Investigating China Row: Cadaver-sniffing dogs alert to 12 unmarked graves outside Forestvale Cemetery
China Row, an unkempt field outside of Forestvale Cemetery near Helena, lies filled with mostly unmarked graves of Chinese people from Helena and surrounding towns who were buried between 1890 and 1955. There were originally over 200 burials, but small-town rumors hold that the graves were disinterred in the 1950s, with the remains being sent back to China.
On Friday, two specially-trained dogs helped investigate who remains at China Row.
The dogs, Jasper and Kaylee, were trained by the Institute of Canine Forensics to help locate human remains. Like other dogs in the forensics field, they are trained to sniff out their target and sit patiently to signal to their trainers that they found something.