>> THERE ARE 206 BONES IN THE
HUMAN SKELETON.
AND IN DEATH, A PERSON'S BONES
SPEAK VOLUMES ABOUT THEIR LIFE.
>> WE HAVE TO LOOK AT EVERY
SINGLE BONE INDIVIDUALLY.
AND IF WE SEE AN ANOMALY,
WE WILL LOOK AT IT UNDER THE
MICROSCOPE.
SO THE MAXIMUM LENGTH IS 444
MILLIMETERS.
>> AUTHORITIES KNOW VERY LITTLE
ABOUT THIS MAN, INCLUDING WHO HE
WAS OR EVEN HOW HE CAME TO BE IN
WAKE COUNTY.
>> EVERY CASE IS DIFFERENT.
SO IT ALWAYS PROVIDES A UNIQUE
PERSPECTIVE THAT YOU HAVE TO
GAIN FROM LOOKING AT THE
REMAINS.
AND THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING
DIFFERENT ABOUT THEM.
>> 95 MILLIMETERS.
>> AUTHORITIES ALSO DON'T KNOW
WHO KILLED HIM, ONLY THAT HE
DIED VIOLENTLY.
>> IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE THREE
ENTRANCE GUNSHOT WOUNDS HERE.
AND THIS IS -- LOOKS LIKE A
KEYHOLE, SO THE DIRECTION WOULD
HAVE BEEN FROM SUPERIOR TO
INFERIOR WITH THE BULLET
TRAJECTORY GOING THIS WAY.
>> BUT FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY
COULD BE CALLED THE SCIENCE OF
TALKING BONES.
SO LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES
FROM COMMUNITIES ACROSS NORTH
CAROLINA TURN TO THE FORENSIC
ANTHROPOLOGY LAB AT NORTH
CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY FOR
HELP.
THEY WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE
REMAINS OF CRIME VICTIMS ARE
SAYING.
>> THEY CAN TELL YOU A LOT ABOUT
THE PERSON, ABOUT HOW THEY
LIVED, ABOUT -- UM, EVERYTHING
THAT WE DO DURING OUR LIFE
ACTUALLY LEAVES A MARK ON OUR
BONE.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, WE CAN TELL IF
SOMEBODY, UM, HAD LARGE MUSCLE
ATTACHMENT SITES, SO YOU KNOW
THEY WERE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE AND
WERE ROBUST OR RUGOSE, MEANING
HEAVILY MUSCLE MARKED.
>> 126.
>> THE SCIENTISTS GIVE A VOICE
TO UNIDENTIFIED REMAINS IN MORE
THAN A DOZEN COLD CASES EVERY
YEAR.
>> THEY CAN TALK ABOUT THE
DISEASES A PERSON MAY HAVE HAD
IN LIFE.
THEY CAN TALK ABOUT, UM, LIKE,
IN SORT OF SPINA BIFIDA, WHAT
KIND OF PRENATAL ENVIRONMENT
THEY MAY HAVE HAD, WHAT KIND OF
CHILDHOOD THEY MAY HAVE HAD, YOU
KNOW, IF IT AFFECTED THEIR
STATURE, IF IT AFFECTED THEIR
DENTITION, THEIR DIET, THEIR --
SOMETIMES EVEN THEIR CLIMATE,
THEIR -- WHATEVER THEY'RE
ACCLIMATIZED IN TERMS OF
ALTITUDE.
ALL OF THESE THINGS CAN BE
READILY SEEN AND INTERPRETED
SOMETIMES.
>> TO FIND OUT WHERE THIS VICTIM
WAS FROM, AS WELL AS THE SEX,
ROSS TOOK ALMOST THREE DOZEN
MEASUREMENTS OF THE SKULL.
THE INFORMATION WAS ENTERED INTO
A DATABASE CALLED 3D-ID.
DR. ROSS HELPED DEVELOP IT.
THE PROGRAM COMPARES THE
FEATURES OF THE CRANIUM WITH
THOSE TAKEN FROM PEOPLE AROUND
THE WORLD.
>> WE WERE ABLE TO ESTABLISH
THAT HE WAS A HISPANIC MALE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LOOKED
AT WAS THE SHAPE OF THE FACE,
THE SHAPE OF THE NOSE.
WE DIGITIZED HIM AND TOOK
MEASUREMENTS OFF OF HIS SKULL.
HIS MEASUREMENTS ALLOCATED OR
CLASSIFIED INTO SOUTH AMERICAN.
>> THE PELVIC BONES ALSO
INDICATED THE VICTIM WAS A MALE.
