A "Museum Murder Mystery" forensic science program
  

Fingerprinting

With the widespread popularity of TV shows like “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and “NCIS,” forensic science has become the favorite scientific topic among general audiences. Forensic science involves the investigation of criminal activities relying on “clues” gathered by specialists at the scene. Often, crime scenes require specialists known as forensic anthropologists to assist the medical and legal consultants in identifying known or suspected human remains.

The National Museum of Health and Medicine hosted a two-part forensic program entitled, “A Museum Murder Mystery,” on Saturday, October 29, 2005. The goal of the program was to identify a “murderer,” responsible for committing a crime inside the museum.

Participants analyzed handwriting samples to determine the perpetrator of a crime.

Participants spent the morning session of the program in a brief introduction to the science of forensic anthropology, after which they examined objects on display in the “Human Body, Human Being” exhibit, where they learned to identify a person based on skeletal remains.

The afternoon featured Dr. Lenore Barbian, the museum’s anatomical collections curator and forensic anthropologist, as she prepared participants for the “murder mystery.” They began by reviewing the “crime scene” and then broke into teams to visit seven lab stations where they conducted experiments to analyze the evidence that eventually led them to the identity of the “murderer.” The stations allowed participants to practice the skills that forensic anthropologists use to identify human remains such as fingerprinting, DNA testing, handwriting analysis and identifying signs of trauma and unknown substances.

Participants also tested an "unknown substance" that was found at the crime scene.

The science of forensic anthropology includes archeological excavation; determination of elapsed time since death; facial reproduction; photographic superimposition; detection of anatomical variants; identification from skeletal characteristics; and analysis of past injury and medical treatment.

The analytic skills of an anthropologist may be used for identification in any situation where human remains require identification. These can include mass disasters, such as transportation accidents, natural disasters, wars or military actions, floods that remove coffins from cemeteries, and accidents involving unknown individuals