Part 5: Crime Scene Investigation (C.S.I.) !

So here's a short recap on the items that the doctors have been presented with thus far:

-   Skull and jaw of an adult bearing five teeth

-   Fragments of a jaw with three molars

-   Jaw of a child with teeth still erupting

Okay, so here's the deal. We have to solve this crime as promised, by dinnertime. What would the modern day Sherlock Holmes do? 

  

First off, we have to ask ourselves the most basic questions when solving a crime. This would include the "who?", "when?", "where?" and "how?"

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WHO?

WHO ARE THE VICTIM(s)?
WHO ARE THE MURDERER(s)?

As of now, we cannot determine the exact profile of the murderer or the victim. But we can certainly narrow down our search by trying to determine the:

---->   Gender

The clues for the gender of the victims can be found from their osteological traits on the pelvis and the cranium. Features such as the shape of the supraorbital ridge, incisors, mental protuberance, and mastoid process, among other cranial features are fundamental to the identification of ancestry and gender for the skeletal remains. The pelvis may play a role in the differentiation between male and female by looking at features such as the pubic symphysis or the ishchio-pubic index. 

Anthropologist: A person who specializes in the scientific study of the origin, the behavior and the physical, social and cultural development of humans. 

Well, since we have already discussed about the ways to differentiate the skull of a female from a male and vice versa in Part 2: Not so legendary legend, we shall not waste any more time and get on with the rest of our investigation!

Feel free to read the previous posts for more details. 

http://killme29.blogspot.com/2012/10/part-2-not-so-legendary-legend.html

---->   Age 

If the victim is younger than 25 years old, it will be easier to determine the victim's age by observing at teeth. However, after the age of about 40, the sutures in the skull start to close at a fairly steady rate. The forensic expert can narrow down the victim's age by examining the skull for arthritis, arterial degeneration and more.

We can also observe the victims' antemortem to determine their age, and if you wonder, "WHY do we have to observe the teeth but not other parts of the body?", here are the reasons:

• They are the part of the body that lasts longest after death
• False teeth and other repairs such as fillings are very resistant to degredation
• Each set of teeth is essentially unique
• X-rays can reveal even more information on the structure of the teeth and jaws.    

Fun fact: Did you know that dental records are responsible for 93% of identification from remains?


---->   Race

If skin color is not an option, - as skin has decomposed leaving only skeleton and bone fragments - deductions can be made based on skull measurements or dentition.

It has generally been assumed that tooth size variation has a strong genetic component. Variation in the dentition appears to result from an interplay between a number of genes, each with small effects, and environment factors operating during development - so-called polygenic or multifactorial inheritance.

For example, Australian Aborigines and Melanesians (Nasioi) tend to have large teeth, as do some South American Indian tribes (Lengua). In contrast, Filipinos, Indians, and Yemenites have small teeth, while values for Australian White and Taiwan Aborigines are generally intermediate in magnitude.

Racial differences in accordance to skull.

---->   Missing person's list

Once a murder happens, the police will automatically refer to the missing persons' list to help narrow down the search of the victim by using whatever information that they are able to get their hands on. For instance, the police can take into account of their gender (which has been mentioned above) and whatever findings that they get which may eventually lead them to identify the victim.

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HOW?

HOW DID THE MURDER HAPPEN?

Death is usually caused by one of three ways:

-   Coma         [failure of brain] 

-   Syncope      [failure of heart] 

-   Asphyxia     [failure of lungs]  

Here are some possible causes to aid our investigation from the little evidence we have!
Syncope and asphyxia leave little evidences to bone so it is not so useful in our case. That leaves us with

---->   Coma !

Usually caused by one of four ways:

• Compression of the brain due to a depressed fracture to the skull. In homicide, this is usually caused by a direct head injury by bludgeoning by a blunt implement.

• Bludgeoning with a blunt instrument.

• Fatal blow to the head. Even then, sometimes we needs a hail of blows to kill, and the assailant will get very bloody. Death is usually caused from skull fracture pushing fragments of bone into the brain, or internal bleeding between the skull and the dura - the membrane covering the brain. By analyzing the skull fragments, the exact appearance of the injury can usually aid to determine what the weapon was.

• Gunshot wounds.

Bullets can penetrate the skin and bone as well with its high velocity. Fortunately for us, they leave a very unique mark.

