Death's+Acre+p.33-45+KS

Chapter 3
 * Bare Bones: Forensics 101**

When examining a body in a forensic case, the ultimate goal is to identify the body. ^ If possible, also the cause of death. Start with the 'big four' - Sex, race, age, stature
 * Even after bones heal, they always 'remember.' After death bones remember things from childhood falls to the smashing of a skull.

Star by laying out the body or bones face up.

Absence of flesh on the corpse can make identification easier. This is because the skin can be deceptive. Bloating can make gender identification harder.

Women and children have smaller skulls than men. The teeth identify whether it is a child or women. Also, the pelvis can be useful in determining age and gender. If the skull is a woman's, the bones will be wider than if it were to be a child's.

To determine race, anthropologists can use the prognathism test, which determines whether the skill is Negroid, Caucasoid or Mongoloid. (Negoid refers to an African American's skull, Caucasoid refers to a Caucasian skull, and Mongoloid refers to either an Asian, Eskimo, or Native American skull.) ^ However, traditional racial distinctions and labels may disappear in the future.


 * The best way to clean bones is to 'simmer them in a covered steam vat for the better part of a day, then scrub off the softened tissue with a toothbrush.'

The Cranial Vault is comprised of seven separate bones: The frontal bone (forehead), a pair of parietal bones, the temporal bones, the sphenoid, and the occipital bone. ^ Anthropologists can use these bones to determine whether an adult was 20 or 80.

To determine stature: 1950s Mildred Trotter and Goldine Gleser came up with a series of accurate formulas to determine stature.

It's hard to identify a body without any dental work, dental records, or photographs. But, anthropologists can make assumptions based on where the body is found and the missing persons reports from areas near that location. ^ In this case, the woman missing was most likely Mary Louise Downing.