Molly Steen

October 19, 2017

Forensic Analysis and Interpretation
Introduction and Paper Layout

Ted Bundy and Forensic Odontology

Ted Bundy was a notorious serial killer who was active during the 1970s. He was known

to have killed over 30 young women and thought to have killed over 100. His case is the most

famous case where forensic odontology was used. Law enforcement used a bitemark he left on a

Florida State University student to convict him. Through techniques used by forensic

odontologists they were able to match up his bite mark to the one on the girl. Forensic

odontology played a huge role within Ted Bundy’s case because of the bite mark he left was the

most compelling piece of evidence used to convict him. After his conviction he later admitted to

multiple other murders across the United States.

It is believed that Ted Bundy’s killing spree started sometime around 1974. His main

targets were attractive, college-age girls. He had victims in Vermont, Utah, Colorado, and

Florida. Bundy was a handsome and charming man. He would use this charm to lore women to

his car, a 1968 tan Volkswagen Beetle. Once his victims were close enough Bundy would knock

them unconscious, handcuff them, and force them into his car. Bundy’s car was missing the

passenger seat so that he could lay his victim down out of sight. This method is how he primarily

obtained his victims. He was able to rape and murder many women this way. Bundy’s ritual was

very sadistic. He would rape his victims and then he would strangle or bludgeon them to death.

After they were dead Bundy would mutilate their bodies, revisit their corpses at the dumpsites,
and took part in necrophilic acts. He would display their decapitated heads in his apartment and

sleep with their dead bodies (Crime Museum.)

Ted Bundy started killing while he was studying psychology at the University of

Washington. His first victim was 21 year old Lynda Healy who he abducted from her basement

flat. In the spring and summer of 1974 five more girls disappeared in the area but Bundy was not

linked to the disappearances. In 1977 Bundy was charged with murder in Colorado. While in

prison Bundy escaped twice. The first time he escaped Bundy crawled out of his cell window. He

was eventually caught eight days later. Later that same year Bundy escaped again by cutting a

whole in cell with a hacksaw. He was not recaptured and he fled to Florida.

In Florida he broke into a sorority house at Florida State University. Bundy strangled

Margaret Brown, who was 21 and beat 20 year old Lisa Levy to death after assaulting her. Two

other girls were attacked but survived after being beaten with a wooden club. A month following

his break in at the sorority, Bundy abducted 12 year old Kim Leach from a high school gym. He

sexually assaulted her then strangled her. She was his final victim before his arrest

(Biography.com.)

Bundy was arrested on February 15, 1978 while driving a stolen car. It was hard for law

enforcement to gather evidence to tie Bundy to the murders in Florida. He had left very little

forensic evidence at crime scenes and in his apartment. The key piece of evidence in Bundy’s

case was a bitemark he had left on the buttock of one of the sorority house victims, Lisa Levy.

They used forensic odontology to determine that the bite mark was left by Bundy (Case Profile-

Ted Bundy: The Use of Forensic Odontology.)

 Forensic odontology is the use of dental science in a criminal investigation. Forensic

scientists use it when comparing a bite mark found on a victim or items within the crime scene to

dental records to determine an offender. At crime scenes, criminals can leave bitemarks in food

or on the victim. If a bitemark is found it needs to be heavily photographed and sample of saliva

should be taken. Casts and molds of the bitemark can also be taken. These steps help being able

to compare bitemarks of a victim to the bitemarks of a suspect.

Forensic odontology was first used in 1692 during the Salem Witch Trials. The reverend

George Burroughs was accused of soliciting girls into witchcraft by biting them. During his trial

his teeth were compared to the bite marks left on some of the girls. His teeth matched the

bitemarks on the girls and Reverend Burroughs was convicted of witchcraft (Forensic Dentistry

and Microbial Analysis of Bite Marks.) Paul Revere was the first forensic dentist in the United

States. He was known to identify fallen soldiers by their teeth. His most notable case was the

identification of Dr. Joseph Warren who Revere identified by a small denture that he had made

for him. Forensic Odontology was also used to confirm the deaths of John Wilkes Booth and

Adolf Hitler (Voelker.)

