Skeleton Stories - Season 1, Episode 10 - Deadly Designs - Full Episode | Forensic Files

NARRATOR: Human remains were found in an isolated field, and the family wonders if this is all that's
left of their 14-year-old daughter who mysteriously disappeared six years earlier.
They say it's a parent's worst nightmare, and it certainly is. NARRATOR: Now it's up to forensic anthropologist,
Dr. Jerry Melbye to find out exactly how this young person met such an untimely end.
There's something so sad about someone whose life is cut so short. NARRATOR: Then, a homicide case so gruesome it shocks
even hardened detectives-- You get somebody that's mutilating somebody-- what kind of monster are you dealing with?
NARRATOR: With only a torso, can Dr. Beth Murray find clues to help solve this heinous crime?
My work will either make or break the case. [music playing] NARRATOR: It's a sunny morning in Manvers, Ontario,
70 miles northeast of Toronto. A local farmer, John Smith, is busy fixing a fence in his field when he spots
something under the leaves. As he comes closer, he realizes that it's a human skull.
Shocked, he immediately calls the police. Detective Herb Curwain rushes to the scene.
What he finds there confirms his worst suspicions, a completely skeletonized torso surrounded
by scattered bone fragments and scraps of clothing. The remains were scattered over roughly 70 square meters.
POLICE OFFICER (ON RADIO): [inaudible] Most of it is gone. The animal interaction was quite extensive.
Quite a bit of the clothing was in and near the area. NARRATOR: Investigators must now photograph, document,
and collect every single bone. Such detailed work requires a specialist, a specialist
in human remains, and Detective Curwain knows just the man, forensic anthropologist
Dr. Jerry Melbye from Texas State University, San Marcos. My responsibility is to speak for the dead.
I suppose we are bone whisperers in the sense that we let the bones speak. Sometimes you have to listen carefully but, in the end,
we are speaking for the victim. NARRATOR: Dr. Melbye is determined to collect every last piece of evidence.
Even the smallest bone fragment or scrap of clothing can make or break a forensic case.
It's crucial to find as much as you can of the skeleton, because you don't know where the damage is that might have
been done by a perpetrator. NARRATOR: But the biggest mystery of all, who the victim is, might not
be such a mystery after all. Six years ago, on April 16th, 1990, a 14-year-old girl named Julie Stanton
vanished without a trace in the same area. Now Detective Curwain believes that she
may finally have been found. Finding the remains in the region-- it was a quick conclusion that it
could possibly have been Julie. NARRATOR: Julie Stanton was a much loved 14-year-old, the youngest of three children.
She was an honor student and one of the most popular girls at her school. Julie was our youngest child, our baby.
She was quite tall for her age, blond hair, pretty-- really pretty. She had her whole life ahead of her.
Julie was a very thoughtful person, very fun loving. I loved the fact that she cared about people.
Her laugh is something I remember and certainly miss. NARRATOR: From the beginning, investigators
treated her disappearance as suspicious. She did not fit the typical runaway teenager profile.
She had close friends that she loved. She had no problems within the family. There was no reason for Julie to leave home, none whatsoever.
I knew something was wrong. She was 14 years old. She just dropped off the face of earth that day.
NARRATOR: At approximately 2:00 PM, on April 16th, 1990, an eyewitness saw Julie get into a gray car
and drive off with a bearded older man. That's last time that Julie is seen alive.
NARRATOR: Her family and investigators eventually became convinced that Julie had been murdered.
It was a long time before I could even admit that she was dead. You always have that hope.
But, as time went on, we knew she wasn't coming back. Deep down, you know there's now coming back.
If Julie was out there, she would have got in touch. NARRATOR: Dr. Melbye is already familiar with the name Julie
Stanton. Her tragic story is known to everyone in this small community. And, although he never met her, this missing 14-year-old
did affect him deeply. There's something so sad about someone whose life is cut so short.
NARRATOR: For the past six years, Dr. Melbye has helped organize searches for Julie's body.
