FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY: HOW BONES CAN IDENTIFY THE NAME/LESS Courtney Henry There’s an old saying that goes, “dead men tell tales.” It’s believed to have originated from the infamous Gouffé Case of 1889, in which a skeleton provided the secrets to identify the victim and trap the murderers, marking a milestone for investigative techniques in forensic science. However, when most people think of forensic science and human remains, they picture fingerprints and DNA – not forensic anthropology. The Gouffé Case began when a body was discovered in Lyons, France, near an abandoned trunk that reeked of decay. Initially, the body could not be identified and was placed in an anonymous pauper’s grave. However, it didn’t stay there long – a few months later the body was exhumed for re-examination by Alexandre Lacassagne, who was a Professor in Forensic Medicine. During the examination of the victim’s skeleton, Lacassagne found that the right knee was deformed and weighed less than the left. This indicated that the victim more than likely suffered from tubercular disease in that leg and would have walked with a limp. This small yet significant piece of information allowed police to connect the body to the missing Toussaint-Augustin Gouffé, who walked with a limp and had been treated for a knee complaint. 50
Give me liberty, or give me death! Or like, a TimTam or something.
