NCJ Number
145767
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 38 Issue: 4 Dated: (July 1993) Pages: 985-996
Date Published
1993
Length
12 pages
Annotation
The investigation of the first murder to which Jeffrey Dahmer confessed led to a systematic survey of two acres of semirural property in Bath Township, Ohio.
Abstract
The survey revealed the fragmentary skeleton of a young adult male, as well as bones of several animal species. Using archaeobiological analysis, animal bones were identified and taphonomic modifications were documented. It was found that human bones were dry and weathered. Further, many were rodent-gnawed, indicating they had been exposed for many years. Human bones displayed an extreme degree of splintering, warping, bending, and spiral breakage. The only relatively complete bone was a cervical vertebra. Dismemberment and breakage had been accomplished by cutting, blunt force, and manual bending in the case of ribs. Even in such an extreme case of intentional fragmentation, however, forensic anthropological analysis resulted in positive identification. Primary criteria were based on matching osteological features evident in premortem and postmortem radiographs of a cervical vertebra. 3 references, 2 tables, and 6 figures