Blood splatters, police tape and evidence were scattered throughout the hallway.
Four different crime scenes — and four separate murders — needed to be investigated.
In one corner, an undercover agent had been mysteriously killed and stuffed into a trash can. Across the room, a bride had been found dead with a gunshot wound on the morning of her wedding day. Another woman with a cheating husband had been stabbed to death. And, a child, who had been reported missing, was found dead.
Fingerprints, bloody weapons and incriminating text messages had been left behind at each of the crime scenes — details the Lincoln Northwest High School students could use to solve the fake crimes and find the made-up killers.
The bottles of fake blood, tubs of fingerprint-lifting powder, stuffed animals acting as murder victims and faux caution tape were all part of the high school’s forensic science course, allowing students to act as real-life crime scene investigators by creating and solving their own murders.
On Tuesday morning, the students were tasked with using what they’ve learned throughout the semester to build mock crime scenes with ample evidence, clues and backstories their fellow classmates could use to identify the culprit.
One crime scene included a bloodied knife made of paper, fingerprints and a cell phone. Another scene featured a champagne glass with fingerprints on it, the victim's purse and a telling splatter of blood.
While it may sound a little gruesome, Northwest senior Antenai Gilmore said the course has been extremely interesting and intriguing.
“It's really fun,†she said. “It kind of feels like we're at real crime scenes, and we're really putting our brains to work.â€
Throughout the semester, the forensic science students discuss a variety of topics, including finding fingerprints, analyzing blood splatter and understanding decomposition and bones, said Cindy Larson-Miller, who teaches the course.
Not only does it provide students with the opportunity to explore a topic of study they may be unfamiliar with, but it also allows students to apply science in a new and exciting way while catering to their prior interest in cop shows or true crime podcasts and documentaries, Larson-Miller said.
“It's so engaging that kids want to be here. They want to learn. They realize that science can be fun. And I think it's just really a way to reel kids in,†she said.
For Shamarr Hinds, a senior at Northwest, the forensic science class opened the door to a career path he now hopes to pursue after high school graduation in May. He joined the class this fall to fill some open space in his schedule, but he’s leaving with a passion for criminal justice, he said.
As he continues to explore his college options, Hinds said the forensic science class at Northwest has set him up with the basic tools and knowledge he needs to be successful as a criminology major in his future.
“It has really opened my eyes to a whole bunch of things,†he said.
On the other hand, however, a career in forensics may not be for everyone — and the course helped Gilmore realize that.
While Gilmore has always loved watching cop shows like “Bones†and “CSI,†she isn’t convinced working with blood and decomposing bodies is for her. But, even though her future in forensic sciences is uncertain, she enjoyed the class a lot overall, she said.
“I didn't know that I was gonna enjoy the class so much, but I found myself going home and telling my mom like ‘yeah, we lifted fingerprints today,’†she said. “I was really excited. I just really liked this class.â€
But even students like Gilmore who may not plan to pursue a career in forensics have something more to gain from the course, Larson-Miller said.
“It's using what you see around you to figure something out, and you can apply that to any problem you have in your life, if you look around and you look at the evidence, and you try to make sense of it, and you look at things carefully,†she said. “So even if that's all they take away from it, I'm happy.â€
Lincoln Northwest High School seniors from left, Arlette Cruztitla, Betsabee Sandoval, Antenai Gilmore and Lucia Dimas stage a crime scene for a forensics class on Tuesday.
Lincoln Northwest High School seniors Brookelynn Wheeler (from left), Tyjian Deerinwater, Kareem Yahya and Haylie Helmick investigate a crime scene during a forensics class on Tuesday.