If you believe popular TV dramas such as NCIS or CSI, medical examiners are quick to determine cause of death in murder cases. Can they really tell what happened to the victim based on where a body is found, how long it has been there, or even by marks on the bones? Yes, according to forensic anthropologists: Skeletal remains are the key to identifying a unique individual and understanding the cause of their death.

To learn how to use this knowledge, professionals rely on the Forensic Anthropology Center at the University of Tennessee. It is here that donated bodies decompose under every imaginable circumstance: left in the open air, woods, shallow graves, submerged in water, locked in the trunks of cars, and concealed beneath concrete. The purpose is to allow scientists to better determine the circumstances of how and when murder victims were killed. The database created from this research is an invaluable tool for law enforcement officials.

Dawnie Wolfe Steadman, director of the center, shares how forensic anthropologists study these bodies and what their findings mean in areas from criminal cases to international human rights investigations.

9:30 to 10:45 a.m.  Identifying Human Skeletal Remains

Human remains may be burnt, fragmented, incomplete, or otherwise not visually identifiable. Forensic anthropologists use a variety of methods to estimate skeletal age, sex, and stature, and also examine pathologies that can lead to identification.

11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.  A Laboratory for Human Decomposition

Determining the time elapsed between death and the discovery of a body can help limit the number of missing persons to consider, or exclude suspects in a case. It is also one of the most difficult tasks faced by the forensic anthropologist, because of the large number of variables involved in decomposition. The Forensic Anthropology Center’s work in this area is discussed.

12:15 to 1:15 p.m.  Lunch (participants provide their own)

1:15 to 2:30 p.m.  Trauma Analysis: Guns, Baseball Bats, and Sharp Instruments

Most of the cases forensic anthropologists receive are victims of violence. Their task becomes interpreting its specifics and source. Trauma to bone, such as fractures caused by blows or sharp instruments and projectiles such as bullets can tell much about the attack and the perpetrator.

2:45 to 4 p.m.  Mass Disasters and Human Rights Investigations

Deaths from mass fatalities such as earthquakes, floods, transportation accidents, and terrorist attacks often result in the fragmentation of human remains, which complicate the identification process. Recent mass disasters in the United States, as well as atrocities in Europe and Africa, provide illustrations of how forensic anthropologists confront situations that require them to identify large numbers of victims—and how their work contributes to international human rights efforts.

Forensic anthropologists also serve as detectives for history’s cold cases. Doug Owsley of the Smithsonian’s Forensic Anthropology Lab (which closed in July 2013) discusses the role these investigators played in the exhibition Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th-Century Chesapeake at the Natural History Museum. Explore the online version of the exhibition here.

FREE Webcast Recording: Forensic Anthropology with Kari Bruwelheidi
For Smithsonian forensic anthropologist and “Museum CSI” Kari Bruwelheide, every bone tells a story – sometimes a grisly one. Learn how she examines human skeletal evidence for clues to solve mysteries old and new, including whether the Jamestown settlers practiced “survival cannibalism.” Watch now>>