Yakama Nation descendants search for unmarked graves at former boarding school site

Kili is on a mission at Mool-Mool, or Fort Simcoe Historical State Park, outside of White Swan near Yakima in Central Washington.

A palomino-colored yellow Labrador, Kili nearly disappears amid the bleached rye and bunchgrass. He’s looking for human remains, some possibly thousands of years old.

When he finds something interesting he lays down and barks.

This is Kili’s job. He has been trained for years by his owner and handler, Suzanne Elshult.

“He is a historical human remains detection dog and he’s also certified as a crime scene human remains detection dog,” Elshult said. “This is the work he does. This is what he lives for.”