Forensics and Anthropology Blog

Paul John Knowles (April 17, 1946 – December 18, 1974, death by a gunshot wound). Knowles was an American serial killer tied to the deaths of 20 people in 1974. Knowles claimed to have taken 35 lives.

The Casanova Killer’s (other names: Lester Daryl Gates. Daryl Golden) crimes span from July 26, 1974, to November 16, 1974.

Click For Image: HERE

Knowles was always in the eye of the law and was incarcerated at the age of 19. Knowles spent some time in prison, later he was arrested again after stabbing a bartender during a fight. Knowles being handy with locks picked a lock in his detention cell and escaped on July 26, 1974.

On the night of his escape in Jacksonville, Florida, Knowles' cross-country murder spree started, his victim a 65-year-old woman. Knowles ransacked her home for money, valuables, and stole her car. Knowles went on to kill in the following states: Florida, Ohio, Nevada, Texas, Alabama, Virginia, Georgia. The youngest victim known was 7 years old.

Knowles was apprehended on November 17, 1974.

I am setting up an internship to learn hands-on the technique of forensic facial reconstruction. The person teaching me works with the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) here, in NYC.

The technique (anatomical method) is said to be more accurate than the tissue depth markers (alone), and computer. The anatomical or morphoscopic method for facial reconstruction involves rebuilding the face, muscle by muscle, tissue by tissue. This method is attributed to a Russian anthropologist, Mikhail M. Gerasimov (1907 - 1970), and it was the first technique developed in forensic sculpture. Gerasimov studied the face of more than 200 people and other human ancestors (Neanderthal and Java Man, 1927). 

Image Source: Ullrich, Herbert & Stephan, Carl. (2016). Mikhail Mikhaylovich Gerasimov’s Authentic Approach to Plastic Facial Reconstruction. Anthropologie (Czech Republic). 54. 97-107. 

The anatomical method is basically “fleshing out” the skull, meaning that piece by piece, glands, cartilage, and muscles are sculpted. The skull provides information “written” on the surface of the bone, whether it be muscle origin(s)/insertion points, as well as areas of smoothness where cartilage sits, or depressions where muscles lay. All of this combined with anatomy allows a face to be reconstructed from a skull, this then provides an identity for human remains. 

Gerasimov, in the 1930s, realized that he was able to reconstruct faces of racial types (ancestries). Between 1937 - 1939, Gerasimov reconstructed the faces of a Papuan, Kazakh, and Khevsur Caucasian. Gerasimov also performed many forensic reconstructions for the NKVD. When Gerasimov reconstructed the faces of Yaroslav I the Wise (1938) and Andrei Bogolyubsky (1939) he received public attention. During WW2, Gerasimov worked at a hospital in Tashkent, and the various deceased victims worked as test subjects for statistical data on human skulls.

Image Source: Ullrich, Herbert & Stephan, Carl. (2016). Mikhail Mikhaylovich Gerasimov’s Authentic Approach to Plastic Facial Reconstruction. Anthropologie (Czech Republic). 54. 97-107.

Gerasimov honed his skills, and in 1950 received the USSR State Prize. Studying, and being interested in prehistoric animal bones as a child proved vital for Gerasimov’s craft. When the Soviet Ministry of Culture opened the tomb of Ivan the Terrible, Gerasimov reconstructed his face and received payment for his work. Gerasimov even traveled to Europe to find the skull of the poet, Schiller, within a mass grave. Gerasimov was not a man of politics and was always willing to help his friends. 

Helps in a forensic context for the biological profile. 

Population, and environmental stressors like mobility, and disease affect body size/shape. Can also be used to understand the sexual dimorphism of extinct hominins. Ecogeographical rules related to thermoregulation: Bergmann’s Rule (1847) If you have a species that is variable, and spread out over a geographical area you will see a larger variance of those species. Relating to body mass; bigger in colder climates, smaller in warmer climates. Allen’s Rule (1877) concerned with appendage’s. Shorter in colder climates, and longer in warmer climates. Together they are Bergmann’s and Allen’s rules.

A great modern example is observed in the following populations: 

Inuit, Shorter limbs, and rounder stocky body:

Image Source: Ansgar Walk. Traditional clothing; left: seal, right: caribou (Iglulik). Wikimedia Commons. 

Maasai, Longer limbs, slender taller body:

Image Source: Brutere. Maasai men performing traditional jumping dance (Adumu). Wikimedia Commons. 

This is showing basic phenotypical adaptations to different climates, and how the environment can biologically change populations. 

Here is a photograph of my current classmates and I DNA before undergoing gel electrophoresis.

The DNA was loaded into the wells (tiny rectangles) with pipettes. When the gel is electrically charged, the DNA travels from the negative terminal (the black circle at the top left) toward the positively charged anode (where the red circle is at the bottom right corner).

(Note: The three wells (green rectangles) of darkest color on the second row are mine, my DNA is on the first two, the last and third well has extra water. It is my negative response well, to test that there is no contamination. If there is any contamination it will be observed in that third well.)

Contamination refers to DNA of other things (animals, plants, etc) showing up instead of the intended DNA for which results are being analyzed.

Here is the after photo. The DNA being viewed (since it was stained) under a UV light.

(Note: Another classmate added samples in after the first photo was taken. My DNA is in the second well from the left on the second row, and my positive is to the right of that well. The blank well in the center of the second row is my negative, not much showed which means there was little to no contamination in my DNA sample).

