal someone would say, 'Just stick it in Chris's mailbox. She'll figure it out.'"

Osborne usually did, and by next day's shift the deputy would find the items in his or her personal mailbox with a tag explaining her find.

It wasn't her job; it was her passion.

As a young officer Osborne envied others in her department who found something they liked to do, like the deputies who worked the drug scene undercover. They saw the culture and the aspects of what they did as fascinating. It wasn't until Osborne, 53, and a resident of Chesterfield Township, started taking classes at Michigan State University and police academies on topics such as blunt force injury, signs of death, and forensic entomology and anthropology that she discovered her niche.

"It all sounded interesting to me," Osborne said, "the marvel of the human body, like when you get mugged and the flow of your blood automatically goes to your arms and legs, giving you the fight or flight option. The blood has no brain, and yet it does it automatically."

Osborne retired from the sheriff's department and pursued her passion for forensic science. Now instead of identifying pieces of bone delivered by mail, she is consulted by police and sheriff deputies as a forensic grave excavator. She also teaches a course on the subject at various police academies.

Osborne still has difficulty explaining her title. As a result of Osborne's forensic science training and background in law enforcement, she is able to work with homicide investigators in identifying skeletal, badly decomposed or otherwise unidentified human remains, discover evidence of foul play and process it without compromising the integrity of the scene.

"Someone with her abilities and knowledge, she's definitely an asset to us," said Clinton Township Police Detective William Furno. "I actually took a course that she instructed and it was very beneficial. It's not just a matter of digging up bones. It's a very special process to go from point A to B."

Furno and Osborne met while working on a case two years ago.

A man received a letter from his son, who was in jail on a murder charge. The letter said that a body was buried in his garden. Distraught over the letter and the fact that his son would bury a body on his land, the man took the letter to police, who notified Osborne.

"I got there and found a farm, not a garden," Osborne said. There were yards and yards of tomatoes. It was almost an acre of land with no clue as to where the body might be. Osborne consulted a forensic anthropologist to find out what would be involved in such a dig.

In most cases Osborne would use a straight edge shovel to slice away layers of dirt covering what is believed to be a body. Once the remains are unearthed she switches to brushes, cleaning the bones without moving them. In this case, such steps would take her years to complete. The forensic anthropologist suggested the same method, only using a backhoe.

"The owner was willing to let us dig it all up but only if we promised to put it all back," Osborne said.

She and the detectives returned to the station to rethink the case. They decided that before committing the money and the manpower, they needed to authenticate the letter. A handwriting analyst determined the letter was not written by the son, but his cellmate, and was false, said Osborne.

In 1999, while still working as a deputy, Osborne was asked to serve as a consultant for the Taylor Police Department for another garden dig.

"A gentleman had a garden near his garage, and while he was digging out popped a skull," Osborne said. "He left it and called the police." Detective Mark Kusiak, who has since retired as a latent print examiner with the Taylor Police Department, had taken Osborne's class on forensic excavation, and knowing of her expertise called her in to assist.

"It took us six and a half hours to excavate the grave," Osborne said. "You don't just dig. You slice and remove the dirt. Slice and remove the dirt, keeping your grave area nice and straight. You go slow because you're working in mental darkness. You don't know if you have one body or two stacked."

Three feet down, Osborne and the others found the skeletal remains of a man.

"The skull and the pelvis is what we look at for gender," Osborne said, reaching for the resin skeleton sitting on her kitchen countertop. "See the pelvic area here. If you can make an upside down-V it's going to be a male. If you have to stretch your fingers it's going to be a female. See this at the base of the spine? It's the coccyx bone. If it has a curve or a hook it's a male. If it's straight it's a female."

"We treat any bones that we find as possible human remains until someone who is qualified can discount that theory," said Kusiak.

In this case, Osborne believed that the evidence suggested otherwise.

The body was found wrapped cocoon-like in a spidery fabric, possibly burlap. It was also face up, as if carefully laid to rest, and the heart was still intact, indicating the body had been embalmed. Osborne observed a cut through the cranial vault indicating the brain had been removed. She might have considered a home autopsy had it not been for the nail present in the jaw area, indicating the mouth had been forced closed for viewing, suggesting that a professional had been involved.

Throughout the excavation Osborne documented her work with photography so others involved in the investigation could see the scene as she did. Then Osborne counted the skeletal remains, gathered them in a sheet and sent them to the forensic anthropologist for further testing.

It was later determined there was no foul play involved.

"She's a true professional," Kusiak said of Osborne. "I learned how methodical and patient you have to be so potential evidence doesn't get damaged, in case it turns out to be a homicide."

Forensic science plays a huge role in the field of criminal law, and while advancements in technology may increase results it always comes down to the players in the field. The forensic pathologist, crime scene investigators, nurse examiners and forensic grave excavators can be taught what to look for, but it's their experience and their interest in solving the case that brings about closure.

"I'm retired but I still have my hand in law enforcement," Osborne said. "And I get to work with good people who care about their fellow man."