I never gave up searching for Julie. I've had two daughters myself and three sons,
and I don't think there's anything worse than losing a child. NARRATOR: Now that a collection of unidentified human remains
has been discovered, Julie's family is convinced that their daughter has finally been found.
I knew. I just got that feeling that this is Julie. NARRATOR: In a lucky break, one of the most important
bones used in identification is retrieved from the crime scene-- the skull-- and the skull is intact,
including all of its teeth. Since we had dental records, the best avenue was to try to match them up.
NARRATOR: The coroner quickly compares the skull's teeth to Julie Stanton's dental records.
He looks for any distinguishing features that would help link this body to Julie,
such as fillings and cavities. It's a perfect match. I couldn't believe that this had actually happened.
We had finally located Julie. It was a shock but, at the same time, it was a relief.
We knew now. We could at least give her a decent burial. NARRATOR: But, ironically, the discovery of Julie's body
may actually jeopardize her murder case, a case that has an unexpected twist. We had the killer in jail already.
NARRATOR: The man convicted of killing Julie Stanton is Peter Stark, a 47-year-old man that neighbors described as strange
and withdrawn. He didn't interact with a lot of people. He never maintained any gainful employment
much of his adult life. Julie met Peter Stark through his daughter Kim Stark. NARRATOR: In fact, Julie and Kim were close friends,
and investigators speculate that Peter Stark used their friendship as a way of gaining Julie's trust.
Peter Stark had Julie isolated in his mind, and it was starting to become some sort of an obsession.
NARRATOR: And investigators believe Peter Stark finally acted on that obsession.
I'm convinced, 100%, that this man was responsible for the abduction of Julie. NARRATOR: On October 6th, 1994, Stark was put
on trial for Julie's murder. According to the prosecution, Stark lured the 14-year-old
into his car, drugged her, raped her, and then killed her with an ax. They say it's a parent's worst nightmare, and it certainly is.
NARRATOR: Remarkably, despite the absence of a body or of a crime scene, Peter Stark was successfully convicted
of first degree murder. This is the first time in the history of Canada that there was a conviction of first degree murder
without a body or a crime scene. NARRATOR: Ironically, the discovery of Julie's remains
now puts that conviction in jeopardy. Stark and his attorneys waste no time in filing an appeal.
They hope to use any new evidence to their advantage to overturn Stark's murder conviction.
If the appeal went through, we could have a first degree murder conviction that was overturned.
NARRATOR: If the evidence found at the crime scene isn't consistent with the theory the prosecutor
presented at trial, a dangerous killer could be set free. It was crucial that we not have
evidence that was inconsistent with the theory that we had had. NARRATOR: But six long years have elapsed since Julie was
murdered, and Detective Curwain is under no illusions about the difficulties that lie ahead.
I've dealt with remains in the past. I know that, that amount of years, evidence
is going to be lost through the course of time, weather, animal interaction. These are all factors I know are going to come into play.
NARRATOR: Crown attorney John Scott needs Dr. Melbye to answer two crucial questions.
Was Julie attacked with an ax, as the prosecution stated, and was she sexually assaulted?
If Dr. Melbye's forensic findings don't match the prosecutor's scenario, Peter Stark will win his appeal,
and the prosecution will have to retry Stark for Julie's murder all over again. It just started all over again--
the fear, knowing that we have to go through this again. I have done retrials on homicides.
It's terrible the first time. It is a horror the second time. NARRATOR: Coming up, Dr. Melbye begins a race against time
to prove the prosecution right, but the forensic evidence he uncovers may not be enough to keep
a convicted killer behind bars. What are we going to find there? Is it going to assist us in maintaining the conviction?
NARRATOR: And later, the quiet of a sunny afternoon is shattered by a grisly discovery.
You could see that somebody had severed these limbs off. All the extremities had been removed.
NARRATOR: When "Skeleton Stories" returns-- Now that the remains of a 14-year-old girl
have been found six years after her death, Dr. Melbye faces one of the most critical
challenges of his career. I wanted to look for any evidence that might reveal how Julie Stanton died.
