Keith's Death Acre Essay

 

            Written by Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson, “Death’s Acre: Inside the Body Farm,” is a memoir depicting Dr. Bass’s experiences as a forensics anthropologist working in the Body Farm. The story takes place in Tennessee at a workplace set up in 1981 by Bass that he nicknamed, “the Body Farm,” that is also known as the, “Anthropology Research Facility.” The Body Farm was thought up by Dr. Bass, whose prior experiences with investigating dead bodies led him to draw up the organization to help him and his fellow colleagues solve some very complex cases. In the beginning of the novel, Bass reminisces and describes some of the strangest and most difficult cases he had come across in his line of work. Mixed in with these stories, Bass reveals much about himself and his family, including his three sons. In addition, Bass reveals the truth of his two dead wives, which may very well contribute to his ongoing interest of investigating bodies and dealing with the dead. As a forensics anthropologist, Bass comes across numerous obstacles, which stand in his way of discovering the truth. For example, Bass grows irritated upon searching for body parts that have disintegrated in fires making them all the more harder to find. These obstacles, however, didn’t stop Bass or other motivated forensics anthropologists such as Bill Rodriguez from working hard to make major advances in their department. For example, Bass notes the progress made by Rodriguez who in his “Journal of Forensic Sciences” listed his findings of how to make the process of identifying bodies more efficient. A major element of Brass’s research at the Body Farm, where the bodies of murder victims were stored, that should be emphasized was his progress in determining the time of death which ultimately lead him to the findings of significant evidence that would help identify the murderer and bring justice to countless questionable cases. Brass’s work at the Body Farm lead to the discovery of many new strategies that would help himself, as well as others in his work, approach their investigations with confidence, stability, and success and would inspire fellow anthropologists to not give up and try hard to bring what they could to the world of forensics.

 

            Patricia Cornwell’s, “The Body Farm,” is a crime fiction novel about a suspicious murder that takes place near Lake Tomahawk of Black Mountain, North Carolina. It all starts when the lifeless body of eleven year-old Emily Steiner is discovered and Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a professional medical examiner, takes up the investigation in hopes of finding the killer. With a little help from her niece, Lucy, Scarpetta quickly observes that the markings on the body and the strategy of the murder closely resembles that of a specific serial killer that the FBI had been seeking for a long time. Upon further investigation, Kay brings the body to the advanced forensics decomposition research facility located at the University of Tenessee, based off Dr. Bass’s organization, referred to as the Body Barn. During the investigation, Kay is forced into a stressful situation when Lucy is accused of stealing evidence. At the Body Barn, Kay and the specialists gradually uncover the mystery and the shockingly disturbing truth of the murder. Although the novel is only fiction, the events and situations that take place closely resemble those of real investigations uncovered by specialists of the forensics anthropologist department.