She makes the dead speak

A 52 minutes documentary in coproduction with France 2

She has hands that are large and powerful, the hands of a butcher. That’s what her father was, a meat-cutter. But Jan Garavaglia cuts through flesh, the human flesh of corpses.

Jan Garavaglia is a forensic doctor in one of America’s most violent cities: San Antonio, Texas. Because of its proximity to the Mexican border, San Antonio has become a major hub for drug trafficking. It’s a crime-ridden city with gang rivalries.

In this morgue, Dr. G has exercised her trade for almost fifteen years, performing more than 4,000 autopsies.
When asked if she identifies with Kay Scarpetta, the doctor in bestselling author Patricia Cornwell’s series, she answers: “Like her, I’m of Italian descent and I like cooking!” She also adds, modestly, that her work is only part of a puzzle in any investigation. But it is hugely respected by the entire judicial and police community, and is often the key element that allows for criminal identification.

How does one live day to day in a work environment such as the morgue?
Who is this wife, and mother, who takes so much pleasure in making the dead speak?