Forensic Anthropology

Forensic Anthropology

By: Victoria Leitch & Marissa Kosior

Uses

History/Method

How did it solve crime?

Anthropologists are educated in osteology, which is the study of bones. With this information, they can determine how a person died; through suicide, homicide, accidental, or natural causes.

Using human bones, a forensic anthropologist can establish:

• age
• sex
• height
• type of occupation they worked in
• overall health status at the time of death

Each of these resulting in the identity of the deceased corpse

Anthropology has not been used to solve crimes, however it has been used to make an identification of human skeletal remains.

For Example: Danny Yates

• he was 14 years old when he was abducted
• he was abducted on December 13th, 1970
• found in Corll's boat shed, he was the second to be abducted and murdered by Corll and Brooks. He was lured away from a school rally in Houston Heights.
• he was tortured and strangled
• buried in a common grave in the boat shed

• Thomas Dwight was the Father of Forensic Anthropology.
• Origin: United States

Three time periods:

• Early 1800's-1938 - The Formative Period: Period of research
• 1939-1971 - The Consolidation Period: Period of war skeletons/ disfigured bodies that could not be named
• 1972-present - The Modern Period: Period of Anthropology centers being opened (i.e. Forensic Anthropology Data Bank, SWGANTH)

How did it solve crime? Continued...

Anthropologists identify human remains by asking certain questions such as: Are the bones human? Are the bones modern or ancient? What bones are present?

They then determine sex of the individual by examining the pelvic region. They determine age by examining the amount of cartilage we have in our bones. Also, certain skeletal features can show what race/ancestry the remains came from. Finally they measure the length of the bones that they find to determine height and stature. Anthropologists can also sometimes determine what happened to the person by studying the bones for a chip, crack, or other trauma; from this they can determine if the death was violent.

Works Cited

Evidence

Topic Overview

• http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/history-classics-archaeology/graduate-school/programmes/archaeology/taught-msc-forensic-anthropology
• http://.www.cheshireanthropology.wordpress.com/2013/01/17/historical-background-of-forensic-anthropology/
• http://crime.about.com/od/serial/p/dean_corll.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmer_Wayne_Henley
• en.m.wikipedia.com
• chron.com
• forensicanthropologist.net
• http://www.sfu.museum/forensics/eng/pg_media-media_pg/anthropologie-anthropology/

Processing/Trial/Sentence

Includes:

• confessions from Corll's accomplices
• torture board located in Corll's home
• the torture board had handcuffs attached
• ropes
• a large sex toy (dildo) in Corll's home
• plastic covering the carpeted floor in Corll's home
• a large wooden crate with air-holes cut into it
• the 28 sets of skeletal remains that were recovered

Focuses on:

• identification of human bone materials
• analysis and interpretation of human bone material

• used when bone material is recovered from crime scenes, war graves, and mass disasters

David Brooks and Elmer Henley were tried separately in court.

David Brooks was tried on February 27th, 1975 and was indicted for four murders, however he was only charged with one count of murder and received a life sentence. The trial only took a week and the jury only took 90 minutes to deliberate and find him guilty.

Henley was tried on July 1st, 1974 and was indicted on six murders, and he received six sentences of 99 years each, to be served consecutively (594 years). Henley also shot and killed Corll for attempting to torture him and his girlfriend as he had done to the other boys, but it was ruled as self defense and he was not charged. The jury deliberated for 92 minutes before finding him guilty. His retrial was on June 18th, 1979 and the sentence remained the same after over 2 hours of deliberation.

Crime/Event

The Houston Mass Murders:

Criminals:

• Dean Arnold Corll (December 24, 1939 - August, 1973) (Leader)
• David Brooks
• Elmer Wayne Henley Jr.

What they did:

• lured/ abducted boys between the ages of 13-21
• raped
• tortured
• murdered

How many?

• 28 sets of bones/bodies have been found due to the confessions of these men

Where?

• abducted from Houston Heights in Houston, Texas
• bodies found in 4 places: a rented boat shed, a beach on the bolivar peninsula, a woodland near Lake Sam Rayburn where Corll's family owned a log cabin, and/or a beach in Jefferson County

Each crime took place between 1970-1973