Micah Roeseler, senior, was taking his normal stroll to and from classes during passing period on the third floor. It was a peaceful walk, until he bumped into something unexpected: a dead body.

Well, not a real one. 

The Forensic Science classes at MHS are learning how to document evidence, and part of the lesson is venturing to the third floor to examine a fake crime scene.

“I was surprised because it looked like a real dead body just in the middle of the hallway,” Roeseler said.

After he got over his initial shock, Roeseler said he snapped a picture and sent it to his friends for a laugh. His discovery also prompted him to anticipate taking Forensic Science in the near future.

“This definitely made me excited for the class next semester because I get to do interesting stuff like this,” he said.

Dawna Barnhart, Forensic Science teacher, said Roeseler is not the only one at MHS who gets spooked by the fake dead body. 

“It scares the custodians every time I do it,” Barnhart said. “The mannequin by itself scares people every year.”

Barnhart had one of her cadet teachers help her set up the fake crime scene during third hour on Tuesday, Sept. 13, in preparation for the lab the next day. 

Barnhart changed the mannequin’s clothes and placed evidence around the body to make a realistic crime scene. 

“I like this because it’s sort of a real situation. In class, we were just practicing taking pictures with a piece of paper and that’s boring,” Barnhart said. “It’s nice to actually use those little skills and try to complete the activity.”

Barnhart said the surprise factor of the fake corpse has decreased from past years. She said she used to be able to keep the crime scene hidden, but now students are seeing it before they come to class. 

Nevertheless, Barnhart said she enjoys teaching this lesson every year and watching her students try to complete it successfully. 

“It is fun to watch everybody and listen to them try to understand what is going on,” Barnhart said. “It’s also interesting listening to people tell the story of what they think happened.”

Krista Ampadu, senior, said she walked into Forensic Science on Wednesday, Sept. 14, not expecting to do anything special during that class period.

But once she realized that Barnhart’s lesson involved real-life situations and a detailed crime scene, she changed her mind.

“When I saw the body, I was excited,” Ampadu said.

Ampadu appreciates the fact that Forensic Science enables her to explore topics, like the collection of evidence, that intrigue her. 

“I guess I really like the fact that you go in depth with crime scenes,” she said. “Learning how to take measurements and get all the evidence, it’s so interesting to me.”