Identification of Remains: It's Effectiveness in Solving Crimes

The identification of remains has proven to be very useful in criminal detection. This article will explain this aspect of forensic detection as well as give an example of how it was used effectively in a criminal investigation.

The first order of business when a body is discovered is to identify the victim. Part of the reason for this is the fact that a majority of homicide victims are killed by someone that they knew. Therefore, discovering the identity of the victim can be very useful in leading to the identity of the killer. Many serial killers are aware of this and take great measures to render their victims unidentifiable. These measures include, but are not limited to: removal of the victims hands to prevent identification via fingerprints, removal of identifying marks and scars such as tattoos and birthmarks and burning the corpse in hopes of destroying it. Fortunately, the human body is quite durable and not so easy to dispose of. Corpses are full of clues of the person's identity. Here is one example of how the victim's identity led directly to the identities of his murderers:

On June 26, 1897, the headless torso of a murder victim was discovered by two young swimmers. Upon examining the torso, the police surgeon noted that there were signs of surgical skill in the way that the body was dissected. This indicated that the killer had medical and anatomical knowledge, possibly a doctor or other medical professional. The police surgeon also observed that a piece of skin was missing from the chest. This indicated that it was removed to rid an identifying mark or characteristic. Soon after, the lower torso was located in Washington Heights and the legs were found near the Brooklyn shore; the head of the victim was never located.

The discovery of the severed body parts was a media sensation, one that New York Journal reporter, George Arnold, wanted to capitalize on. He visited the morgue and watched as the officials attempted to piece the victim's remains back together. As he watched, he noticed something interesting about the victim's hands: they were well cared for, yet rough and riddled with calluses. Arnold recalled noticing a similar oddity in the people employed as masseurs at the Turkish baths. An investigation of the local baths yielded an interesting piece of information... Willie Guldensuppe, a masseur at Murray Hill Baths, had been missing for a couple of days. Even more interesting was the fact that Guldensuppe had a tattoo on his chest. Arnold investigated the matter and found that Guldensuppe had resided in a boardinghouse on Ninth Avenue, which was operated by a woman named Augusta Nack. Mrs. Nack seemed perplexed as to the whereabouts of her missing tenant.

By that time, a Dr. J. S. Cosby had positively identified the remains as those of Willie Guldensuppe. Another reporter from the New York Journal began an investigation of his own. He visited drug stores in the area around Guldensuppe's home with a photograph of the oilcloth that the torso was found in. One of the owners remembered selling an oilcloth to a heavyset attractive woman... Mrs. Nack perfectly fit the description. The police interrogated her, but she denied any involvement in Guldensuppe's death. She was taken to view the remains and asked if she recognized the legs as those of Guldensuppe, to which she replied, "I would not know as I never saw the gentleman naked." Popular opinion among the other tenants whistled a different tune. Arnold had heard from several of them that in addition to being Mrs. Nack's tenant, Guldensuppe was also her lover. According to the tenants, Nack and Guldensuppe were on bad terms due to another lover of hers... Martin Thorn.

The police questioned a fellow employee at the barbershop where Thorn worked and discovered some disturbing information. The man informed the police that Thorn confessed the murder of Guldensuppe to him. As Thorn told it, he and Augusta Nack were sleeping together while Guldensuppe was away. Guldensuppe returned home unexpectedly, caught the two together and beat him severely. A similar incident occurred soon after and resulted in another severe beating for Thorn. It was then that Thorn decided to kill Guldensuppe. He purchased a knife and a gun to do so. Another interesting bit of information was discovered about Thorn... he was a former medical student.

The murder of Guldensuppe was the headline of almost every newspaper in New York. It was not long before police received a call from a farmer who lived near the drugstore where the oilcloth was purchased. The farmer had rented a cabin two weeks prior to a Mr. and Mrs. Braun. The couple had been at the cabin on the day that Guldensuppe was killed. That same day, the farmer's ducks were frolicking in a puddle of water formed from the unconnected waste disposal pipe from the cabin. The ducks were all pink, which caused the farmer to investigate the puddle where he found what appeared to be blood.

The police searched the cabin and found rope, a gun, carbolic acid, a saw and a knife. This discovery was adequate to merit a warrant for Augusta Nack's arrest. Thorn had fled to Canada, but was soon recaptured. After some shenanigans, Nack and Thorn revealed the true events of the day in question: The couple rented the cottage exclusively for the purpose of killing Guldensuppe. Nack lured Guldensuppe under the false pretense that she would have sexual intercourse with him. When he arrived, Thorn emerged from his hiding place in a nearby closet and shot Guldensuppe. While Mrs. Nack set off to purchase the oilcloth, Thorn dragged the body into the bathtub. Not realizing that the disposal pipe was not yet connected to the sewer, he let the water run to wash away the blood as he sawed the corpse into pieces. Thorn covered the head in plaster of paris and disposed of it in a nearby river.

The two were convicted of the murder of Willie Guldensuppe. Thorn resided at Sing Sing Correctional Facility until August 1, 1898, when he became the twenty-seventh person to be executed via the electric chair. Due to a plea bargain, Augusta Nack served only twenty years in prison.