Name __________________________________________ Date ______________________________
Anatomy & Physiology
Lab 3 - Forensic Reconstruction of a Skeleton
By
Alease Bruce
Department of Health and Clinical Science
University of Massachusetts at Lowell
_________________________________________________________________________
"Tom McCune speaking. Someone found WHAT? Where? Yes, I know the area very well.
Don't touch anything. I'll be right over."
Professor Thomas McCune was a 40-year-old forensic anthropologist who specialized in
skeletonized human remains. Before returning to his home state of Massachusetts, he
worked on high profile cases in Washington, D.C. Then he taught osteology and
anthropology at a small university and spent his summers leading anthropological digs in
Mexico.
Winters were usually long and quiet in his hometown with the ground frozen solid, but in
the spring the thawing earth often revealed something interesting to study. While digging
around his hometown was interesting enough, Tom was ecstatic that he had been called
to examine an actual crime scene this time. Usually someone just gathered up the bones,
placed them in a bag or box, and plunked them down on his desk at the university. He
could now use his forensic training to help the police and medical examiner determine
the identity of the individual from the very beginning of the case. Rule number one was
to not move the body until the investigation was complete. Photograph the scene.
Examine it for clues. Sift the soil. Then collect and label the bones. It had been a long
time, but he remembered the protocol clearly.
With a surge of adrenaline pumping through his blood, Tom grabbed his camera, hopped
into his aging Toyota, and headed toward the state forest. There were many nature trails
through the forest. He had hiked them often, but the one off Route 125 was the one he
sped toward today. The group of nondescript, monochromatic cars along the side of the
road signaled that he was at the right location. Arnold Spector from the local police
department met Tom and signaled him to follow. The two men walked along, cutting the
brisk air with their quick strides, until they came upon an isolated trail about a mile from
the road. An officer from homicide, the coroner's office representative, and a tall slim
man with a frisky dog were waiting for them.
"Hi, I'm Tom McCune. You've found something that you want me to look at?"
"Yes," answered Officer Garrett from the Homicide Unit. "This is Rob Underwood, the
man who put in the 911 call. His dog found this bone." The officer held up a large, clear
plastic bag containing what was obviously a human femur.
"Where is the rest of it?" Tom asked.
"Just behind those bushes." Officer Garrett motioned. "We've secured the site. Nothing
has been touched. We haven't even notified the press yet. We were waiting for you."
As Tom parted the bushes, he saw very clearly an area that appeared to be a partially
uncovered grave. From a shallow depression in the soft earth protruded the entire half of
a human pelvic bone, probably exposed by the dog. The acetabulum lay empty, missing
its femur, which had been removed by the dog. The remains obviously had been there for
some time.
Tom positioned his camera and began photographing the scene. A search of the area
yielded no further clues--no remnants of clothing, no signs of a disturbance--just the
bones.
"Without personal effects, this is going to be a tough case," Tom thought.
The next task was to collect and label each bone. Afterward the grounds would be sifted
for additional clues. It would be up to Tom, the forensic anthropologist, to determine the
age and sex of the individual and to look for signs of trauma. What secrets would these
bones reveal?
Name __________________________________________ Date ________________________________
Activity 1: Bone Identification
Help Dr. McCune with this case by identifying the bones before you. Then, identify where the bone is
located in the body and which of the four classes (long, short, flat, irregular) of bone it belongs to.
Name
Location
Class
Bone 1
Bone 2
Bone 3
Bone 4
Bone 5
Bone 6
Bone 7
Bone 8
Bone 9
Bone 10
Bone 11
Bone 12
Bone 13
Name
Bone 14
Bone 15
Bone 16
Bone 17
Bone 18
Bone 19
Bone 20
Bone 21
Bone 22
Bone 23
Location
Class
Bone 24
Bone 25
Bone 26
Bone 27
Bone 28
Name __________________________________________ Date ________________________________
Activity 2: Sex Determination from Pelvic and Skull Morphology
1. Help Dr. McCune determine the sex of the skeleton by circling the characteristics present in
the pelvis in Table 1 below.
