During the 1910 trial of Dr. Hawley Crippen for the murder of his wife Cora, forensic pathology evidence supported the prosecution's argument. A scar and traces of poison matched Cora and were linked to Crippen. Over a century later, DNA testing of remains and histological evidence revealed the remains did not belong to Cora, indicating Crippen may have been innocent after all. Advanced forensic techniques were able to uncover truth that came too late to save Crippen from execution.

1. FORENSIC PATHOLOGY
Submitted by: Iqra Zulfiqar
Roll number: 023
Submitted to: Dr. Rukhsana
Department: Center For Applied Molecular Biology And Forensics

2. FORENSIC PATHOLOGY:
• The forensic pathologist is a subspecialist in pathology
whose area of special competence is the examination of
persons who die suddenly, unexpectedly or violently.
The forensic pathologist is an expert in determining
cause and manner of death.

3. CASE SOLVED BY FORENSIC
PATHOLOGY:
• DR. HAWLEY CRIPPEN
• Dr. Hawley Crippen's (left) murder of his wife Cora
(right) was a case solved by forensic pathology.
• Was Dr. Crippen guilty?

4. THE DOCTOR:
• Hawley Harvey Crippen was born in Coldwater,
Michigan in the year 1862. He became a homeopath
after graduating from the Michigan School of
Homeopathic Medicine at age 21. He began his medical
career in New York, but moved to London in 1897, and
again to Holloway, England in 1905. His "medicine" was
quite illegitimate, as he brewed potions and "remedies,"
and was dismissed by many as a quack. The British
Government, in fact, forbade him from practicing
medicine. Crippen was described as a quiet, shy man,
who at 5'3'' was shorter than most women in his life. He
was known for his "walrus moustache."

5. THE WOMEN:
• The Doctor's first wife, Charlotte, died of a stroke in 1892.
He remarried in 1894, this time to Cora Turner, a woman
whose personality sharply contrasted with his. An aspiring
opera singer with a flamboyant taste in dress and jewelry,
Cora slept with many other men while married to Crippen,
and the Doctor was too passive to try to keep her loyal.
Instead, he had affairs of his own, with a typist of his
named Ethel LeNeve.
• In 1910, Cora disappeared, and Dr. Crippen claimed that
she had left for America with Bruce Miller, an actor who
was one of Cora's lovers. The police believed the story until
Crippen fled with Ethel to Belgium, which prompted them
to investigate the Doctor's house for signs of Cora.

6. THE CRIME:
• The search of Crippen's house yielded the remains of a human body. It
was found buried under the basement floor and contained no bones --
only organs and various pieces of flesh. The Doctor and his girlfriend
were found sailing to America on a ship called the Montrose, poorly
disguised as a father and son and using fake names. Ethel acted
suspiciously effeminate for a "teenage son," and the ship's captain
sent a telegraph to the authorities, saying, "Have strong suspicions
that Crippen London cellar murderer and accomplice are among
saloon passengers. Mustache taken off growing beard. Accomplice
dressed as boy. Manner and build undoubtedly a girl."
Dr. Crippen and Ethel were arrested for Cora's murder on board the
ship. Tried in England, they became internationally notorious, and to
this day Dr. Crippen is one of the best-known murderers in British
history. He was found guilty on all counts, and Ethel was acquitted.
Crippen showed great interest in Ethel but no remorse for Cora; he
had clearly "moved on." The Doctor was hanged on November 23,
1910.

7. HOW DOES PATHOLOGY APPLY?
• Pathology was used to identify the remains as Cora Crippen, and
it was the main reason that the Doctor was found guilty. A scar
found on the remains from Dr. Crippen's basement matched one
on Cora's torso. In addition, the autopsy showed that not only
was Cora dismembered, but also poisoned, as high quantities of
scopolamine was found in the remains. This poison was
purchased recently by Dr. Crippen. Some trace evidence in the
form of hair found near the remains matched Cora's hair, which
contradicted the Doctor's claim that the remains were from a
previous owner of the house, and that neither he, Cora, or Ethel
had been where they were found.
• One of the case's pathologists was Sir Bernard Spilsbury, one of
the most renowned pathologists in England. The Crippen case
granted him national fame and was a steppingstone to a storied
science career. Clearly, the public was shown from this case how
useful forensic pathology could be in a prosecution.

8. • During the trial, the evidence seemed to support the
hypothesis that Dr. Crippen had killed his wife.
Toxicological analysis of the remains revealed a lethal dose
of hyoscine hydrobromide (scopolamine), a drug that Dr.
Crippen used in his homeopathic medicines. Identification
of the remains was complicated by the fact that the most
informative tissues were absent. However, pathologist
Bernard Spilsbury testified that a scar found on the remains
was consistent with an abdominal surgery scar that Cora
was said to have. Finally, a date on the label of the pajama
tops suggested that the garment was buried after the
Crippens had moved into the home. The trial lasted only
five days, and the jury deliberated for only 27 minutes
before returning a verdict of guilty on October 22, 1910.
On November 23, Hawley Crippen was hanged.

9. CASE REOPENED:
• Now, a century later and armed with more advanced forensic
technology, researchers at Michigan State University revisited
the evidence in Dr. Crippen’s murder trial. They were able to
procure one of Dr. Spilsbury’s histological slides of tissue found
in the coal cellar, isolate DNA and perform DNA testing.
Researchers analyzed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is
inherited through the maternal lineage only, of three of Cora’s
maternal relatives. These three relatives had identical mtDNA
haplotypes that differed from the Cambridge Reference
Sequence at seven positions. The haplotype was unique in the
FBI database, suggesting that the haplotype that Cora shared
with these relatives is not a common one. Despite difficulties
isolating and amplifying mtDNA from the remains, researchers
were able to determine that mtDNA sequences of Cora and the
remains differed at a minimum of five sites. Thus, the remains
were not those of Cora Crippen.

10. • Researchers also performed DNA testing to determine
gender. When amplification of Amelogenin, the locus
normally used for gender assignment, was unsuccessful,
they turned to the Y-chromosome-specific DYZ1 locus.
Surprisingly, researchers were able to amplify DYZ1, a
result consistent with a male gender—further evidence
that the remains were not those of Cora Crippen.
• With this new evidence, it appears that Dr. Crippen did
not murder his wife, and his statement before his
execution that “some day evidence will be discovered to
prove [my innocence]” was true. Unfortunately, the truth
was revealed much too late.