Robert Leo Hunkeler, III, M.F.S.
Robert L. Hunkeler III serves as Assistant to the Director/Special Projects Coordinator for the Montgomery County Coroner's Office/Miami Valley Regional Crime Laboratory in Dayton Ohio. Prior to his current position, he was a Coroner’s Investigator for 9 years and Chief Investigator for 1 year. He previously served in the United States Air Force for 20 years as a Special Agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), before retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2008. Bob earned a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology from Wright State University in 1987 and earned his commission in the United States Air Force through AFROTC Detachment 643, Wright State University. He was awarded a Master's degree in Forensic Science from The George Washington University, Washington DC, in 1994. Bob completed a Fellowship in Forensic Medicine with the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington DC and an Internship with the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office in Chicago Illinois in 1994. He served as a field Forensic Science Officer from 1994-1998 and as the Chief of Death Investigations at Headquarters AFOSI from 1999-2002. Bob has over 20 years of felony criminal investigative experience, working major criminal investigations to include the Pentagon crime scene of 9/11/2001. Bob has trained hundreds of law enforcement and medical personnel in forensic science application and techniques. Bob served as adjunct faculty at the AFOSI Special Investigations Academy teaching advanced homicide investigative techniques and currently serves as adjunct faculty at Wright State University teaching “Methods of Human Identification” and “The Methodology and Science of Crime Scenes.” In addition, Bob leads the Evidence Technician Training Course at the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office/Miami Valley Regional Crime Laboratory, training law enforcement officers in proper crime scene processing and evidence recovery techniques.
Education History
M.F.S. (Master of Forensic Sciences), The George Washington University, Washington DC, 1994
B.A., Anthropology, Wright State University, Dayton OH, 1987
Teaching
Courses
Department of Political Science
PLS 4425/6425 – The Methodology and Science of Crime Scenes
Department of Political Science
PLS 4435/6435 – Methods of Human Identification
Publications
Presenter/Co-Author of Paper Presented to the 64th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in Atlanta, GA, on 24 Feb 2012, Titled: “Mass Fatality Incident Planning and Preparation in Montgomery County Ohio”
Co-Author of Paper Presented to the 64th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in Atlanta, GA, on 24 Feb 2012, Titled: “Female Suicides by Firearm from 1990 – 2011 in Montgomery County Ohio”
Presenter/Author of Paper Presented to the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in Seattle, WA, on 12 Feb 2002, Titled: “The Psychological Autopsy in Criminal Investigations”
Presenter/Author of Paper Presented at SCANNING 98 in Baltimore, MD, on 11 May 1998, Titled: “USAF Office of Special Investigations Use of Scanning Electron Microscopy in Selected Forensic Cases.” Abstract published in SCANNING: The Journal of Scanning Microscopies, Vol. 20, 3 (1998) April Meeting Proceedings, pages 176-177.
Co-Author of Paper Presented to the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in Nashville, TN, on 23 Feb 1996, Titled: “Techniques and Methodologies for Development of Latent Fingerprint Patterns on Human Skeletal Material”
Presenter/Co-Author of Paper Presented to the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in Nashville, TN, on 22 Feb 1996, Titled: “Identification of Gunshot Residue from ‘Clean-FireTM’ Lead-Free Primers Utilizing Scanning Electron Microscopy”
Co-Author of Paper Presented to the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists Annual Conference, Fairfax, VA, 1995, and the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in Seattle, WA, on 17 Feb 1995, Titled: “Analysis of Fungal Tunneling in 300 Year Old Hair Samples Taken from Buried Lead Coffins”
Co-Author of Paper Presented to the 46th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in San Antonio, TX, on 18 Feb 1994, Titled: “Autoerotic Asphyxial Deaths in the Military Community”
Professional Affiliations/Memberships
American Academy of Forensic Sciences
Awards/Recognition
Distinguished Alumnus, Sociology and Anthropology, Wright State University, 2009
College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Adjunct Award, Wright State University, 2023
