Secrets of the Dead (2000)

S17E3 The Woman in the Iron Coffin

On October 4, 2011, a shocking discovery was made by construction crews digging in a deserted lot in Elmhurst, Queens, when they unearthed human remains. Initially, the incredible state of preservation led them to suspect a recent murder. However, forensic examinations uncovered a strikingly different narrative. Entombed in a lavish iron coffin was the body of a young African American woman who had passed away in the early to mid-1800s, prior to the Civil War and the end of slavery. Who was she? In Secrets of the Dead: The Woman in the Iron Coffin, forensic archaeologist Scott Warnasch, alongside historians and scientists, delves into her life and the historical context, painting a detailed picture of the experiences of free African Americans in the North.