NARRATOR: Peter Stark was convicted 18 months earlier for murdering this 14-year-old girl
and has been in jail since then. But, if Dr. Melbye cannot find evidence on Julie's remains
to support the prosecutor's charges against Peter Stark, he may go free. We knew in our hearts Peter Stark was guilty,
but Dr. Melbye was the one that was going to either prove or disprove his guilt.
NARRATOR: As he begins the examination, Dr. Melbye must prepare himself emotionally.
Looking at Julie's bones, I'm painfully aware that she is but a child of 14. I felt very sad--
sad for her and sad for her family. NARRATOR: But Dr. Melbye knows that the only way
to help Julie now is to think not as a parent but as a scientist. I had to put those emotions on my little shelf,
and I could think about them later. NARRATOR: Investigators had one pressing question.
We asked Dr. Melbye-- was there evidence that the victim had been attacked with an ax?
NARRATOR: If Dr. Melbye finds ax marks on Julie's bones, this would corroborate information
that Peter Stark allegedly revealed to a fellow inmate. Stark had admitted to him to chopping Julie up with an ax.
NARRATOR: But no actual ax was ever found. Now, with the discovery of Julie's remains,
the prosecution's theory will be put to the test. First, Dr. Melbye focuses on Julie's skull, a bone that
often show signs of trauma, but he is quickly disappointed by what he sees-- or doesn't see.
I examined the skull looking for ax marks, and I found nothing. NARRATOR: An examination of the rest of Julie's skeleton
also yields no clues. The evidence for an ax simply is not here. NARRATOR: But there is more to this than meets the eye.
The absence of ax marks does not mean that they weren't there. NARRATOR: Not only was 40% of the skeleton missing, including
many long bones from the legs and torso, but the remains had been tampered with by wild animals
during the decomposition process. Animals are naturally attracted to any place where there is blood.
If she did have any wounds, this would be a natural place for animals to start chewing.
NARRATOR: And, sure enough, Dr. Melbye finds evidence of animal bite marks on Julie's bodies.
Here, evidence of chewing-- we can see some gnawing marks on there. NARRATOR: It is precisely this gnawing of the bone that
makes it impossible for Dr. Melbye to make an accurate determination. It's entirely possible that there might have been ax marks
someplace on that skeleton, but they would have been the first to be eaten away by scavengers.
NARRATOR: This is a major blow to the prosecution's case. Their theory that Peter Stark killed
Julie with an ax cannot be supported by any forensic evidence. Only one hope remains in fighting Stark's appeal.
The prosecution turns to Dr. Melbye once again with one last crucial question. Was Julie Stanton sexually assaulted by Peter Stark?
If Dr. Melbye is able to uncover evidence that Stark raped Julie before she was killed, that will be enough to uphold
his guilty verdict. But it will also be close to impossible to prove. That amount of years--
evidence is going to be lost. NARRATOR: And, without that forensic proof, Peter Stark could go free.
Peter Stark is a dangerous man. We know we didn't want to make any mistakes. NARRATOR: Coming up, Dr. Melbye will
have to call on all his forensic expertise to unlock the secret of these bones. But what he finds, or doesn't find,
may unravel the prosecution's case. It was a worry that, potentially, the case could be overturned, and Peter Stark might go free.
NARRATOR: And later, Dr. Beth Murray faces one of her greatest challenges in a case where even the most basic question
proved to be a puzzle. From the outside of the body, it wasn't even obvious whether this was a man or a woman.
NARRATOR: When "Skeleton Stories" returns-- The prosecution is counting on Dr. Melbye
to find proof that Julie Stanton was sexually assaulted before she was murdered.
Could we establish whether or not there was evidence of a sexual assault? NARRATOR: Typically, investigators search
for evidence of DNA, skin under the nails, hair, even semen. But, because Julie's remains have been decomposing for so
long, there is little chance this type of evidence still exists. Dr. Melbye must rely on his 30 years of forensic experience
in an attempt to reconstruct what exactly happened to Julie on the day of her death.