2. Circle the characteristics present in the skull in Table 2 below.
3. Answer the question that follows and provide your reasoning.
Table 1. Sex characteristics of the pelvis.
Feature
Obturator foramen shape
Acetabulum size
Pubic arch
Sciatic notch shape
Ilium shape
Pelvic inlet shape
Sacrum shape
Male
Large, ovoid
Large
V-shaped
Narrow, deep
High, vertical
Heart-shaped
Long, narrow
Female
Triangular
Small
U-shaped
Wide
Wide
Circular
Short, wide
Table 2. Sex characteristics of the skull.
Feature
Supraorbital ridge
Occipital protuberance
Mastoid process
Mandible
Male
Prominent
Prominent
Long, broad
Square
Female
Slender
Slender
Short
V-shaped
1. What is the sex of the unknown skeleton? ____________________________________________
2. Which characteristics above were the most obvious?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
3. How does the age of the individual affect this analysis?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Name __________________________________________ Date _________________________________
Activity 3: Height Estimation and Identification of the Individual
Anthropologists estimate the height of individuals by measuring specific bones. Measure the length of
the humerus and using the height estimation data given below, identify the most likely victim.
(1 inch = 2.54 cm)
Table 1. Height estimation using the humerus.
Height of Male
Height of Female
(Length of humerus bone in cm) x (2.89) + 70.64
(Length of humerus bone in cm) x (2.79) + 71.48
Length of humerus: _____________________________________________________________________
Missing Person
Bill Boston
Jane Caldwell
Ernest Bass
Jill James
Gary Burnes
Lily Walker
Mary Zimmerman
Billy Jenkins
Jessie Agan
Gladys Thomas
Don Harris
Lenny Aires
Sex
Male
Female
Male
Female
Male
Female
Female
Male
Female
Female
Male
Male
Height (feet and inches)
5’ 11”
5’ 5”
5’ 6”
4’ 11”
6’ 10”
5’ 9”
4’ 8”
6’ 2”
6’ 0”
5’ 7”
5’ 7”
6’ 4”
Estimated height of the owner of the humerus bone: __________________________________________
Name of probable owner: ________________________________________________________________
Answer Key:
Activity 1: Bone Identification
Help Dr. McCune with this case by identifying the bones before you. Then, identify where the
bone is located in the body and which of the four classes (long, short, flat, irregular) of bone it belongs to.
Bone 1
Bone 2
Bone 3
Bone 4
Bone 5
Bone 6
Bone 7
Bone 8
Bone 9
Bone 10
Bone 11
Bone 12
Bone 13
Bone 14
Bone 15
Bone 16
Bone 17
Bone 18
Bone 19
Bone 20
Bone 21
Bone 22
Bone 23
Bone 24
Bone 25
Bone 26
Bone 27
Bone 28
Name
Humerus
Tibia
Sacrum
Scapula
Femur
Fibula
Ulna
Clavicle
Radius
Sternum
Talus / Tarsals
Hyoid
Metatarsals
Foot phalanges
True ribs
False ribs
Floating ribs
Patella
Frontal
Parietal
Occipital
Temporal
Sphenoid
Zygomatic
Mandible
Maxilla
Nasal
Vomer
Location
Upper arm
Lower leg
Vertebral column
Pectoral girdle
Upper leg
Lower leg
Forearm
Pectoral girdle
Forearm
Thoracic cage
Ankle
Neck
Foot
Foot
Thoracic cage
Thoracic cage
Thoracic cage
Knee
Cranium
Cranium
Cranium
Cranium
Cranium
Face
Face
Face
Face
Face
Class
Long
Long
Irregular
Flat
Long
Long
Long
Flat
Long
Flat
Short
Irregular
Long
Long
Flat
Flat
Flat
Short
Flat
Flat
Flat
Flat
Flat
Flat
Flat
Flat
Flat
Flat