CSI FORENSIC SCIENCE WHOSE BONES ARE THEY FORENSIC

CSI : FORENSIC SCIENCE WHOSE BONES ARE THEY?

FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGIST FORENSIC INVESTIGATOR FORENSIC SCIENTIST

Gender Male Narrow pelvis Wider ribcage and shoulders Large, square chins Larger eyebrow ridges Bones generally larger, heavier Sacrum slanted, coccyx curved inward Female Wider pelvis Smaller ribcage Small, round chin Sharp border around eye socket Sacrum straight, coccyx straight

Age Young Infants – more bones, and cartilage, no teeth Children – lots of space between bones (long bones fuse at 13), thick cartilage Old Complete skeleton Worn teeth and joints All bones fused (clavicle at age 28) Ribs become hollow and spikier Thin cartilage 32 teeth, wisdom teeth Less calcium

Ethnicity White Round skulls Jaw directly under eyebrows Narrow nasal bridge Oval eye socket Black Oval skulls Face slopes back from jaw to eyes Wide nasal bridge Rectangular eye socket

BLACK WHITE NATIVE AMERICAN

General Facts • Because exercise strengthens the point where the muscle is attached to the bone, a large mark where the muscle was attached is a sign that the person was muscular. • Larger muscle-attachment scars on the bones of one arm as compared to the other indicate whether the person was right- or lefthanded. • A scar on a bone is a sign of a healed fracture. • Frequent, repeated stress on a joint can wear down the cartilage of the joint, causing the joint surface to appear smooth and shiny. • A person’s height can be calculated with this equation: Height (cm) = (2. 26 × femur length) + 66. 38

Skeletal Remains • Narrow pelvis • Average size • Square chin, round cranium, oval eye socket • Most bones fused except for clavicle and parts of the cranium, few small spaces between carpals • Full set of teeth, no wisdom teeth • Several tendon marks on femur and humerus • Muscle scars on left radius and ulna • Joints and teeth in good condition • Several fractures on femur, pelvis, an radius • Femur size = 49 cm

What do you know? • Age (give a range of possibilities): Evidence: • Gender: • Ethnicity: Evidence: • General Health: Evidence: * Misc information (include height):

How do you think he died? • What evidence do you have to support your theory? • What other information would you need to find the truth?

The re-enactment of an Excavation for the Discovery Channel. "The Masters Case" In 1964 Butch Masters, 16, was "accidentally" killed by his father after being pushed down a flight of stairs. His father then buried him in a shallow grave, behind a building on their farm, where he remained buried until 1989. His body was found by workers repairing an underground pipe. The Master's family rented an apartment over the garage on the property. The family had long since moved to the southern states. Mc. Henry County Coroner Marlene Lantz was contacted by the Mc. Henry County Sheriff's Police to process the death scene. The scene was processed for the human remains and any items of evidential value. The scene indicated that the deceased was buried by someone "close" to him, either family or friend. The victim was buried without clothing and was positioned as though being "laid out" in a casket. Once the remains had been properly exhumed and secured, they were examined by Dr. Clyde Snow, an Internationally renown Forensic Anthropologist. Dr. Snow was able to build an accurate description of the person but didn't know who he was. The case was put on hold pending a positive identification of the deceased. In 1994 the deceased's aunt had contacted the local police authorities, trying to find the whereabouts of her nephew. His father had told people he moved out of the area in 1964 and went to work in Alaska. The physical description Dr. Snow developed from the remains fit the missing brother. A DNA test on the family revealed the recovered remains were in fact that of Butch Masters. This DNA test also revealed that John Masters, his father, was not his biological father! John Masters was interviewed and confessed to the crime that occurred 30 years previous. He was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 5 years probation.