In honor of the 30th anniversary of Shark Week, I wanted to see if I could find a murder that involved this notorious predator. Per usual, Google did not disappoint. I’m a little sad that I had not heard this… Read More ›
Forensic Science
The crime scene investigator’s ‘murder bag’ was created because of this horrific murder
A ‘murder bag’ or ‘detectives box’ is a kit used by crime scene investigators that contains protective gear and tools to recover evidence. The first steps in the creation of the ‘murder bag’ were made by 19th century medicolegal pioneers… Read More ›
How an instructor of Frances Glessner Lee’s ‘Homicide School’ helped to solve the almost perfect murder
Frances Glessner Lee (25 March 1878 – 27 January 1962) is best known as the creator of the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death that are miniature, detailed crime scene reconstructions of suspicious deaths. But Lee’s contribution to the modern era of… Read More ›
Is this the face of ‘Bella in the Wych Elm’?
In February 2018, Dr. Caroline Wilkinson, forensic anthropologist and Director of the Faces Lab at Liverpool John Moores University, revealed her facial reconstruction of ‘Bella in the Wych Elm‘. The digital reconstruction shows the smiling face of a young woman… Read More ›
Dissecting the true age of Old Tom Parr
On August 4, 1997, newspapers around the world announced the death of Jeanne Louise Calment, who died her home in Arles, France. She was not a political leader, a scientist, or a famous actress. Jean had the world’s longest (recorded)… Read More ›
Murder for the Holidays: The slaying at Sandringham
Editor’s Note: I recently found out about a European, pagan tradition of celebrating the Winter Solstice, a time when “the dead would have particularly good access to the living,” with ghost stories. Writers of mystery novels continued this tradition by… Read More ›
Murder for the Holidays: The unsolved Walker family murders
Editor’s Note: I recently found out about a European, pagan tradition of celebrating the Winter Solstice, a time when “the dead would have particularly good access to the living,” with ghost stories. Writers of mystery novels continued this tradition by… Read More ›
Facial reconstruction of ‘Mary Magdalene’ skull revealed
Last month National Geographic reported that biological anthropologist Philippe Charlier, from the University of Versailles, and forensic artist Philippe Froesch collaborated on a project to create a 3D computer reconstruction of a face that might have belonged to Mary Magdalene. … Read More ›
Halloween Horror Post #1 (2017): The curse of Rowland Jenkins
History is full of stories about curses spoken by prisoners, either rightfully or wrongfully convicted, on the way to their execution. The hexes were a prisoner’s supernatural retribution for perceived wrongs that the court dealt them. This cosmic vengeance… Read More ›
The murder that instigated the UK’s most dangerous autopsy
There is an ivy-covered grave in London’s Highgate Cemetery that looks no different than the other graves around it. This particular burial, however, holds the lead-lined coffin and radioactive corpse of Alexander Litvinenko, who was subject of the UK’s “most… Read More ›
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