Students investigate crime scenes

MARQUETTE — Students at Northern Michigan University were busy Tuesday afternoon investigating five different crime scenes in the middle of campus.

The crime scenes were mock crime scenes. Students in a forensic anthropology course collected evidence from the various scenes that were setup by their professors.

Instead of just learning about crime scene investigation in the classroom, students thoroughly enjoyed the change of pace by being outside and putting what they’ve learned to good use.

“I love it. It’s a lot more interactive,” said NMU senior Jordan Haske. “I have a great time doing this. We came up with props and everything. You actually got to think about and imagine an actual crime scene. It’s a lot more hands on and I really like that.”

“Having to talk about a crime scene and the methods that you use to look for artifacts and evidentiary items is one thing, but to actually physically do it is another,” said NMU professor Scot Demel. “We’ve had some practice test runs, but this is kind of a real scenario.”

Forensic tools such as tape measures, magnifying glasses, and evidence bags were used by students to document the various crime scenes.