He begins by examining what is left of Julie's clothing and one piece in particular, her shirt.
What was interesting about the shirt was that it was buttoned, and all of the chest bones were inside the shirt.
Now, the conclusion here is simple. She had decomposed with that shirt on. NARRATOR: But another piece of Julie's clothing
tells a very different story. A pair of underwear was also found at the crime scene.
But, unlike the shirt, the underwear does not contain any bones. In fact, the bones that one would normally
expect to find inside, the thigh bone and pelvis, are located 40 feet away from the underwear.
This raises a disturbing question. How did the underwear get to that position 40 feet away?
Was it dragged there and ripped by animals? NARRATOR: Dr. Melbye examines the underwear for evidence
of animal tampering. The underwear was in very good condition, considering it had been out there six years.
NARRATOR: Dr. Melbye finds no sign of animal activity. The underwear was intact.
NARRATOR: Next, he takes another look at the photos of the crime scene to study the exact position of Julie's hip bones
when she was discovered. As he studies the photos, he makes another startling discovery.
What we have here is an articulated hip. NARRATOR: This reveals that Julie's thigh bone and hip are
still connected, just as they would have been when Julie was alive. This is the original position of the body,
with these two bones in articulation. NARRATOR: This seemingly small finding is actually a major breakthrough in the case.
There is only one conclusion. She had decomposed without the underwear on. Someone had taken them off.
NARRATOR: The fact that Julie's shirt was left on, and only her underwear and pants were taken off,
leaves Dr. Melbye with little doubt about the killer's intentions. It's very clear to me that this has been a sexual attack.
NARRATOR: This is the supporting evidence authorities have been waiting for. Dr. Melbye was able to give us a key, important part, the fact
that the sexual assault occurred, six years after Julie was placed there. NARRATOR: Thanks to Dr. Melbye, the prosecution now
feels they have a key piece of physical evidence to fight Peter Stark's appeal in court.
Stark's appeal is heard more than five years after he was found guilty of murdering Julie Stanton.
The appeal is heard by three expert judges. Relying on Dr. Melbye's findings, the authorities are now able to represent their version of what
happened to Julie Stanton on the afternoon of April 16th, 1990. According to the prosecution, Julie Stanton
was waiting by the side of the road when Peter stark pulls up alongside her and lures her into his car.
MAN: You need a ride? Sure. He was acting out his fantasy right there. NARRATOR: An eyewitness sees Julie get into the car
and drive away. At that point, Stark possibly offers her a drink laced with a sedative to subdue her.
MAN: You just relax. NARRATOR: He then drives Julie to a secluded location and carries her from the car into a field.
There, he acted out the final step of his sexual fantasy by raping her. NARRATOR: During the rape, Peter Stark removes Julie's underwear
and tosses it aside. Then, after taking advantage of her, Peter Stark puts an end to Julie's life,
possibly with an ax. Stark then abandons Julie's body in the field to slowly decompose.
Over the next six years, scavengers scatter and chew on the remains, destroying all evidence of the ax
marks likely left on her bones. But her hip area is left undisturbed. There she lies dead until her remains
are discovered by a farmer. She had so much to provide to her community-- such a senseless, completely unnecessary crime.
NARRATOR: After three weeks of deliberation, the judges issue their ruling. Peter Stark's appeal is denied.
The three judges found that the evidence did not warrant an appeal be granted for a new trial.
NARRATOR: The original verdict of first degree murder is upheld. Peter Stark is currently serving out
the remainder of his life sentence in Kingston Penitentiary. I was just so happy with the result of the verdict,
and I know that justice was served. Without Dr. Melbye's findings, we probably would
have been facing a new trial. NARRATOR: And, for Dr. Melbye, there is the satisfaction of knowing that he
helped solve a mystery that haunted his community for six years. I've tried to keep Julie alive in the sense of the future
and what we can learn. I want some small good to come from this terrible thing. NARRATOR: And next--
Dr. Beth Murray refuses to let her emotions get the best of her on one of the toughest
cases of her career. Emotions will cloud my scientific judgment, and I don't want to allow that in.
