Q:   Hello, my name is Katherine and I am 14 years old and I usually don't check out discovery.com but I really liked this one. I love mysteries like this one. In fact I'm thinking about being a forensic scientist when I grow up.

But I just wanted to ask what are the important clues and facts you look for to determine and eliminate the murderer?

Katherine
A:   I'm glad you checked out Discovery.com and that you enjoyed the King Tut information. This is quite an incredible journey — allowing two criminologists to enter the world of Egyptology.

When evaluating these kinds of cases, the investigator must determine what kind of death investigation they are dealing with. First we consider natural events like heart problems, mosquito bites etc. Then, we look into the possibility that the victim died as a result of an accident — like falling off his chariot or down the stairs in Tut's case. Third, we would consider suicide and its probability and, of course, finally, if the other three do not seem as likely, we would consider and investigate the possibility of homicide as a cause of death.

I hope this helps and thank you for taking the time to ask! Remember to watch the show!

Mike King

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Q:   I read the recent article in Time magazine (9/16/02) that made mention of Tutankhamen's Klippel-Feil Syndrome (KFS). Is there any way of telling if Tut had some of the other afflictions that are sometimes present with congenitally fused, c-spine vertebrae, such as Spregel's deformity, scoliosis, spina-bifida, kidney problems, rib anomalies, cleft palate, heart problems or deafness? How severe was his condition and how much of a role might it have played in his death? Couldn't a simple, backwards fall onto a fairly hard surface have caused him immediate paralysis and death and left the same evidence behind due to his KFS?

Dillenger
Pacific Northwest
A:   That is very possible and that is another important reason that we do not rely on forensic evidence exclusively. Forensic evidence is just one of the traditional forms of evidence employed by investigators to determine the facts of a case. The additional forms of evidence include eyewitness, confession and circumstantial. Additionally we add what we refer to as behavioral evidence that also helps in resolving possible motives etc. The environment, circumstances and situation are also telling factors in this case. The program will tell the rest of the story. See you there!!

Greg Cooper

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