Forensic Anthropology

Bones Burned in Barrel Sometime during the day on October 31, 2005, photographer Teresa Halbach was scheduled to meet with Steven Avery, one of the owners of Avery Auto Salvage, to photograph a maroon Plymouth Voyager minivan for . She had been there at least fifteen times before, taking pictures of other vehicles for the magazine. Halbach disappeared that day. In the yard, officers found a “burn barrel” with remains of a camera, cell phone, and bones that were determined to be a female adult. Damage to some of the bones, suggested that the body was mutilated,

Anthropology: The scientific study of the origins and behavior as well as the physical, social, and cultural development of humans Forensics Anthropology: the study of physical anthropology as it applies to human skeletal remains in a legal setting

History 1800’s: Scientist began using skull measurements to differentiate among individuals 1897: Bone remains used as evidence in a murder case (sausage maker murder then “cooked” wife) 1932: FBI started aiding in identification of human remains Remains of WWII soldiers where identified using anthropology techniques

Number of Bones Adult humans have 206 bones Babies have 450 bones Bones connect and fuse together as a person ages Joints: location where bones meet Cartilage: wraps around bones for protection Ligaments: bands of tissue connecting together two or more bones Tendons: connect muscles to bone

Aging of Bones Children build bones at a faster rate than bones being broken down. Thus bones increase in size (growth) After the age of 30, bones begin to deteriorate faster than they are being built Excising can slow deterioration People with osteoporosis are at risk of bone breakage due to loss of calcium The number of bones and their conditions can tell investigators about a person’s age, health, and whether the person had enough calcium

Osteobiography Osteobiography: literally translates as the story of a life told by the bones One’s age, sex, race, height and health If one was right handed If they did physical labor Sports the person played

Bones: Males vs. Females Females: smoother and less knobby Males: thicker, rougher, and more bumpy

The Skull Male: Frontal lobe is low and sloping, eye orbits tend to be square, lower jaw is more square (90 degree angle), and square chins Female: Frontal lobe is high and more rounded, eye orbits tend to be circular, lower jaw is more sloped (greater than 90 degrees), rounder or V-shaped chin

The Pelvis Males: subpubic angle 50-82 degree, shape of pubis is triangular, shape of pelvic cavity is heart shaped, sacrum is longer, narrower, and curved inward Females: subpubic angle is 90 degrees, shape of pubis is rectangular, shape of pelvic cavity is oval shaped, ad sacrum is shorter, broader, and curved outward.