Walking into a science classroom, it’s not every day that students see caution tape and tarp riddle the floor. Along with a mysterious box full of bones, soil, a bullet casing, and old clothes, a true mystery appears.
Stephanie Owen, the anatomy teacher at Silver Creek High School, has followed this murder box tradition for three years so far. This year, the event featured the guest appearance of two crime scene investigators, Ashlin Chavez and Kira Julian, from the Longmont Police Department. Their job, differing from detectives, is to use science on crime scenes to help solve questions about the victims. Along with David Bonday, Silver Creek’s school resource officer, they gave a lesson on human decomposition. During the lesson, students could get hands-on experience with forensic science by interacting with the murder box and CSIs.
The Murder Box is a Halloween event that starts early on October 30, but the box will remain open until Thanksgiving break, November 20, to give students time to analyze and solve the crime for an optional assessment piece. This time, students can either make a presentation for the district attorney or create a true crime podcast on solving the murder…