Shen Xin squatted by the edge of the pit, watching Du Xin Kai work.
He carefully lifted the female victim's skull and examined it closely under the beam of a searchlight.
'He must be looking at the cranial sutures.'
The degree to which the coronal and sagittal sutures have closed can be used to roughly estimate age.
"Old Du, she seems really young," Shen Xin couldn't help but state the obvious to an expert.
Du Xin Kai nodded slightly, handed the skull to Yu Peixin, and then picked up the teeth to observe them.
An experienced forensic examiner can also estimate a victim's age by looking at tooth wear.
Of course, they also had to examine the pubic symphysis.
Examining the ridges and grooves there is another important piece of evidence for estimating age.
"What's the verdict?" Chen Chao asked, crouching down.
Shen Xin was incredibly nervous too.
