The Smithsonian Bone Sleuths
What do the human bones tell you?
If Museum curators Douglas Owsley and Douglas Ubelaker were to examine them, they could paint a detailed picture of the person's life--and possibly death. Owsley and Ubelaker are among the nation's leading forensic anthropologists, specialists in identifying individuals from their skeletal remains and detecting evidence of trauma and foul play. They are often called upon by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to help solve difficult cases.
A Real Life Mystery...Solved
Sixteen years after a 42-year-old Ohio man died mysteriously in a fire, Owsley helped put the murderer behind bars.
Officials had ruled the death accidental. But a suspicious detective found enough evidence to have the man's body exhumed in 1993. From the remains, Owsley found six severed ribs that showed how he died--multiple stab wounds to the back. The murderer: the man's wife.
