Most Brutal! Part I

Image 1

Image 2

Perhaps most people have heard of the notorious Ted Bundy, who was an American serial killer, who kidnapped, raped and was a necrophile. 

He was a savvy and intelligent murderer, who charmed his young female victims (mostly university students) to gain their trust, subsequently bringing them to a secluded location wherein he would overpower and assault them. He was smart enough to not leave evidence that could be used to link the crime back to him, eg fingerprints or the murder tool. It was by chance that his last victim Lisa Levy had a very distinguished bite mark on her left buttock and an officer laid a yellow ruler against the mark (left picture above). When Bundy became the primary suspect, a warrant was issued to get an impression of his bite (right picture above). A dentist Dr. Richard Souviron presented the findings to the judge, stating the teeth alignment, size of the teeth, sharpness of the bicuspids, lateral and incisor teeth, and the cuspal tip distance between adjacent teeth that were so unique to Ted Bundy’s dentition. Hence, the case was solved.

QUESTION 1

We have all heard of how Forensic Dentistry has helped in the identification of burnt victims and also victims with bite marks. Explain more about these and describe how is Forensic Dentistry could be useful in the identification of murder victims?

Forensic dentistry/ forensic odontology can also be used for the forensic analysis of burnt victims. Usually bones and teeth only disintegrate at temperatures of 855-1038 degrees Celsius. Since this is a very high range of temperature which can only be achieved in a special incinerator, most murdered victims' bones and teeth still remain of the charred body. So, forensic odontologists compile the dental chartings of the dentition, intra-oral photographs for (facial and dental comparison) and radiographs (showing the bone trabecular pattern, tori and osseous anomalies, natural and synthetic teeth, maxilla and frontal sinus configuration, presence of foreign bodies like implants and other prostheses), to piece the puzzle together to solve the mystery. Also, antigenicity of powdered dentine and cementum of human teeth remains unaltered without regard to the environmental condition – the main factor that affects the rate of decomposition of a body, for 1 – 6 months. According to The Internet Journal of Forensic Science CLICK THIS!,

the antigen is not only localized to the vascular network of the pulp, antigens can also be found on odontoblasts, dentinal fluid and at the periphery of the pulp.

It is interesting to also note that cheiloscopy (lip prints) and palatal rugae are unique to every individual, analogous to finger prints! J To find out more, just drop us a comment below! We love interacting with our readers!

QUESTION 2

Is a male human skull different from that of a female? If yes, how?

Forensic odontology is not as simple as it sounds. Among one of the reasons of the comprehensiveness of the subject is due to the difference in male and female skull structure.

Male                                                                                    Female                     

Here are the fast facts:

Weight:

·         Male: Heavier

·         Female: Lighter

Size:

·         Male: Larger

·         Female: Smaller

Bony mass or thickness of the bone:

·         Male: Thicker

·         Female: Thinner

Forehead

·         Male: Slightly sloping or receding

·         Female: Almost vertical

Cranial vault of the skull

·         Male: More rounded

·         Female: Flatter, less pronounced

Contour of the face

·         Male: Overall length of the skull is longer and the chin is bigger and protrudes more forward. Skull is uneven due to its muscular make up, and the zygomatic bones are more massive

·         Female: Skull is rounded, with facial bones being smoother, with both the jaws mandible and the maxilla being smaller

Supraorbital margin

·         Male: more rounded

·         Female: sharp

Tympanic plate

·         Male: larger and margins are rounded

·         Female: smaller and margins are less rounded

Frontal bone and forehead

·         Male: brow ridges are well demarcated

·         Female: smooth and more vertical frontal bone

Mastoid process

·         Male: larger

·         Female: Smaller

QUESTION 3

From the story above so far, how many victims are there? Explain.

It is not possible to conclude the number of victims yet as we have been provided with insufficient information. However if there is only one victim, there will only be one set of facial and cranial bones, of which we have to measure the dimensions of each part of the bones (eg frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital etc.) to reconstruct only one skull, and as well as one set of dentition. It could be a mixed dentition (there would be a mix of permanent and deciduous teeth in children, do not mistake this for two separate human beings!) hence the root and crown completion dates, and eruption dates of the teeth must be known and analysed to identify the age of the victim. Also, if the DNA could be extracted, there would only be one DNA profile.

If it is more than one victim, there would obviously more than one set of bones and dentition, and more than one DNA profile.

Having pitched this, further investigation is required to conclude the number of victims.