Liliana Jaramillo

English 111.353
Mrs. Brittany Cowan
24 October 2014
Forensic Anthropology
Have you heard about the Hannah Graham case? She has been missing since September
13, 2014. Seen at a Tempo restaurant and bar, witnesses say they saw her leaving Tempo but
with a man name, Jesse L. LJ Matthew (Washington Post). Police officers believe that
Matthews are responsible for Grahams disappearances. Officers went to arrest Matthews and
search his house to find any evidence that would help to find Hannah Graham. While officers
were searching Matthews house, other officers were searching for Graham. Family members still
believe that their Hannah Graham was still alive, but officers found remains in southern
Albemarle County, along Old Lynchburg Road (Stewart; Rogers). Officers sent the remains to
the Medical Examiners Office in Richmond (Rogers). Those remains were found on October 18,
2014. On October 24, the Medical Examiners officers, also know as a Forensic Anthropology,
confirmed that the remains was Hannah Graham (Washington Post). Right now officers are
connecting two other cases to Hannah Graham. Having the help of the Forensic Anthropology
will help officers to find out the real murderer of Hannah Graham, Alexis Murphy, and Morgan
Harrington (Wise; Copley). Officers say Matthew is responsible for these three girls deaths. If it
wasnt for Anthropology, Hannah Graham remains will not be identified.
People wonder, what is Forensic Anthropology? When they hear Anthropology, people
think it is a person that studies old bones, like dinosaur bones. Forensic Anthropology or
Anthropologist are experts in analyzing human remains and for this reason are integral to a

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number of different types of forensic investigations (Forensic Anthropologist). Sometimes
forensic anthropologists are called on after mass disasters for earthquakes and tsunamis to
identify human remains. They are also used for crime scenes to help recover evidence (Forensic
Anthropologist).
In order for forensic anthropologist to solve a case, they need humans first. Once they
have one, they need to identify whether the remains of the victim are either male or female. A
way for they to identify the victim is the female has one extra rib than the male. Anthropologists
use their knowledge of human osteology and anatomy to help medical examiners to identify the
time of death and what occurred after death. To identify these is for the time of death to see if
was there foul play. For what occurred after death, Anthropologists will find any animal near by
the victim to see if it did not chew up any evidences (Walsh-Haney). With that information that
the anthropologists have, it could help them on how the victim dead. That information will then
go to the FBI, CIA or the people that is taking care of the victims case.
There is not an exact date when Forensic Anthropology began. But Forensic
Anthropology at the Smithsonian Institution began in 1903 with Ales Hrdicka. Hrdicka is the
Smithsonians first physical anthropologist. Now at the Smithsonian, forensic anthropologists
continue to train the next generation of researchers while serving in the FBI, State Department,
and the national law enforcement (Written in Bone).
In order to be a forensic anthropologist, of course the person has to take. The first step on
being one is to earn a bachelors degree in anthropology. Undergraduates focus on classes in a
wide variety of areas such as archaeology, cultural and physical anthropology, and science
classes such as genetics, anatomy, and chemistry. Mastering osteology, ethnobotany, and
dentition is important for someone who wishes to be successful in this career. If someone wants

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to be on the field, the person must have a masters degree or Ph. D. in forensic anthropology
(Written in Bone).
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projected a 19 percent growth in employment
for anthropologists and archaeologists from 2012 to 2022. The average salary for anthropologist
and archaeologists is $61,420 in May 2013, which was according to the BLS. The bottom ten
percent earns about $34.320 a year and the top ten percent earns about $92,730 per year
(Education Portal).
Two main categories for forensic anthropologist are academic and applied. Those
employed by colleges and universities are considered academic forensic anthropologists. These
individuals teach classes, and perform individual research projects. The applied forensic
anthropologists are the ones that are involved visiting crime scenes and working directly with
human remains to gather information about how the victim died (Forensic Anthropologist).
People see show like CIS, Castle, and Bones because those shows have some romance,
but viewers do not really see how forensic anthropologists solve murders It is not about how they
make jokes and play around. It is about how they bring the killer to justice. It will take time on
finding out how the victim died or how the killer got rid of the evidence but the killer, he could
of left a clue, a clue that always but not all the time, to capture him. If it wasnt for forensic
anthropologists that identified the remains as Hannah Graham right now there would be signs of
her or officers looking for her. It could be a gross job to do in this whole world but it is helping
people to find justice for their love one; forensic anthropologists keep the world safe from
dangerous people.

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Works Cited
Stewart, Khiree "Breakdown of the Hannah Graham Case and What's Next for Jesse Matthew."
WHSV RSS. 25 Oct. 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.whsv.com/home/headlines/Breakdown-of-the-Hannah-Graham-Case-andWhats-Next-for-Jesse-Matthew-280434832.html>
Wise, Scott "FBI, Virginia State Police Investigated Possible Link between Alexis Murphy and
Hannah Graham." WTVR. 24 Sept. 2014. Web. 25 Oct. 2014.
<http://wtvr.com/2014/09/24/alexis-murphy-hannah-graham-connection/>.
"Forensic Anthropologist." Forensic Anthropologist. N.p. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.forensicanthropologist.net/>.
"Forensic Anthropology at the Smithsonian." Written in Bone -. Smithsonian Institution, 1 Jan.
2014. Web. 25 Oct. 2014.
<http://anthropology.si.edu/writteninbone/forensic_anthro_smithsonian.html>.
"Forensic Anthropologist: Job Description, Outlook and Salary." Education Portal. Education
Portal. Web. 25 Oct. 2014. <http://educationportal.com/articles/Forensic_Anthropologist_Job_Description_Outlook_and_Salary.html
>:
Rogers, Catherine "Remains Identified as Hannah Graham." WAVYTV. 24 Oct. 2014. Web. 26
Oct. 2014. <http://wavy.com/2014/10/24/remains-identified-as-hannah-graham/>.
Walsh-Haney, Heather "Skeleton Keys: How Forensic Anthropologists Identify Victims and
Solve Crimes." Science Careers. 7 June 2002. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.

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<http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2002_06
_07/nodoi.14943605155048245125>.
"Timeline: The Search for Hannah Graham." Washington Post. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
<http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/local/timeline-the-search-for-hannahgraham/1332/>.
"What Is Anthropology?" What Is Anthropology? American Anthropological Association, 1 Jan.
2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2014. <http://www.aaanet.org/about/whatisanthropology.cfm>.
Copley, Darragh "What New Charges Will Jesse Matthew Face?" WTKRcom. 27 Oct. 2014.
Web. 28 Oct. 2014. <http://wtkr.com/2014/10/27/what-new-charges-will-jesse-matthewface/>.