Ep 17. The Skull in the Desert

The Skull in the Desert is the seventeenth episode of the first season of the TV show Bones. This episode revolves around the discovery of a skull in the Mojave Desert. The skull is missing its jaw, and there is a gunshot wound in the back of the cranium.

Dr. Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist at the Jeffersonian Institute, is called to the scene by a park ranger who discovered the skull while on patrol. Brennan quickly realizes that the skull belongs to a woman who was between the ages of 20 and 30 and had been dead for at least a year.

Brennan is joined at the scene by her partner from the FBI, Special Agent Seeley Booth. Booth is in charge of homicide investigations and quickly takes over the case. He determines that the woman’s death is a homicide and that her killer may still be in the area. To prevent contamination of the scene, Booth closes the park to visitors while they search for evidence.

As Brennan and her team begin to examine the skull, they find a tattoo of a snake on the woman’s mandible. This provides a lead for the team, and they begin to search missing persons databases for women with that specific tattoo. They eventually find a match, a woman named Angela Montenegro.

Angela is known to the team because she is the forensic artist who works with them at the Jeffersonian. Angela had been missing for a year, and the team is now tasked with finding out who killed her. The team interviews Angela’s boyfriend, who is a park ranger and the person who Angela was last seen with.

As the investigation continues, the team determines that the murder occurred in a cabin near where the skull was found. The team discovers bloodstains on the walls of the cabin, and they collect DNA samples to test for a match to Angela. The team also discovers that the killer is likely someone who is familiar with the area and the park system.

As the team continues to investigate, they discover that Angela’s boyfriend has a motive for killing her. He had wanted to break up with her, but she had threatened to report him to his supervisors for a number of infractions on the job. Booth and Brennan eventually catch Angela’s boyfriend and bring him to trial, where he is found guilty of murder.

Overall, The Skull in the Desert is a thrilling episode that keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat as the team works to solve the case. The episode highlights the specialized skills of the forensic team as they work together to solve the murder of Angela Montenegro. The episode also deals with themes of domestic violence and workplace harassment, making it a thought-provoking and engaging show for viewers.