NARRATOR: That's next on "Skeleton Stories." It's a sunny afternoon in May in eastern Minnesota,
and two friends are biking along the Mississippi River. But their carefree ride suddenly turns
macabre when they spot something in the debris along the riverbank. It appears to be a mass of rotting flesh.
Immediately, they call the police. When Lieutenant Anthony Dwyer arrives at the scene,
he is shocked by what he sees, a human torso in the final stages of decomposition.
There is little doubt that he has a murderer on his hands. I'm used to seeing a lot of homicide scenes,
but this was different. You could see that somebody had severed these limbs off.
All the extremities had been removed. NARRATOR: Lieutenant Dwyer quickly grasps the grim implications.
You've got somebody in your area that's mutilating somebody. What kind of monster are you dealing with that can
perform those types of acts? NARRATOR: With just this torso to go on, Lieutenant Dwyer must figure out who the victim is, who
dismembered the body, and why. But he can't do it alone. He needs the help of an expert who can read the clues
hidden within human remains. Forensic anthropologist Dr. Beth Murray of the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati
has helped solve some of the county's toughest cases. I want Beth Murray to tell me everything she
possibly can about this body. As a forensic anthropologist, it's my job to speak for people who can
no longer speak for themselves. There aren't a lot of people that can take bones and breathe
life back into them. I can coax the clues out of the last evidence they have to give.
NARRATOR: Dr. Murray arrives at the county coroner's office, where she will join the coroner in an examination of the torso.
There's not a lot of things in your life that prepare you to walk into the morgue
and see a torso that's been intentionally dismembered. NARRATOR: But years of experience
have helped Dr. Murray develop ways to cope with the tragedies she faces daily. I try to step back from that and remain objective,
because emotions will cloud my scientific judgment, or could, and I don't want to allow that in.
I don't want to know about this person and their humanity. My job is to know about this person and their biology.
Any idea if it's a male or a-- NARRATOR: Dr. Murray's first order of business is to try to determine the victim's sex, age,
and ethnicity. I knew there were going to be a number of challenges in this case.
There's only so much you can tell from a torso. NARRATOR: Especially one that's so extensively decomposed
and bloated from prolonged immersion in the water-- DR. MURRAY: Any idea how long it's been in the river?
Hard to say-- The remains were just a mass. You could see truncated ends where the head had been removed, where the limbs had been removed.
NARRATOR: Dr. Murray studies the torso with the trained eye of a forensic scientist
for clues to its sex. There was very little, if any, breast development, and there wasn't any external genitalia present.
From the outside, it does appear to be a male. NARRATOR: But speculation alone is not enough.
There is only one place left to look for confirmation, inside the torso itself. As the coroner cuts open the body cavity,
the answer is immediately apparent. The torso contains a uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes, the reproductive organs of a woman.
Despite the lack of female external appearance, this was in fact a female. NARRATOR: Next, Dr. Murray feels the victim's spine for clues
to her age. You should be able to feel the individual bones of the spine and whether they're smooth, as in the case of a younger
person, or whether those edges are very rough, as in a person who's older. NARRATOR: The edges of an older person's spine
are rough because, over time, the constant wear and tear on the bones caused them
to lose their smooth surface. I can feel sharp projections where there's some bony development.
I don't think this is a young person. I think this is a person approaching middle age.
NARRATOR: Next, Dr. Murray determines the victim's ethnicity. There's a piece of skin that--
because it's relatively pink in appearance, this could be a Caucasian. NARRATOR: Dr. Murray is now ready to share
her preliminary conclusions with investigators. I was able to tell them that it was a tall female that
had little to no breast development, but she was not a child. NARRATOR: Armed with Dr. Murray's detailed description,
Lieutenant Dwyer turned to the police department's missing persons reports. There was only one person that matched
what Beth was telling me was the most probable candidate. NARRATOR: This probable candidate
is 34-year-old Lindsay Everett, who had been reported missing by her sister a month earlier.
