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DEM Bones Forensic Analysis Investigative Report for Victim ___ Please use the headings specified in these instructions including the General Education Outcomes that are bolded.

I.

Purpose of investigation (Communication) 

Rob Underwood put in a 911 call when his dog suddenly discovered a human femur from the ground. Officer Garret contacted Professor Thomas McCune. Once at the crime scene Professor McCune was led to an uncovered grave exposing half of a pelvic bone. The bones were collected and labeled. The purpose of our investigation team was to study the bones and determine the age, sex, and any signs of trauma.

II.

Methodology and Evidence Examined (Communication) 

The first step we took at every station was to read the descriptions and questions provided. Then we observed the bone provided for victim A and recorded our observations. 

In Activity I we observed the pelvic bone to determine the sex of the victim. We determined that the victim was a male due to the shape of the foramen, sciatic notch, ilium, pelvic inlet, and the sacrum. As well as the size of the acetabulum and the degree of the pubic arch.

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In Activity II we determined the sex and age of our victim by looking at the skull provided. Our skull had a prominent supraorbital ridge and occipital protuberance. It also had a long-shaped mastoid process and a square shaped mandible. Thus, leading us to the conclusion that our victim is in fact a male.

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In Activity III we determined that our victim must have been about 30-40 years old because the posterior part of the skull is 1/3 of sagittal suture.

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In Activity IV we first estimated the length of the femur that was discovered. After we calculated the height of the victim by first measuring the femur in centimeters and inputting the length into the male height equation. We then proceeded to convert our calculated height into inches. Then we inferred our own height by measuring our femur in centimeter and inputting the measurement into the female height equation. Finally, we composed our own regression.

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In Activity V we analyzed for pathological and physiological changes. We were to observe pictures provided and observe what kind of fractures were done and detect if it was inferred to a pathology or trauma.

III.

Investigative Findings and Analysis (Teamwork) A.

Sex Characteristics of the Pelvis- Activity I Sample Feature 1. obturator foramen shape 2. acetabulum size 3. pubic arch 4. sciatic notch shape 5. Ilium shape 6. pelvic inlet shape 7. sacrum shape

Male Large, ovoid Large Less than 90 degrees Narrow, deep High, vertical Heart-shaped Long, narrow

Female triangular Small More than 90 degrees Wide wide circular Short, wide

Sex Characteristics of the Pelvis- Activity I Feature 1. obturator foramen shape 2. acetabulum size 3. pubic arch 4. sciatic notch shape

Observations Large, ovoid Large Less than 90 degrees Narrow, deep

Inferences Male Male Male Male

5. Ilium shape 6. pelvic inlet shape 7. sacrum shape

High, vertical Heart-shaped Long, narrow

Male Male Male

Sex Characteristics of the Skull- Activity II Sample Feature A. supraorbital ridge B. occipital protuberance C. mastoid process D. mandible

Male Prominent Prominent Long, broad Square

Female slender slender short V-shaped

Sex Characteristics of the Skull- Activity II Feature A. supraorbital ridge B. occipital protuberance C. mastoid process D. mandible

Observation Prominent Prominent Long, broad Square

Inferences Male Male Male Male

Experiment Table: V Picture

Observations

Inferred Pathology or Trauma

1c

IV Metacarpal has shaft a

Trauma

fracture

2

An oblique fracture to the mid-shaft of the bone

Trauma

B. Write a narrative description of significant findings for each artifact examined at the crime scene for Activities I-III. Based on your visual findings, make inferences regarding the sex and approximate age of the victim. (Communication) Dem Bones case study is written by Alease Bruce of the Department of Health and Clinical Sciences University of Massachusetts at Lowell, explaining the experience of a life time of an anthropologist. Rob Underwood put in a 911 call when his dog suddenly discovered a human femur from the ground. Officer Garret contacted Professor Thomas McCune. Once at the crime scene Professor McCune was led to an uncovered grave exposing half of a pelvic bone. The bones were collected and labeled. Bruce was called in to determine the age and gender of a skeleton that was excavated by a dog in Mr. Underwood’s backyard. The tools and materials needed to complete the case study were laid out in lab tables and the teacher assigned each group a designated letter to specific bones and clues at each table. They would aid in determining the age, sex and traumas/fractures of the victim .We first proceeded to

determine the sex of the victim by utilizing the Sex Characteristics of the Pelvis table labeled Activity I. The table indicated that if the victim had a heart –shaped pelvic inlet, which our victim had, it was a male. Following with a pubic arch less than 90 degrees. We can be sure of our answer since the table indicated that a female has circular shape pelvic inlet and a pubic arch more than 90 degrees, which our victim didn’t have. In addition, to further support our lead, Sex Characteristics of the Skull- Activity II table indicated that squared shaped mandible, long broad mastoid process were characteristics of a male. As well as a prominent supraorbital ridge and occipital protuberance. From our judgement, our victim posed said characteristics. Furthermore, in activity III we proceeded to gather more evidence on our lead by measuring the height of the victim. We looked at the height estimation of the found femur. The length of the femur was 44.5 centimeters. We used a calculation, which determined that the range in height was 64.89 inches to 67.99 inches. We were provided with two formulas one for female and one for male .The formula is (2.32x length of the femur in cm.) + 65.53 +/- 3.94, for male and (2.47x length of the femur in cm.) + 54.10 +/- 3.72, for a female. We inferred our victim was male because the victim’s femur length was closer to that of length of Chris’ femur than that of Lizzi’s. Lizzie measured the length of her femur and the calculation stated her measurements to be 151.68 cm which is 59.7 inches. She’s exactly 62 inches tall; the formula is somewhat accurate just a little off. The formula does not include the factors of disorders damping the results. For example, a person with Scoliosis will have a bent spine which can affect a person’s correct height.

