Mesa Legend - News - CSI: MCC forensics class ‘digs in’

CSI: MCC forensics class ‘digs in’
Emma Quinones
Mesa Legend
MCC students had the opportunity to investigate a mock crime scene outside the Cultural Science Building on Sept. 15.

With caution tape, shoes and flags marking the area, the scene was reminiscent of a crime scene television show.

The crime scene setup included a skull, though there were two individuals who were victims.

The outdoor class had a setup closely resembling a real crime scene: under the skull was a shirt, and on the sleeves of the shirt was an arm bone and the finger bones. For the other individual, shoes and pants were found with no bones.

The course provides an introduction to the role played by forensic anthropologists, from the recovery scene to the courtroom testimony. Forensic Anthropology is the examination of skeletal remains to identify or provide a life history of an individual.
According to students, half of the class had to take the course for a law justice degree. Only one person in the class is interested in the actual field of forensic anthropology.

Hope Shestokes is majoring in criminal law. Shestokes said that she is taking this course because she finds it fascinating. “There is a lot to remember, especially terms, but is good because you get to be organized in a process of something,” noted Shestokes.

The topics of legal importance for a forensic anthropologist include homicide, suicide or any situation where there was sudden or unexpected death.

Amber Anderson, is in her second year of studying Forensic Anthropology, says she has always watched the Cold Case files on television. She also thinks that there is a certain personality to become a good forensic anthropologist.

“You have to be a hands on hand person, and also naturally inquisitive,” explained Anderson. Anderson, who plans on a career in forensics, explained that her curiosity motivates her to pursue this field.

Students in the crime scene were instructed to conduct the investigation as if they were really at a true crime scene. Locating the crime scene, placing the tape around the crime scene, placing flags where important evidence found, recreating the scene in a map to know exactly where everything in the crime scene is and bagging the evidence were all part of their study.

After these steps, the anthropologist is examines the evidence and identifies trauma to the body. But the major work of the anthropologist is recovering skeleton remains in figuring out key information: determining age, sex, ethnicity, and depending on the trauma of the bones, determining what really happened to the person.

Annalisa Alvrus, a faculty member and a forensic anthropologist explains why forensic anthropologist are important. “Doctors don’t have the experience we do, they don’t or rarely get a chance to look at dry bones”.

Alvrus explained how forensic investigation. According to Alvrus, there is a lot of history in the skeletal remains for example, by the structure of a skull one can determine the sex of the person. Looking at the structure of the bones of the arms and legs, an anthropologist can determine if the person was very active physically.
Alvrus also said that when a student gets a degree in forensic anthropology, they are able to look at real bones and get the true experience needed to master the field. Forensic anthropologists usually go into teaching careers.