Ronald B. Coleman, Jr.
Description of Crime
At approximately 11:15 p.m. last night, the New Haven Police were called to investigate a crime scene outside the playground of Roberto Clemente Leadership Academy. Upon arriving at the scene, the police investigators noticed two separate piles. The first pile contained an assortment of burned clothing—everything from hats to sneakers, to sweatpants, to what looked like a leather jacket. The other pile contained a variety of bones. The bones were all different shapes and sizes. For hours, the police search the neighborhood for clues and witnesses. To their dismay, the only person who provided any information was the old man walking his dog who called 911 in the first place. There are no witnesses. Without witnesses or an intact body, there were no suspects.
Student Directions
At this time, there are no suspects connected to the crime scene. Missing person reports take 24 hours to file, so a potential list of victims will not be available until after 11:15 p.m. tonight. The police need you help. Please use what you know about the femur and foot bone lengths to help the police figure out the possible ages and heights of the victims.
Teacher Instructions
Split the class into groups of three or four students. Provide each group with a box or bag of bone cut outs. There should be at least one femur bone or one intact foot for every victim to give students enough information to determine the number of victims, approximate height of each victim. Students can be creative with the ages and individual characteristics of each victim. The purpose of the activity is not for students to necessarily solve the crime, but for them to use what they know about foot length and femur length and height to create a profile for the victims. The number of victims, actual bone sizes, and items found at the crime scene is at the discretion of the teacher's creativity.