THE FEMUR CAN TELL A PERSON'S
HEIGHT.
IN THIS CASE, ABOUT 5'5" TALL.
THAT CORRELATES WITH THE
POPULATION OF CHILE.
MISSING TEETH INDICATE POOR
NUTRITION.
AN EXAMINATION OF THE CHEMICAL
COMPOSITION OF THE BONES
REFLECTS THE DRINKING WATER
WHERE THE MAN LIVED.
AND SINCE NONE OF THE CHEMICAL
SIGNATURES IN THE BONES ARE
FOUND IN THE WATER IN NORTH
CAROLINA OR ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE
UNITED STATES, IT IS LIKELY THE
MAN MOVED TO THE STATE LESS THAN
FIVE YEARS BEFORE HE DIED.
DNA IS ALSO EXTRACTED FROM THE
BONES, WHEN POSSIBLE, TO ADD TO
THE PROFILE.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE
LOOK AT, HE HAS A SLIGHT SPINA
BIFIDA OCCULTA, WHICH YOU CAN
ASSESS THAT HE HAD PROBABLY POOR
NATAL HEALTH IN, UM -- DURING
LIFE.
AND THAT IS A LOT OF POPULATIONS
THAT DON'T USE FOLIC ACID,
RIGHT?
AND WE INCLUDE THAT IN ALL OF
OUR FOODS NOW.
WE HAVE THEM IN CEREALS, IN
PASTA, PRENATAL VITAMINS.
SO A LOT OF THESE POPULATIONS,
YOU WOULD GET THOSE KINDS OF
ANOMALIES.
>> THE FOCUS IS AS SERIOUS AS
MURDER, BUT THE REMAINS ARE
NEVER TREATED AS JUST A CASE
NUMBER.
>> IT'S IMPORTANT TO STAY
GROUNDED AND REMEMBER THAT THEY
WERE A PERSON LIKE YOU AND ME.
YOU KNOW, WHAT'S TO MAKE THAT
SITUATION DIFFERENT?
SO YOU HAVE TO KEEP THAT LEVEL
OF RESPECT, I THINK.
>> BECAUSE THESE BONES BELONGED
TO AN INDIVIDUAL, AND I THINK
ABOUT HOW I WOULD WANT MY
REMAINS TREATED IF IT WAS IN
MY -- IF I WAS ON THAT TABLE
INSTEAD.
AND I WOULD HOPE THAT IT WOULD
BE IN THE SAME WAY THAT I WOULD
TREAT ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL'S
REMAINS.
>> IT IS CHALLENGING WORK.
SOME PEOPLE MIGHT EVEN CALL IT
GRUESOME.
THERE ARE INSTRUMENTS IN THE LAB
TO DEAL WITH HUMAN REMAINS THAT
AREN'T FULLY SKELETONIZED.
BUT JUST AS EVERY PERSON IS
UNIQUE, EACH CASE IS UNIQUE AS
WELL.
>> THEY'RE ALL VERY DIFFERENT,
AND YOU HAVE TO HAVE VERY FRESH
EYES WHENEVER YOU START A NEW
CASE, BECAUSE YOU'RE LOOKING FOR
SOMETHING THAT, A LOT OF TIMES,
THAT YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ON ANOTHER
SKELETON BEFORE OR THAT YOU AT
LEAST HAVEN'T COME ACROSS VERY
FREQUENTLY.
AND YOU HAVE TO BE CAUTIOUS,
BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO BE OPEN.
>> THE GOAL IS TO USE SCIENCE TO
BRING RESOLUTION TO SOMEONE WHO
HAS NO VOICE.
THE INFORMATION GATHERED FROM
THE BONES WILL BE PASSED ON TO
AUTHORITIES IN HOPES IT WILL
HELP IDENTIFY THE VICTIM AND
SOLVE THE MURDER.
>> YOU WONDER WHAT MADE YOU GET
TO THE POINT THAT YOU COULD
ACTUALLY DO SUCH A HORRIFIC
THING TO A PERSON.
THE WORST CASES FOR ME ARE THE
CASES THAT INVOLVE CHILDREN.
UM, SO PEOPLE DOING HORRIBLE
THINGS TO CHILDREN, YOU KNOW,
BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T NECESSARILY
PUT THEMSELVES IN A SITUATION
THAT THEY FOUND THEMSELVES TO BE
IN AS WHEREAS A GROWN-UP,
SOMETIMES, HEY, WE MAKE SOME BAD
CHOICES.
BUT WITH A CHILD, THEY DIDN'T
HAVE A CHOICE, AND THOSE ARE --
I LOSE SLEEP OVER THOSE CASES.