C. Calculations (Quantitative Reasoning) 1. Regression Formula: Write the regression formula you used to determine the height of the victim. Include the formula and then a calculation that includes numbers and units (cm and inches). Define range and provide the range for heights calculated.

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(2.32.x length of the femur in cm.) +65.53 +/- 3.94 The length of femur: 44.5cm. To calculate the estimated height of victim A, you need to plug in the length of the femur in cm to the formula. (2.32x 44.5) +65.53+/-3.94 This equals: 164.83cm to 172.71 cm 1 inch = 2.54cm. Range in inches would be 64.89 inches to 67.99 inches

2. Inferring Your Height from Femur Length a. Explain how you calculated your height from your femur length. Define deviation and show how you determined deviation between your actual height and your calculated height. 

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Calculating the height of Lizzi, we used the female regression formula. We plugged her femur length into the formula and got height range. Deviation means the amount by which a single measurement differs from a fixed value such as the mean. The difference between true height and calculated height Deviation= 17 x 3.5=59.5=151.13 cm Femur = x X x 3.5 17 x 3.5 = 59.5 59.5= 151.13. 2.32x44.5=103.24+65.53=168.77. 168.77+3.94=172.71. 168.77-3.94=164.83 X = 17 b. Explain how you might improve height determination accuracy.

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To improve the height determination we could take off her shoes for a more accurate height. c. Comment on factors other than gender that might influence the formulas used for calculating height based on femur length. Genetic makeup may cause a person to be taller than standard Malnutrition can influence bone growth at a young age Medical Conditions that effect height. There are a number of illnesses that could affect a person’s height, such as Turner Syndrome, Gigantism and Dwarfism. These factors might influence the formulas used for calculating height based on femur length. 3. Compose Your Own Regression

Explain how you determined your own regression formula. 

To compose an own regression, we used the femur length and our height in inches using the meter stick. Doing this we just determined our actual heights

D. Make inferences about trauma, pathology or anomalies regarding your victim based on observations made in Activity V. Include a data table that shows visual observations of each specimen and the pathology, anomaly, or trauma. (Teamwork) In activity V table, the pictures indicate that the victim suffer from a fracture in the IV Metacarpal and an oblique cut to the mid-shaft of the humerus. An oblique fracture is usually caused by an injury to the bone as the result of a fall, accident, or other trauma. The type of injury tens to affect young males from age range from 20-30 who have experience a high energy injury and elderly females of age 60-70 with low-energy injuries.(Wilson,2018). Fractures of the metacarpal shaft are usually the result of direct or indirect trauma, but fatigue fractures can occur in athletes or as occupational injuries due to repetitive stress(Johnson,2002).

IV.

Conclusions (Critical Thinking and Communication) Write a summary of findings and comprehensive summative conclusion that clearly connects the evidence that substantiates your conclusions. Back up all conclusions and inferences you made about the victim with pertinent evidence. Identify any assumptions that you made during the investigation. Account for any discrepancies in your findings. In summary we concluded that the victim had an age range of 30 to 40 years old. From the skull, teeth, broken humerus, and metacarpal we assumed the victim die of an accident. As stated, the pictures indicate that the victim suffered from a fracture in the IV Metacarpal and an oblique cut to the mid-shaft of the humerus. An oblique fracture is usually caused by an injury to the bone as the result of a fall, accident, or

other trauma. The type of injury tens to affect young males from age range from 2030 who have experience a high energy injury. The teeth look like they were broken, or maybe with old age a lot of them began to fall. In addition, Fractures of the metacarpal shaft are usually the result of direct or indirect trauma. The height was determined using the measurement of the femur and was plugged into a formula stated above. This is an adequate estimate of the victim’s height. According to the measure of his femur he had a high range of 164.83 to 172.71 cm. The average height of a 30-year-old man in the U.S. is 178.2 cm (5' 10.2").The height of the victim is very close. . The sex of the victim was determined by multiple determinates. Some of them include using the bones. The pelvic region is able to determine a lot of the sex from its morphologies. As stated above the pelvic inlet shape is heart-shaped and the sacrum size is long and inward as a males usually is. This is just an example of the pelvic region. The age was determined from using the scapula which was not so thin but not as new in nature which is commonly seen in middle age adults.

Works Cited Health, Wilson. "Humerus Fracture: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment." Shoulder-Pain-Explained.com, 2 Nov. 2018, www.shoulder-painexplained.com/humerus-fracture.html. “Linking Policy.” UpToDate, Johnson , 12 Sept. 2002, www.uptodate.com/home/linking-policy?&redirect=true....