Where on the body the injury occurred: A shot to the side of the head, in the mouth, or to the front of the chest is usually suicide. Wounds located anywhere else are most likely homicide.

Fun fact: Did you know most suicide shots are angled slightly upwards?                                                                                           
Number of shots fired: After one shot, even if a suicide victim isn't dead, he would likely be unconscious or physically unable to fire a second time. Multiple shots usually indicate homicide.

History, a note, other factors: If the victim left a suicide note, or was known to have personal problems, or if there was evidence of drug use or drinking, suicide is likely.

       

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WHEN?

WHEN DID THE MURDER HAPPEN?

So, assuming this body is not found and untouched, insects arrive to the scene very quickly as they are really sensitive to the smell of decomposition. Flies will lay eggs in skin openings and in entrances to the body; in the  nose, ears and mouth. Maggots will hatch and start eating the decomposing flesh.

Period (days)	Event
4-10	·  Gases with terrible smell are released. ·    Gases inflate the remaining intact tissues, causing them to release      any stored liquid. ·     Stinking liquid attracts more insects. ·     Skin shows cottage cheese like appearance. ·     Liquid leaks out into the soil and attracts even more insects. ·     A body can fell warm to the touch at this point due to all of the      insect activity
10-20	·      Exposed parts that haven’t yet been consumed start to turn black.
20-50	·     The body begins to dry out as insects consume all of the remaining       flesh. ·     Maggots can no longer feed on the dry body because they can’t     chew through the tough tissue. ·      Beatles take over. ·      It chews through the remaining tendons and ligaments, until all     that is left is bone and hair.
50-365	·      Moths and bacteria consume the hair. ·     All that is left is bone; it can last indefinitely as long as there are     no predators around.

Table 1: Events following death in accordance of days.

This whole process can be hastened or slowed depending upon what happens to the body after death. Bodies last longer in cold and dry environments and are consumed quicker in the heat. Contrary to what you might think, a body lasts longer in the water, than in open air and much longer in the ground than in either of the previous two. 

Maggots in action! *wiggle wiggle*

Embalming can preserve a body, so that it remains recognisable several months after death, but within a year, bones and teeth are usually all that is left. We are not sure what kinds of coffins are available,but they may, in addition to embalming slow the decomposition process even more. Depending upon the type of soil that they body is buried in; the bones can last for decades. If the soil is peatier, the bones will decompose much more quickly.

The process of embalming.

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WHERE?

WHERE DID THE MURDER HAPPEN?

If you are a big fan of the U.S. drama series, C.S.I: Crime Scene Investigation, we are sure that you would have heard of primary and secondary crime scenes. BUT, if you have not, fret not, because we, the investigators will explain it to you!

CSI team: DT112. 

There is a saying that goes like this 'what you see is not always as it seems'. From this scenario, there may be more to a crime scene than first meets the eye. In fact, more than one crime scene may exist, depending upon how the crime was committed — not to mention where.

Life is not always as it seems.

Before we start, we need to know what is a:

-   Primary crime scene      :- 

    Where a crime actually occurred; the first scene in which the person is murdered. 

-   Secondary crime scene   :- 

    Where evidences related to the crime can be found but is not where the actual crime 

    took place. 

    [This place is perhaps the place where the victim has been placed by the murderer to 

    confuse the police and investigators.]

In this case, the spot where the skulls of the victims are found may or may NOT be the primary crime scene. So, how can we differentiate whether they are primary or secondary crime scenes?

Here are the comparisons between primary scenes and secondary scenes. 

PRIMARY Crime Scene        : Typically yield more usable evidence. 

SECONDARY Crime Scene : Where the body was dumped. 

In secondary crime scene, the investigators will have to use evidence(s) they find at the secondary scenes to help them identify the murderer or locate the primary scene. We can narrow down the focus of the investigation and lead police to the primary crime scene and the perpetrator by doing this.

Other than that, the investigators can also search around the neighborhood or surrounding areas for missing person's list or any suspicious behavior reported few months ago. 

Now, perhaps, you'll get a better understanding of how we would go about investigating further, all these while putting ourselves into Dr Rudi's or Dr Suria's shoes. Solving crimes takes up a lot of time and effort! Phew! We hope you had as much fun reading this as much as we had while researching and presenting our findings to you. Until then, keep your eyes open for our future posts as we continue to solve crimes before dinnertime!

THE END