Crafting Entertaining Crime Fiction Using Accurate Forensic Anthropology

by Katie East

A well-crafted crime and the ensuing investigation are at the heart of any good crime fiction story. When that crime involves a mysterious death, incorporating accurate forensic anthropology can ensure the story is believable, logical, and entertaining. But where do you even start? My name is Dr. Katie East, I am a board-certified forensic anthropologist and avid reader of crime fiction, and I am here to help. 

What is forensic anthropology (and what it is not)

Forensic anthropology is the investigation of human remains in a medical or legal context. Forensic anthropologists at a crime scene are just one member of a large team of experts and their responsibility is limited to the body and the immediate surroundings.  They provide information to assist in the identification of unknown skeletal remains and the reconstruction of circumstances surrounding the death of an individual. 

To accomplish these tasks the anthropologist is an expert in estimating biological sex, age, ancestry (which is similar to the concept of race), and height. They can also assess traumatic injuries and the processes that effect human remains after death (a study called taphonomy). Due to their expertise in identifying environmental changes resulting from a decomposing body and small fragments of human bone, forensic anthropologists will also be involved in, or even lead, searches for human remains or clandestine graves.

Forensic anthropology is not: chasing suspects, interrogating witnesses, digging up dinosaurs, fingerprint or blood spatter analysis, DNA analysis, carrying a gun, etc.

Why accuracy matters

While most of your readers will not be forensic scientists (although you may be surprised how many are), incorporating accurate forensic anthropology can still improve your story by enhancing believability, logical consistency, and entertainment. 

1. Believability: Most readers have seen various television shows and documentaries that discuss forensic science, thus they may know bits and pieces of real science. Therefore, any falsehoods or inaccuracies could jar them out of the fictional world you have crafted.  
2. Logical consistency: The crime sets a foundation for many chapters of investigation and intrigue. Basing the crime and investigation on real processes can provide structure to your story and doesn’t require you keep track of imagined facts and methods to ensure consistency.
3. Entertainment: The imaginations of writers are impressive, but so too are those of forensic anthropology researchers and (unfortunately) real criminals. Therefore, the scholarly literature on forensic anthropology offers an immense array of unique and intriguing facts and real examples that can benefit your story. Some recent research has examined the effects of the following on bones and human remains:  sharks, woodchippers, lawn mowers, concrete, hydrochloric acid, Coca Cola, wild vs domestic dogs and so much more.  

How to make your anthropology convincing

To make the forensic anthropology in your story accurate requires serious preparation and research (the resources at the end can help!) but here are some tips to get you started: 

1. In science, nothing is 100%: Forensic anthropologists must rely on published studies and methods. That means that estimates are reported in terms of a probability or range of values. For example, a reasonable age estimate might be “25-35 years”, but never “25.5 years” and a reasonable biological sex estimate would be “a 75% likelihood of being male”, but never “definitely male”.
2. The forensic anthropologist stays in their lane: Forensic anthropologists can only investigate skeletal tissue, which limits the conclusions they can reasonably draw. For example, forensic anthropologists cannot tell if an injury took place two days before death, at death, or three days after. Therefore they cannot identify cause of death and instead contribute information about circumstances around death to the medical examiner. 
3. Don’t fall for common myths: Myths about human bodies and what happens to them during and after death are abundant, so it pays to fact check any preexisting assumptions you may have before adding it to your story. Some common and incorrect myths include: males have less ribs than females, skulls explode in fire, bite marks can be matched to a person, and skeletal tissue is replaced completely every 7 years. 

Summary

Accurate forensic anthropology can make your crime fiction more believable, logical, and entertaining. Making the science in your story accurate takes work, but knowing that science always speaks in probabilities and ranges, that forensic anthropologists stay in their lane, and to fact check your assumptions are great places to start.  

If you are ready for a deep dive into forensic anthropology consider checking out the resources on my website:  https://www.katieeastphd.com/for-writers, including “A Crime Fiction Writer’s Guide to Forensic Anthropology” and 30 minute Crime Writer’s Consultations.  

Katie East is a board-certified forensic anthropologist and science communicator. By day she analyzes skeletons and by night (and weekends) she educates public audiences about all things forensic anthropology. With over a decade working in museums, laboratories, and field settings, Katie offers a broad range of insights about anthropology and science to audiences of all ages. Katie has been a professional forensic anthropologist since 2018 and received her PhD in 2021. 

Note from Elizabeth: I’m guest posting, myself, today. :)  Find me at the wonderful IWSG blog.