Alexis Beyke, Naomi Belcher, Rayvin Ewers, Adrianne Peech, and Lily Harvey
Case Report 1.2.3 Bone Detectives
Introduction
Late in the winter of 2014, on the cold night of December 24 th
, the remains of an individual were stumbled upon by a young boy fetching water for his cabin home in the hills of Middlesboro,
Kentucky. The skeleton of said individual was found in the bottom of the family’s well. The bones included the skull, pelvis, humorous, tibia, and radius. With these, the forensic anthropologists have determines the approximate height, age, and sex.
Summary of Findings
Sex
The bones found were labeled as female for many reasons. A lot of the evidence we acquired pointed in this direction. The pelvis was a huge indicator because the sub-pubic angle measured
115 ⁰ , and in the identification of females, the pelvis must be over 90 ⁰ . The greater sciatic notch measured 70 ⁰ , and a female generally measures over 68 ⁰ . The overall shape of the pelvic cavity was also taken into consideration, as it was circular and wide, showing mainly coccyx, where a male would be heart-shaped, showing both the sacrum and coccyx. The skull also alluded to the sex being female. The upper edge of the orbit was sharp, as a female’s should be, and the shape of the eye orbit was round, unlike the square shape of the male. All other traits of the skull represented those of a female human being.
Race
The ethnic origin was seen to be a biracial individual, as half of the skull traits appeared to resemble that of a white skull, and the other half represented a black skull. The skull had a prominent nasal spine, a characteristic of a Caucasian person, and a sharp ridge on the nasal silling. The orbital openings of the eye were round and somewhat square, which also indicated Caucasian origin. The nasal index, however, showed a different result. The nasal width was 21mm, and the height was
23 mm, revealing a nasal index of .91. Anything over .53mm is a black skull. The skull also proved to be prognathic, another trait of a black individual.
Height

Alexis Beyke, Naomi Belcher, Rayvin Ewers, Adrianne Peech, and Lily Harvey
This individual was determined to be, at maximum, 5 feet and 1 inch tall. This was determined using the maximum tibia length and the given regression formula for a white female. This formula was 2.90(MLT)+ 61.53± 3.66. The MLT was measured to be 310 mm, or 31cm. The humerus gave us slightly different results.
Age
The age of the individual the remains belong to was determined to be between the ages of 18 and
20 years old. As humans age, the bones begin to grow together. To determine age, investigators looked for certain milestones that pointed in the direction of an age. All of the signs found stopped at either the 18 or 20 year old mark, so it can be determined that the individual was between these ages.
Inconsistencies
There were several inconsistencies with these measurements, as with any human remains. With height, when the humerus was used in the regression formula for a Caucasian female, the outcome was an individual of 4ft and 5in. With sex, the pubis body width of the pelvis was 25mm, which is that of a male. These inconsistencies were outweighed by the number of measurements pointing in the other direction.
There are also limitations to the methods used here to determine the identity. There could be a disorder in which the bones are not properly formed that isn’t taken into account here. The individual may appear completely different than their remains suggest.
Further Analysis
Facial reconstruction is a technique in which an artist uses clay to sculpt the face and features of an individual based off of evidence from a skeleton in order to further identify the victim. In this case, this method could be used to help investigators get a better idea of the appearance and origin of the bones. The image of the face can lead authorities to begin looking through missing person reports for a match. Using facial scanning biometric technology, an image of the face can be used to locate the last known location of the person and who they were seen with to aid in the investigation of cause of death (Phillips)

Alexis Beyke, Naomi Belcher, Rayvin Ewers, Adrianne Peech, and Lily Harvey
There are many other tests that can be completed using bone samples. An example would be typing of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extracted from compact bone from human remains. This test is conducted by isolating DNA from compact bone tissues using a decalcification and ion wash procedure, and then with analysis of RFLPs of variable number of tandem repeats. Another test is
X-Ray of bones to find the cause of death (Dirnhofer).
Conclusion
In summation, the remains have been identified as a biracial female. It has been concluded that she was between the ages of 18 and 20. She was most likely between 4’5” and 5’1” tall.
To continue with this investigation, it is recommended that investigators perform steps afterward.
Dental examination will help to identify the individual with the use of previous dental and medical records. This is very efficient in missing person and unidentified victim cases. It is important then to inform the family of the victim, and move into finding cause of death. If necessary, suspects can be located in the case of a homicide.

Alexis Beyke, Naomi Belcher, Rayvin Ewers, Adrianne Peech, and Lily Harvey
Bibliography
Dirnhofer, R. (1991). Retrieved from Research Gate: http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Richard_Dirnhofer/publication/21470928_Typing_of
_deoxyribonucleic_acid_(DNA)_extracted_from_compact_bone_from_human_remains/l inks/0f31753c537cbdd33a000000.pdf
Phillips, V. M. (2000, July 24). Forensic Science Communications . Retrieved from The FBI:
Federal Bureau of Investigation: https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/lab/forensic-sciencecommunications/fsc/jan2001/phillips.htm/