Skeleton 3: Forensic Analysis

Skeleton 3 was found on January 20, 2017 at 3:40pm. Jason Smith and Christina Scott, a couple, found the bones while taking a walk by the San Luis Rey River in San Diego. They stopped for a drink and Christina noticed the bones by the river and when Jason got closer to examine them he noticed the skull and immediately called the police. The bones were in a crude pile and many bones were either missing or broken. Although the exact killer is unknown it is speculated that it could be connected to the series of human remains found in and around rivers all around California. It is possible that the bones could have been there for over a month before they were found. As a forensic anthropologist I have been tasked with determining what I can from

Evidence for this conclusion could be found in all four of the bones. The pelvis had a sub-pubic angle of 100 degrees and a greater sciatic notch with 76 degree angle. Both of these measurements are greater than the minimum angle requirements for it belonging to a female (90 degrees and 68 degrees respectively). It also had a pelvic cavity shape that was noticeably circular and wide as opposed to the heart shaped male pelvis. The skull also had several feminine features including the sharp eye orbit edge, round eye orbit shape, smooth nuchal crest, round and globular frontal bone, and rounded v-shaped mandible. Evidence can also be found in the femur’s length (385mm.) which is under the 405mm. female requirement. Evidence can also be found in the various humerus measurements such as it’s 54.2mm. epicondylar width and it’s 37.5mm. vertical diameter of the numeral head, both of which were significantly closer to the female average than the male average. Out of the nineteen sex determination tests, only two matched male criteria. Ultimately this abundance of affirmative evidence prove that the bones were, in fact,

Another useful method of identifying remains is facial reconstruction. Facial reconstruction is the process by which a sculpture of a potentially recognizable face is created using the shape, size, a features of the unidentified skull. This facial sculpture can be remarkably accurate and can yield amazing results. Humans have evolved to be very skilled at recognizing and recalling faces. We are so good at that not only is it effortless, but we also have a tendency to notice faces where there are none like on inanimate objects. This is a phenomenon called pareidolia. Ultimately this ability to effortlessly identify faces is what makes facial reconstruction so useful. If someone close to the victim is shown the sculpture it is likely that they will recognize it because of how frequently they saw that face when it was alive. This can determine the exact victim and can be shown to others who knew the victim to confirm who it is. Another method of identification uses the victim's teeth. Teeth are unique to each person and they can vary greatly in size, shape, pattern, etc. tooth enamel is also an extremely hard substance so once the rest of the body decays the teeth will remain. These teeth can be compared to the dental records of potential victims and when they match the victim has been found. Another way to at least narrow down the identity of the victim is to