Beyond the Findings: An Anthropological Approach to Solving Crimes
Disciplines
Other Anthropology
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Most people may be unaware of what an Anthropologist does. Unfortunately, the answer to that question is not that simple. There are several types of Anthropologists and they each work to accomplish different goals. For example, a Forensic Anthropologist can use their ability of analyzing human remains to help assist law enforcement. They are an important piece of a giant puzzle when it comes to criminal investigations. The overall purpose of this research is to discover what main areas anthropologists contribute to in criminal cases. This study will help determine the many ways an Anthropologists work can impact a case. This project will explore just how much law enforcement officials depend on Anthropologists during the criminal investigation process. The data will be collected by researching over twenty separate homicide cases. They will be chosen from different true crime documentaries. I will take notes on the anthropological findings that were mentioned in the films. As well as taking the opportunity to go beyond the documentaries, and discover more information that was not originally mentioned. This will involve going into the deep web to find the missing information, and the anthropologists published reports. The results will include the different ways anthropological findings can influence the speed and overall decision making of a case. Whether the findings were absolutely needed in order to continue on with the investigation? If any of the Anthropologists had changed their original statements, and how that affected the case overall. Also, what seemed to be the most common evidence that was discovered?
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - Geography & Anthropology
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Alice Gooding
Beyond the Findings: An Anthropological Approach to Solving Crimes
Most people may be unaware of what an Anthropologist does. Unfortunately, the answer to that question is not that simple. There are several types of Anthropologists and they each work to accomplish different goals. For example, a Forensic Anthropologist can use their ability of analyzing human remains to help assist law enforcement. They are an important piece of a giant puzzle when it comes to criminal investigations. The overall purpose of this research is to discover what main areas anthropologists contribute to in criminal cases. This study will help determine the many ways an Anthropologists work can impact a case. This project will explore just how much law enforcement officials depend on Anthropologists during the criminal investigation process. The data will be collected by researching over twenty separate homicide cases. They will be chosen from different true crime documentaries. I will take notes on the anthropological findings that were mentioned in the films. As well as taking the opportunity to go beyond the documentaries, and discover more information that was not originally mentioned. This will involve going into the deep web to find the missing information, and the anthropologists published reports. The results will include the different ways anthropological findings can influence the speed and overall decision making of a case. Whether the findings were absolutely needed in order to continue on with the investigation? If any of the Anthropologists had changed their original statements, and how that affected the case overall. Also, what seemed to be the most common evidence that was discovered?