Brady Peters

Case Report 1.2.3

On an early morning run last week, a young couple stopped to get a drink, and they

stumbled upon what appeared to be a human skull. The police arrived at the scene, a local park,

and unearthed two skeletons lying side by side. The police have a huge backlog of missing

person cases. With the help of a forensic anthropologist, the police will be able to match the

skeletal remains with the description of one of the missing persons.

Of the two skeletons found at the park, this case report only deals with the findings from

one of the skeletons. The two most valuable bones of sex determination are the pelvis and skull.

The tibia and humerus of the skeleton was also used to determine the sex of the skeletal remains.

Based on the findings of examining the pelvis, skull, tibia, and humerus, it was determined that

the skeleton belonged to a female. The measurements and observations of these bones most

commonly matched the bone characteristics for an average female. The skull had many

characteristics of an average male skull, but the shape of the pelvis was the deciding factor on

determining the skeleton was a female. The ethnic origin of the skeleton was determined by

using the nasal cavity. By examining the traits of the unknown skull, it was determined that the

unknown skull belonged to a white female. The unknown skull traits most resemble the traits of

an average white person. The characteristics of things like the nasal spine, nasal silling, and the

shape of the orbital openings were shared between the unknown and average white skull. By

examining the long bones of the body, such as the tibia and humerus, the possible height range of

the skeleton was determined. Formulas, broken down by racial group and gender, that compare

bone length to height were used to find the range of the possible height of the unknown skeleton.

The maximum length of the tibia and humerus was used to be plugged in to the formulas to find

the height range. The skeleton is between 5 feet 1 inch and 5 feet 6 inches. To determine the age
range of the skeleton, the pelvis, tibia, and humerus was used. The age range of the skeleton is

between 18 and 20 years. By examining the pelvis, it was determined that the two lowest

segments of the sacral vertebrate are joined together. Examining the tibia revealed that the upper

epiphysis joined the shaft. The humerus revealed the internal condyle unites with the shaft. By

using quantitative and qualitative observations, the combined data led to the results stated. One

of the limitations of these methods is that some of the examinations can only provide a range and

not an exact number. The qualitative observations could have led to inconsistencies because

these types of observations are subjective.

The process of identifying skeletal remains through facial reconstruction can be used in

this case. Facial reconstruction is a method used in forensic anthropology. Reconstruction of the

facial features of an individual onto the skull require scientific and the artistic skills. The

reproduction of the facial features of an individual is based upon the average soft tissue

thicknesses over various anatomical sites of the skull and jaws. Molding clay is used to

reconstruct the features. There are significant differences in the thicknesses of the soft tissues of

males and females of different races. The sculpturing method of facial reconstruction has

remarkable results. The facial reconstruction can include the gratitude of the relatives of the

identified victim. Since the ethnic origin of the unidentified skeleton is now known through

observing the bones, the average soft tissue thickness can be determined and be used to

reconstruct the face by using modern software technology and clay molding. When the facial

reconstruction of the unidentified skeleton is complete, then the families that have a missing

person can send a picture of the missing individual to the forensic anthropologist. A match can be

determined if the picture of the missing individual and the facial reconstruction of the unknown

skeleton look similar. The bones of the wrist can hold clues to the primary work of the deceased
individual. Bony ridges form on the wrist where the muscles were attached and pulled over the

years. A bony ridge on the wrist could indicate that the dead person may have been someone who

used their hands for a living. The skull can also be used to determine the age of the unknown

skeleton. If the sagittal suture is completely fused, then the skeletal remains are likely to be of

someone older than 35 years old. The coronal suture can also be used to determine age because it

completely fuses at age 40.

One of the skeletons that was found at the local park has been examined. The bones of

the skeletal remains helped identify the characteristics of the deceased individual. Qualitative

and quantitative observations were used to determine the characteristics of the deceased person

who belonged to the skeleton. The findings suggest that the skeleton belonged to an 18 to 20 year

old white female who was between the height of 5 feet 1 inch and 5 feet 6 inches. The next step

of the investigation would be to complete a facial reconstruction of the skeleton. A facial

reconstruction would provide further evidence for the identification of the skeleton.

DNA Analysis:

According to the DNA analysis results, the bones belonged to Sally Jones. The DNA

from the skeleton was digested with two enzymes. DNA from missing person one, Susan

Matthews, and missing person two, Sally Jones, was digested with the same two enzymes that

was used to digest the unidentified skeletal remains. The two enzymes cut the DNA samples and

produced different numbers and sizes of restriction fragments. When the DNA fragments were

ran through the agarose gel by using the process of gel electrophoresis, it was discovered that the

DNA from the unidentified skeleton and the DNA from missing person two, Sally Jones, is a

match. The DNA from the skeleton and Sally Jones had the same size and number of restriction

fragments when cut by both of the enzymes. The DNA from Susan Matthews did not match the
DNA from the unidentified skeleton. Sally Jones, 24, was a newly married insurance agent who

had been missing for almost six months.

The skeleton that was found at the park has been thoroughly examined and finally

identified. By examining the bones of the skeleton, the gender, ethnicity, height, and age was

determined for the unidentified individual. These four characteristics were used to narrow down

the possibilities of who the bones could have belonged to. By examining the DNA of the

unidentified skeleton, it was found that the skeleton belonged to Sally Jones. All of the tests and

analysis were used to accurately identify the skeletal remains.