Student sleuths use clues to solve a 'murder'
About 500 teenage sleuths fanned out to a dozen rooms at Stony Brook University Monday analyzing fingerprints, peering into microscopes at bullet shells and racing against the clock to solve a fictional murder.
The CSI Challenge, as it is known, celebrated its 10th year in style: High school students from across Long Island and as far away as Cape Cod had a chance to use laboratories for ballistics, toxicology and entomology (the study of insects). Arriving on campus in the morning, they passed a white BMW stretch limousine that was used to transport the groom and bride in a mock wedding that turned into a mock crime scene, in which the victim was found poisoned, Tasered and stabbed in a fictional vineyard in Baiting Hollow.
More than 30 Long Island school districts participated, including three teams of 12 students from Long Beach High School, the defending champion from last year's competition. For the past two weeks, they've been poring over a 53-page packet of clues prepared by David Tricamo, a Suffolk County police detective, who organizes the sleuthing extravaganza with Northport teacher David Scott. "They're learning critical thinking skills, instead of just regurgitating information in a class," Tricamo said, noting that students in the competition use chemistry, math, language and computer skills.
This year's theme was a purported organized crime killing - prior years' story lines featured pirates and James Bond - of the nonexistent Louie. The made-up suspects include an associate named Paulie and Priscilla, a wedding planner.
"I'm thinking Priscilla had something to do with it," said Jamie Prendergast, 17, as she dusted fingerprints for Team 4, from Long Beach.
"And Rusty Chan DeLeer," said Hanna Larson, referring to the bride.
"We didn't like Priscilla from the beginning," said Alex Gates, 17, a Long Beach team captain.
The participants raced up staircases to confer with each other, and to compare notes from fingerprint and ballistic labs. "It's a little crazy, running around," said Marc Falciano, 18.
Scott, the Northport teacher, looked on approvingly as students scurried around him, texting each other messages and giving commands on walkie-talkies. "They're using so many skills that we teach in school, like teamwork, problem-solving, public speaking and writing."
Scott said determining the murderer wasn't as important as honing forensic and time management skills. But try telling that to the would-be detectives.
The identity of the murderer surprised many, except those who had managed to extricate messages hidden in a computer hard drive. It was the bride herself, the dazzling Crystal Chan DeLeer, who did it after Louie tipped off authorities to her father's financial misdeeds.
The winning team - not that it matters, of course - came from Centereach High School. Second was Bishop McGann-Mercy High School of Riverhead and Long Beach High School took third.
