Journal of the American Dental Association, Vol 119, Issue 3, 373-379
Copyright © 1989 by American Dental Association
Dental identification in serial homicides: the Green River Murders
BR Rothwell,
W Haglund,
and
TH Morton Jr
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, University of Washington, Seattle 98195.
At least 40 young women have died at the hands of a serial killer in what has been called the Green River Murders. Because most of the victims' remains were severely decomposed with partial or complete skeletonization and little or no personal effects were recovered, forensic odontologic methods played a key role in their identifications. Although numerous methods were used to accumulate leads to the identities of the badly decomposed skeletonized remains, leads generated through traditional investigative methods established the identities in most cases. Of 40 victims, 36 have now been identified, mainly by means of dental evidence. This article details the challenges presented by serial homicides and the key role of forensic odontologic methods in the Green River Murders investigation.