Odontology

A Brief History of Odontology - 1 AD: Roman Emperor Claudius identifies the wife he had killed by a mark on one of her teeth : William the Conqueror possessed an unusual maloclussion (oppossing teeth do not line up) and signed his official seal by biting the wax that sealed envelopes

A Brief History of Odontology (cont) : General Warren died at the battle of Bunker Hill. His body was identified by Paul Revere by confirming the presence of a wire and bridge replacing an upper canine tooth. As Revere was a dentist, this was the first example of a forensic dental identification : Forensic Odontology admitted into the U.S. courts : John Webster Case – 1 st conviction based on dental evidence

A Brief History of Odontology (cont) : Two burglars in England were convicted on bite mark evidence from teeth marks found in cheese at the scene : Barnum and Bailey tent fire. 162 of 268 bodies were identified by dental records : Ted Bundy – bite mark evidence is key in convicting him

A Brief History of Odontology (cont) : Computer analysis data of dental records help identify the 913 victims (276 were children) of the mass suicide at Jonestown in Guyana -People’s Temple, leader was a man name Jim Jones -Drank cyanide-laced Kool-aid (where the saying of “Drinking the Kool-aid” comes from)

Forensic Odontology = application of dentistry to the legal system

Humans have 32 permanent teeth - adult teeth equally divided between maxilla and mandible - basic structure: crown (part you see) root (part in jawbone) pulp (middle of tooth with nerves and DNA)

Basic Structure of a Tooth

William Ferris, an Ohio man who allegedly paid a prostitute $50 for sex in a White Castle Restaurant bathroom didn’t get the full treatment he thought he was entitled to. Angry, he dialed 911 and when officers responded he said he’d been robbed. His story fell apart after further questioning, and he admitted to receiving oral sex, but was adamant about feeling entitled to more for his money. He was arrested for solicitation and making a false police report.

Uses 1) Identification of remains

Uses 2) Bite marks - on victims and other items - usually only see 6 upper and lower teeth impressions - can be tested for saliva (DNA), blood, or microorganisms - must be done within 8 hours after bite is inflicted

Bitemarks

Ted Bundy - was born Theodore Robert Cowell in grew up in Philadelphia - was raised thinking his grandparents were his parents and mother was his older sister - real dad unknown by many believe incest with grandfather

Ted Bundy - in 1951 moved to Washington State with mom - mom marries John Bundy – Ted takes his stepfather’s last name - good student – accepted into Univ. of Washington to study psychology

Ted Bundy - meets first real girlfriend there (Stephanie Brooks) – she rejects him - all his victims would bear a striking resemblance to her - days after breaking up with his girlfriend…

Ted Bundy - Jan first known attack was on an 18 yr old Univ. of Washington student – broke into her apartment while she slept and sexually assaulted her and beat her over the head with a metal bar – she survived - 3 weeks later he abducts a student from her bed – body was never seen again - next 6 months, 5 college women students disappeared

Ted Bundy - October 1974 moves to Univ. of Utah to study law - 4 female students went missing from this campus over the next month - 8 more women disappeared in Utah while Bundy was there - in Jan moves to Colorado for a few months – 7 women disappear in this time (some bodies were found in the snow later)

Ted Bundy - he was arrested for failing to stop at a police check point – forensic evidence links him to one of the bodies in Colorado - during his preliminary trial (Feb. 1976) in Colorado he escaped from a second floor window - caught after 1 week in a stolen car by traffic cops - in Dec 1977, he escapes again by cutting a whole in the ceiling of his cell and walks out front door

Ted Bundy - Jan walks into a sorority house at Florida State – in less than one hour he savagely assaults 5 women, killing two of them and leaves a bite mark on one of them - Feb. 9 th he abducts 12-yr old from school yard and sexually assaults her and strangles her - a few days later he is stopped in a stolen car yet again by traffic cops (easily identified – on FBI’s 10 most wanted list)

Ted Bundy - July on trial for sorority house murders - bite mark evidence on one victim used to convict him of crime - Two weeks later convicted of murder of 12 yr-old girl - appeal process drags on for 10 years - Jan 24 th 1989 died in electric chair at age 41

Bitemarks Left: Photograph on Victim Body with Overlay of Ted Bundy’s Teeth Below: Wax Bite Exemplar of Ted Bundy Lower Teeth (#22 - #27)

Ted Bundy - when interviewed he told police he returned to his victims repeatedly after he dumped their bodies, combed their hair and applied makeup before having sex with their decomposing bodies - admitted to the murders of at least 30 women, although exact number is unknown - hinted before his execution of between Most experts believe it is closer to 100