Mystery of the Bones - Step 2

The Scene

In a quiet camping area known as Crystal Lake, four complete human skeletons were found in the mud when the lake began to dry during a drought. Detectives checked the missing person's reports for people in the area and found that five people had disappeared from that area over the last 10 years.

Oddly, the skeletons were almost completely intact due to being somewhat preserved in the clay at the bottom of the lake.

~ Author's Note: These are ficticious characters in a ficticious crime scene

Crystal Lake

Photos of Remains Found There


Missing Persons
Evidence Files
Name: Sara Munchausen
Age: 21
Height: 5'0
Weight: 105 lbs

Bones Set 1

Bones Set 2

Bones Set 3

Bones Set 4

Instructions

1. Each team member should pick a bone set and reconstruct the skeleton using glue, scissors and tape.

2. Each bone of the skeleton should be labeled

3. Next you will need to determine the identity of the bones based on age and height

a. Determine the gender of your subject by looking at the shapes of specific bones

b. Use the following formula to determine the height of your subject

Your "paper" skeleton is not a real skeleton. Assume that 1cm on your paper skeleton = 8.6 cm on the real skeleton
Male (real) (2.32 x length of the femur in cm.) +65.53 ± 3.94
Female (real) (2.47 x length of the femur in cm.) + 54.10 ± 3.72

Feet to Cm height conversion

4. On your reconstructed skeleton, include information about the gender and height of the skeleton and point out your reasoning for your claims (include formulas or arrows to bones, etc)
Name: Jamie Matthews
Age: 18
Height: 6'2
Weight: 190 lbs
Name: Neil Baxter
Age: 22
Height: 6'1
Weight: 210 lbs
Name: Robert Downey
Age: 45
Height: 5'7
Weight: 190 lbs
Name: Eva Longori
Age: 55
Height: 5'8
Weight: 140 lbs

Step 4 - Determining Age