Forensic Odontology can be used to help identify human remains through dental records

and the eruption of the teeth. A rough estimate of the age of a person can be determined through

their teeth by the formation and eruption, which is when a person’s teeth breaks through the

gums and become visible, of a person’s teeth. Dental records are held by dentists and normally

consists of the results of a physical examination, photographs, and x-rays. Sometimes they can

hold laboratory tests and molds. Information should be added to the record, but nothing should

be removed. Dentists are required to hold onto dental records for 7 to 10 years. Forensic

odontology is not just helpful when identifying a victim or culprit but can also be helpful
identifying remains after a disaster. The main disaster where dental identification is used is mass

transit accidents and building collapses where fire is involved. The fire damage can make

individuals almost impossible to identify by appearance because of the damage to physical

feature. Teeth however, are heavily calcified and have a higher resistance to fire and heat.

Peoples teeth and bite are unique which makes it easy to distinguish and individual. Dental

records become a key piece in identifying remains in these situations. Forensic odontology is

also linked to forensic anthropology, which is the study of bones. In some cases, forensic

pathologists and forensic odontologists will work together to identify remains. The two can work

together by examining the skull and teeth of a person to determine sex, age, and race of a person

(Journal of Canadian Dental Association.)

There are seven classifications of bitemarks. Hemorrhage is when there is a small amount

of blood exits a ruptured blood vessel. Abrasion is an undamaged mark on the skin. Contusion is

when the blood vessels are ruptured resulting in bruising, which can be very difficult to find

individual characteristics. Laceration is when the skin is torn or punctured. Incision is when a

precise puncture is made in the skin. Avulsion is when the skin is removed. Artefact is when a

piece of the body is bitten off. These type of bitemarks can be found on a victim after a violet

attack. They are primarily on the stomach, breasts, or buttocks. They can also be left on a suspect

by the victim from self-defense. The accuracy of a bitemark relies on where the bite mark was

found, the amount of damage to the soft tissue, and the quality of photography, impressions, and

measurements. One of the most common methods when comparing bite marks is the use of

transparent overlays to match a suspect’s bite impression to one found at a crime scene.

Sometimes, if possible, a cast will be made of the bitemark for later comparison (The Forensic

Library.)
 In Ted Bundy’s case the most compelling piece of evidence was a bite mark he left on

one of his victims at the Florida State University Sorority, Lisa Levy. Bundy originally refused

to give a mold of his teeth to be compared to the bite found on the victim. Bundy was eventually

forced to give a mold after a warrant was issued. The investigators surprised Bundy at his home

to obtain the mold in effort to prevent him from grinding his teeth to disguise his bite. The

dentist who examined Bundy’s teeth was named Dr. Richard Souviron. After comparing the

mold and photographs he took of Bundy’s teeth to pictures of the bite mark on the Lisa Levy by

laying them over each other with a transparent sheet he concluded that his teeth were a perfect

match. Bundy had a unique bite pattern because of a malocclusion, which is when the teeth are

not positioned properly when the jaws are closed. This malocclusion made it easier to confirm

that the bitemark was indeed Bundy’s. In court Bundy represented himself. He had Dr.

Souviron’s findings cross examined. Dr. Souviron admitted that his conclusion was a matter of

opinion (Case Profile-Ted Bundy: The Use of Forensic Odontology.) Bundy also tried to argue

in court that the techniques used were not acceptable and could not be reliable because they did

not meet the comparison of standards (Forensic Dentistry and Microbial Analysis of Bite Marks.)

Despite both of these argument, Bundy was still convicted. Bundy’s case is credited with being

the reason bite mark evidence became popular with in courts.

The bite mark that Bundy left help convict him because there was no sold evidence found

at the crime scene at Florida State University. It is believed that he wiped the rooms he was in

clean. When law enforcement arrived at the sorority they believed that Bundy could have been

the culprit, but their theory was not enough the have him convicted. Bundy beat the girls to death

with a log, which he took with him after the killings. The investigators were able to gather a few

print smudges, a blood type, and a sperm sample but they were unable to trace these to Bundy
directly. The bite mark Bundy left on Levy was the only solid piece of evidence the investigators

had to convict him (Ted Bundy- The Final Bitemark.)