The gel used is made of agarose, which is easy to cast, and has relatively fewer charged groups. The agarose gel is suitable for separating DNA (and macromolecules) by size as it is charged (with electricity) and it travels through the pores in the gel (See some of the wells on the second image look more elongated). 

DNA fragments can easily be extracted from the gel, which is a suitable electrophoresis buffer.

What are the applications of gel electrophoresis?

It can be used to estimate the size of DNA molecules.

To analyze PCR products, such as molecular genetic diagnosis, or genetic fingerprinting.

Image Source: Mike Peel. www.mikepeel.net. Yorkshire Museum - skeleton of a wealthy woman 1. Wikimedia Commons.

In 1901, during the construction of the York to Scarborough Railway Bridge, close to the River Ouse, workmen discovered a large stone coffin with a skeleton inside. The skeleton was found with many unusual, and expensive artifacts. This is a significant discovery from Roman York. Studying the skeleton revealed that it belonged to a woman.

Image Source: Mike Peel. www.mikepeel.net. Yorkshire Museum - skeleton of a wealthy woman 2. Wikimedia Commons.

Sexual Dimorphism in Humans:

On average, men are 8% larger than women.

Anatomical differences between men, and women can be easily seen in some soft tissue, however, this is limited in the skeleton. The human skeleton shows subtle morphological differences between the skull, dentition, pelvis, and long bones of men and women. On average, female skeletal elements are smaller, and less robust than males.

Some areas of skeletal differences amongst human males and females are:

Note: variation, and these traits are basically nonexistent on pre-pubescent skeletal remains.

Skull: Mastoid processes, median nuchal line, supraorbital margin, supraorbital ridge, chin, and gonial angle of the mandible.

Dentition: Canines.

Pelvis: Greater sciatic notch, sub-pubic angle, sacrum, and pelvic cavity. Women have wider pelvises to allow for child birth.

Long Bones: On average are longer, and have more pronounced muscle attachments in males.

Image Source: Henry Vandyke Carter. Gray241. Wikimedia Commons.

Image Source: Henry Vandyke Carter. Gray242. Wikimedia Commons.

Can you name them all?

Image Source: Nevit Dilmen. Radiology 1300294. Wikimedia Commons.

Name the bone(s)?

What pathology do you notice at the shaft/diaphysis?

(Answers below)

Image Source: Wellcome Images. Wellcome Trust. Human left femur, Tell Fara, Palestine, 100 BCE-200 CE Wellcome L0057387. Wikimedia Commons.

More information below:

Image Source: Phineas Gage GageMillerPhoto2010-02-17 Unretouched Color Cropped. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

Phineas P. Gage (1823–1860) was an American railroad construction foreman remembered for surviving an accident in which a large iron rod went completely through his skull. The iron rod destroyed a lot of Gage’s left side frontal lobe. After the injury, Gage lived for 12 years with effects on his personality, his friends described him as, "no longer Gage". 

The image below shows multiple views of the exhumed skull, and tamping iron, of Phineas Gage.

Image Source: Rama. Trepanated skull of a woman-P4140363-black. Wikimedia Commons.

Trepanation is one of the oldest surgical procedures with archaeological evidence.

Many prehistoric, and premodern patients had signs of bone healing, this means that many of these patients survived the surgery. Most of the crania with trepanation belong to adult males, but women and children also had the procedure done. In the New World, trepanation is commonly found among the Andean civilizations, and also in Mesoamerica.

(French for Black spot of the sclera)

Is a postmortem, reddish-brown discoloration seen in sclera of the eye.

This occurs when the eyes remain open after death. The sclera is exposed to air causing it to dry out, and change color.

For an image, click the link below.

Description of image: “Skull showing gunshot trauma Male profile, 1950s.”

Image Source: National Institutes of Health, Health & Human Services. Gunshot skull. Wikimedia Commons.

Is this an exit, or an entrance wound? And why?

Name the bone (or bones) affected by the gunshot trauma?

Name two more bones observed in this image?

What skeletal feature indicates this skull belongs to a male?

How many bones do you see?

What joint is this?

Which side of the body are these bones from?

Image Source: Sjbrown. Broken fixed arm. Wikimedia Commons.

When deposits of oil and/or perspiration from a finger leaves a print on a surface it is known as a latent fingerprint. These fingerprints are not always visible to the naked eye, thus requiring a dusting technique with fine powders to make it visible. Once the power is on the oil/perspiration, it can be lifted with transparent tape for analyzing, protecting, and storing. Another technique for revealing latent fingerprints is to shine a laser at it, the laser will make the print(s) glow allowing for photographs to be taken.

Image Source: Daekow. Fingerprint-magnabrush. Wikimedia Commons.

Aluminium is the most common powder used to develop latent fingerprints. A magna brush is a great tool for applying magnetic-sensitive powders over a hard surface. The aluminium adheres to the residue left behind by the oil/perspiration of a finger/hand, and reveals the print(s).

Image Source: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Latent Fingerprints (6774265822). Wikimedia Commons.

Fingerprints have been used for various purposes throughout human history. Thumb prints were used on clay seals in ancient China, and the ancient Babylonians used fingerprints on clay tablets for transactions.

Image Source: Mississippi Department of Archives and History. 6.13, 1963. Rifle that killed Medgar Evers. Located latent fingerprints on telescopic site. Medgar was shot off Delta Drive, Jackson, Miss. Wikimedia Commons.