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Police in Hoffa case take soil to campus experts

October 1, 2012 | Modified: October 1, 2012 at 3:02 pm
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Photo -   Authorities drill for soil samples in the floor of a shed at a Roseville, Mich., home Friday, Sept. 28, 2012. Police have been told by a source that former Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa may be buried beneath a driveway. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Authorities drill for soil samples in the floor of a shed at a Roseville, Mich., home Friday, Sept. 28, 2012. Police have been told by a source that former Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa may be buried beneath a driveway. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

ROSEVILLE, Mich. (AP) — The first steps in determining whether soil holds the remains of missing Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa are fairly simple: Are there any bones in the dirt?

Scientists at Michigan State University are examining soil Monday removed from a home in Roseville near Detroit.

David Foran, head of the school's forensic science program, says the dirt typically is screened for signs of bone fragments. He says it can be done with the naked eye and a microscope.

Foran says there's nothing unusual about the job, only the name, Hoffa. Acting on a tip, authorities drilled through concrete Friday and removed soil inside a shed next to a home.

Hoffa was last seen in 1975 outside a restaurant in Oakland County, more than 30 miles to the west.