From left, Prescilla Benavides, UA sociology, criminology and law enforcement sophomore; Joe Spinhirny, KSU archaeology senior; Kevin Ayers, KSU, archaeology senior; Meghan Person, UA physical anthropology senior; and Emily Brahler, recent KSU anthropology graduate unravel a mock crime in forensic archaeology field school. | Photo by Lauren Collins
In shallow graves, the decomposing bodies of crime victims tell a story, which forensic archaeology field school students from The University of Akron and Kent State University hope to piece together.
“We’ll clean the bones and look for whatever trauma has been inflicted on these victims,” says archaeologist Linda Whitman. Whitman is referring to the remains of pig carcasses purchased months ago from a local butcher and buried with clues in a wooded area in Bath staged as a mock crime scene.
Whitman’s summer course, which she teaches with Kent State University biomedical scientist/biological anthropologist Linda Spurlock, gives student practical experience in fieldwork and an introduction to forensic anthropology. The students practice techniques used by archaeologists and crime scene investigators to examine the site and body remains.
Trowels in hand, the students skim away scant layers of dirt at clandestine burial pits. They look for clues, preserve evidence and take detailed notes as they investigate. Once they fully uncover the remains, the students will take them to the UA archaeology lab to look for evidence the bones reveal about the manner and cause of death.
“Usually, archaeology takes place in the field and then in the lab to examine found objects,” says Brian Cornwell, a UA interdisciplinary anthropology senior. “The hands-on, applied experience sparks my interest.”
Spurlock points out how such experiential learning mimics real-world work conducted by biological anthropologists. These scientists play a significant role in crime scene investigations for which they are called upon to study skeletonized human remains to reveal details such as a victim’s age, gender, stature and cause of death.
UA anthropology senior Paige Dobbins says, “It’s really neat to get out to the field after a semester of studying the human body life cycle. It reinforces what I know.”
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Media contact: Denise Henry, 330-972-6477 or henryd@uakron.edu.
University of Akron anthropology students Victoria Brownfield (left) and Maeve Marino excavate mock crime scene burial pit. | Photo by Lauren Collins