Forensic odontology is considered reliable but there have been times where it has been

questioned. The main reason it has been questioned is because skin can cause distortion in a bite

mark due the stretching, movement, and change in environment after the bite. Another reason

forensic odontology is questioned is because there is not a set standard for analyzing and

comparing bite marks (The Forensic Library.) Forensic odontology was helpful when convicting

Ted Bundy but there have been cases where forensic odontology lead to the false conviction of

individuals, the most notable case being that on Ray Krone.

Ray Krone was convicted of the murder of Kim Ancona in Phoenix, Arizona in 1992.

Ancona was found in the men’s restroom of the bar she worked at. She was nude and had been

stabbed to death. The perpetrator had left bite marks on her breasts and neck, which were the key

pieces of evidence since little physical evidence was found at the scene. The investigators

gathered saliva from the marks, but it matched a common blood type. They did not perform any

DNA tests to help identify the perpetrator. Krone was supposed to help Ancona close the bar on

the night of her death. He was asked to provide a bite mark impression on a piece of Styrofoam

for comparison. Krone was arrested for the murder in December of 1991. Krone stated that he

was asleep in his bed when Ancona was killed and that he was innocent. The prosecution

presented an expert bite mark testimony stating that Krone’s bite matched the bite marks on

Ancona. He was sentenced to death based on the bite mark evidence. In 1996 Krone appealed his

case and was once again sentenced to death based on the bite mark evidence. In 2002 Krone was

finally found innocent after the saliva found at the scene was DNA tested. Krone was released

after spending ten years in prison (The Innocence Project.)

 Forensic Odontology can be a very valuable technique in criminal cases. Using dental

records and examination of the teeth themselves, investigators can identify a victim or link an

individual to a crime. Ted Bundy is the most famous case where forensic odontology was the key

piece of evidence which led to his conviction. Though there have been cases, like Ray Krone’s,

where forensic odontology caused the false conviction of an individual, it is still considered

reliable way to identify someone. Overall forensic odontology should continue be used when

identifying remains or linking an individual to a crime.

Sources:

1. Avon, Sylvie L. "Forensic Odontology: The Roles And Responsibilities of the

Dentists." Semantics Scholar, Journal of The Canadian Dental Association, 2004,
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1a0c/f1487be93eb4d15d625d8e25dc6cf943cba6.pdf.
Accessed 24 Nov. 2017.
2. "Case Profile- Ted Bundy The Use of Forensic Odontology." . ,
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ece1c6e4b01bcecac611f1/t/56f1a93a356fb0a2c9
847f3e/1458678075001/CaseStudyTedBundy.pdf. Accessed 26 Nov. 2017.
3. Kennedy, Darnell. "Forensic Dentistry and Microbial Analysis of Bite Marks." Semantic
Scholar, APJ, Mar. 2011,
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/28d3/6deff2a9f9fb000da2b8024881898a5bf026.pdf.
Accessed 26 Nov. 2017
4. "Ray Krone." Innocence Project, https://www.innocenceproject.org/cases/ray-krone/.
Accessed 3 Dec. 2017
5. “Ted Bundy.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 2 Aug. 2017,
www.biography.com/people/ted-bundy-9231165. Accessed 3 Dec. 2017
6. “Ted Bundy | Serial Killers | Crime Library.” Crime Museum,
www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/serial-killers/ted-bundy/. Accessed 24 Nov. 2017
7. “Forensic Odontology.” The Forensics Library, aboutforensics.co.uk/forensic-
odontology/. Accessed 1 Dec. 2017
8. Voelker, Marsha A. “Forensic-Dentistry-History.” Forensic Dentistry History | Forensic
Dentistry | Continuing Education Course, www.dentalcare.com/en-us/professional-
education/ce-courses/ce401/forensic-dentistry-history. Accessed 1 Dec. 2017
9. “The famous bitemark case - Ted Bundy- the final bitemark.” Google Sites,
sites.google.com/site/tedbundythelastbitemark/the-famous-bitemark-case. Accessed 27
Nov. 2017