Hayden McKee-Zech - Department of Biology

2124 Weston Hall
Office Phone: (906) 277-2148
hmckeeze@nmu.edu

• 2024 – PhD, Anthropology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
• 2017 – MSc, Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology, University College London, London, UK
• 2016 – BS, Biochemistry and BA, Anthropology and Global and International Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI

My research is in decomposition ecology, specifically the impact of human agency and body composition. My lab will work in close collaborations with the Forensic Research Outdoor Station (FROST) and the Forensic Anthropology Research Laboratory (FARL) and focus on the interaction between intrinsic factors of humans (e.g. toxicology and disease) and prime drivers of decompositions (blow flies, microbes and scavengers). This will include ecological surveillance, testing of basic forensic assumptions, and improving predictive postmortem interval (PMI) models. I emphasize the need for standardization in the forensic field by publishing protocols for experiments, data collection, and standard operating procedures to improve the reliability and reproducibility in forensic anthropology and biology. My interests include forensic anthropology, decomposition, PMI estimation, thanatochemistry, skeletal biology, entomology, and histology.

• BI 213 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I 
• BI 495 - Special Topics: Forensic Biology 

Publications (peer-reviewed)

• Allison R. Mason, Hayden S. McKee‑Zech, Dawnie W. Steadman, Jennifer M. DeBruyn (In Press). Environmental predictors impact microbial-based postmortem interval (PMI) estimation models within human decomposition soils. PLOS One. 
• Hayden S. McKee‑Zech, Sara Fatula, Joanne B. Devlin, Giovanna M. Vidoli (In Press). Protocols for  recovery, processing, and curation of burned human remains. PLOS One. 
• Melanie Beasly, Julia Lesnik, Hayden S. McKee‑Zech, Anielle Duncan (In Review). Using Stable Nitrogen Isotope Ratios from Fly Larvae for Postmortem Interval (PMI) Estimation. Journal of Forensic Anthropology. 
• Melanie Beasly, Julia Lesnik, Hayden S. McKee‑Zech, Anielle Duncan (2024). Using Stable Nitrogen Isotope Ratios from Human Skeletal Muscle Tissue for Postmortem Interval (PMI) Estimation (Part 1). Journal of Forensic Anthropology. doi:10.5744/fa.2023.0001
• Charity G. Owings, Hayden S. McKee‑Zech, Jack A. Orebaugh, Joanne B. Devlin, Giovanna M. Vidoli (2024). The Utility of Blow Fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Evidence from Burned Human Remains. Journal of Forensic Sciences. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.111962
• Charity G. Owings, Hayden S. McKee‑Zech, Sarah T. Schwing, Kristi N. Bugasjski, Mary C. Davis, Dawnie W. Steadman (2022). Not by the Book: Observations of Delayed Oviposition and Re‑Colonization of Human Remains by Blow Flies. Insects. doi: doi.org/10.3390/insects13100879
• Allison R. Mason, Hayden S. McKee‑Zech, Katharina M. Hoeland, Mary C. Davis, Shawn R. Campagna, Dawnie W. Steadman, Jennifer M. DeBruyn (2022). Body Mass Index (BMI) Impacts Soil Chemical and Microbial Response to Human Decomposition. Msphere. doi: 10.1128/msphere.00325‑22.
• Hayden S. McKee‑Zech, Sara Fatula (2022). Postmortem Interval Estimation (PMI) Ramifications of a Newly Recorded Forensically Relevant Blow Fly Species in East Tennessee. Climate Change: Anthropological Perspectives and Human Responses.
• Charity G. Owings, Megan S. McQueen, Mary E. Smith, Riley K. Wal, Hayden S. McKee‑Zech (2021). Rearing Container Size Impacts Immature Development Time of Phormia regina (Meigen) (Dipetra: Calliphoridae) and Time of Colonization Estimations. Journal of Forensic Entomology.
• Charity G. Owings, Hayden S. McKee‑Zech, Dawnie W. Steadman (2021). First Record of the Oriental Latrine Fly Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in Tennessee, USA. Acta Parasitologica. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11686‑021‑00346‑y

Protocols (not peer-reviewed)

• Hayden S. McKee‑Zech, Sara Fatula, Joanne B. Devlin, Giovanna M. Vidoli. (In processing) Protocols for recovery, processing and curation of burned human remains. Protocols.io. (In Press). 
• Hayden S. McKee‑Zech, Charity G. Owings, Dawnie W. Steadman. (In processing) Protocols for entomotoxicological experiment of Phormia regina (Megnin) development using morphine and lorazepam in the rearing substrate. Protocols.io. DOI:10.17504/protocols.io.n2bvjnrpngk5/v1
• Hayden S. McKee‑Zech, Erin A. Patrick, Allison R. Mason, Katharina M. Hoeland, Sarah Schwing, Thomas Delgado, Charity G. Owings, Shawn R. Campagna, Jennifer M. DeBruyn, Dawnie W. Steadman. (In processing) Tox Project Protocols for the field. Protocols.io. DOI: 10.17504/protocols.io.3byl4qy2jvo5/v1