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The Bone Detectives
“Bone Detectives” pg. 7
1. What is a forensic anthropologist?
2. Quote lines from the text on page 7 that helped you arrive at your answer for question 1.
“Grave Beginnings” pg. 8
1. Who was Dr. Jeffries Wyman?
2. How did the team of doctors prove the bones belonged to George Parkman?
“The Case of the Shining Skull” pgs. 9-11
1. What steps did investigators take to collect evidence at the scene where the skull was found?
2. List the physical evidence that was collected at the scene where the skull was discovered.
“Interpreting Clues” pgs. 12-13
1. How were forensic scientists able to estimate the height and weight of the victim?
2. Why was the plastic bag a significant piece of evidence? What did scientists learn from it?
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3. What did the hair reveal about the victim?
4. Why weren’t dental records useful in identifying the victim?
5. What did investigator learn by examining and researching the button?
“Mouthful of Evidence” pg. 14
1. What is the job of a forensic dentist?
2. What characteristics of a person’s teeth can help forensic dentists?
3. What ways are bite marks useful?
4. How can forensic dentists preserve the evidence from a bite mark?
5. What can forensic dentists tell from examining a bite mark?
“The Stories Bones Tell” pgs. 15-16
1. What details about the skull helped Dr. Charney determine that the skull was a woman’s?
2. How can examining a pubic bone can help to reveal gender?
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3. What was learned about the victim by examining the pubic bone recovered from the burial site?
“Bear Bones” pg. 17
1. What is the first thing bone detectives do when they receive some bones?
2. What are 2 key features which distinguish a bear paw from a human foot?
“Ancestral Ties” pg. 18
1. What are key differences in facial features can be found between the skulls of Caucasians and
people of the mongoloid race?
2. Why are the skulls of mixed race people difficult to identify?
3. In the Missouri case, what features of the skull helped to determine the victim’s race?
4. What race did the examination of the victim’s skull reveal?
“Fingered” pg. 19
1. What is AFIS, and how has its use helped investigators better make use of fingerprint evidence?
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“No Bone Unturned” pgs. 20-22
1. What are the 2 best age indicators in children under 13?
2. Why are long bones the best age indicators for teens?
3. How do pelvic bones help indicate the age of adults up to age 55?
4. What signs do scientists look for to determine if bones came from someone older than 55?
5. What are osteons, and how do they help scientists determine age?
6. What bone features did Dr. Charney use to determine the age of the Missouri victim?
7. What did these bones reveal to Dr. Charney?
8. How did Dr. Charney determine the victim’s height?
9. What characteristics would Dr. Charney use to estimate a victim’s weight?
10. What can be learned by examining muscle attachment markings on a bone?
11. What was determined about the victim in the Missouri case by examining frame size and muscle
attachment points?
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“Bone Boggler” pg. 23
1. Why would the muscle attachment points indicate that the victim was a waitress?
“Written in Bone” pg. 24
1. What are some of the events/anaomalies on bones which can aid in identifying a victim?
2. What anomaly was found in the skull of the Missouri case victim?
“Invisible Clues” pg. 25
1. DNA can be recovered at a crime scene from what kind of samples?
“Skeletal Sculptures” pg. 26-29
1. Name some of the factors to be accounted for when creating a facial reconstruction?
2. List the steps in creating a model to reconstruct a victim’s face?
3. What do investigators hope to gain from creating a reconstruction of a victim’s face?
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“Bugged” pg. 30
1. How do insects help forensic scientists solve crimes—what information can insects reveal?
2. What does it mean when no bugs are present?
“Witness from the Grave” pg. 33
1. What events lead to the arrest of Bunn Chee Nyhuis’ killer?
2. How did Bunn Chee Nyhuis die?
“Lucy’s Legacy” pgs. 36-37
1. What important skeletal change did scientists learn about from studying Lucy’s pelvis, leg, and
foot bones?
2. What new insights about human evolution did scientists gain from studying the skull of the “Son
of Lucy”?
“The Iceman Comes to Life” pgs 38-39
1. What surprising insights about human life during Europe’s Copper Age were gained through
studying the “Iceman”?
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“Bones on the Battlefield” pgs. 40-41
1. How were scientists able to determine that the skeletal remains found at the site of the Battle of
Little Bighorn were those of Mitch Boyer?
“Outlaw Rides Again” pgs. 42-43
1. How was Dr. Finnegan able to determine that the bones, tooth and hair found during the
excavation of Jesse James’ original gravesite belonged to him?
2. How had the remains gotten separated from the rest of Jesse James’ remains which were
moved to another grave years earlier?
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