According to family and friends, Lindsay had a sweet and generous nature. She was just a very pleasant woman, attractive,
and just a warm smile. NARRATOR: But life hadn't always treated Lindsay kindly. She had had a drug problem of and on,
and she had really struggled with that. NARRATOR: To finance her drug addiction,
she turned to prostitution. Recently, she had been working hard to break free of both
the drugs and the prostitution. Then, suddenly, she disappeared. Her family now wants to know if this dismembered torso
is indeed Lindsay. To find out for sure, DNA from the torso's muscle tissue is matched to a blood sample from Lindsay's mother.
One week later, they have the results. The DNA confirmed that this was in fact Lindsay Everett.
NARRATOR: Dr. Murray and the homicide investigators are flush with their first success,
but the case is far from solved. Investigators still need to know how exactly Lindsay died
and who killed her. Dr. Murray faces a daunting challenge answering these questions with just this bloated torso,
but she's determined to find justice for Lindsay and closure for her family. Coming up, investigators close in on a possible lead.
When you rip up all your carpet for really no reason, and you paint a basement that doesn't need painting,
it leads one to believe that there's something up. NARRATOR: Will they find enough to prove murder
when "Skeleton Stories" returns? Forensic anthropologist Dr. Beth Murray is keen to examine the bones of Lindsay
Everett's dismembered torso for clues that might point to her killer. She immediately sends the torso to her lab
where she uses warm water to gently remove soft tissue and muscle from the bone.
Once the remains are completely clean, Dr. Murray focuses on the severed ends of the bones, where Lindsay's killer
removed her head and limbs. The cut surfaces of the bone provide valuable information
as to what kind of tool was used in the dismemberment. NARRATOR: If Dr. Murray can identify the tool,
it could be a huge lead for investigators on the case. As she studies the cut ends, her trained eye
quickly picks up subtle signs hidden in the surface of the bone. What I do notice is that there's a clean edge.
NARRATOR: The smooth surface of the cut bone provides Dr. Murray with an invaluable clue.
It suggested that each cutting event for each limb was a single cutting event. NARRATOR: That means that the tool used to dismember Lindsay
was powerful enough to cut through bone in one single, fluid action. Everything I see here suggests that Lindsay was
dismembered with a power saw. NARRATOR: As Dr. Murray continues her examination,
Lieutenant Dwyer probes deeper into Lindsay's life. We knew that we needed to look at anybody
she was associated with. NARRATOR: One name in particular comes up repeatedly, Michael Walter.
People came forward and they said, look, he knows this girl. They've been seen together.
NARRATOR: And Walter is already well known to authorities. He had several arrests.
He was involved in some drug dealing. He also had a violence towards women, just an all around bad guy.
NARRATOR: Investigators believe that Michael Walker may have sold drugs to Lindsay, but they have
no tangible evidence against him, so this lead goes cold. Then, two weeks later, police receive
a tip from an anonymous caller. It was very vague, but we had information that body parts were being stored at this one girl's house
and that her brother had actually killed somebody. NARRATOR: As it turns out, the brother is
none other than Michael Walter. And, as far fetched as that sound, we had to run that lead down.
NARRATOR: Immediately, Lieutenant Dwyer drives to Walter's sister's house, where the body
parts are said to be stored. He is met at the door by Walter's sister and mother.
Both women insist that the story is ludicrous, but Lieutenant Dwyer finds the sister's behavior suspicious.
She was very nervous. There was a lot of things that really started to heighten our curiosity that there may be more to this than what
we originally thought. NARRATOR: But, when they searched the garage where the body parts are supposedly located,
they find nothing. Despite this setback, police continued to uncover circumstantial evidence against Walter.
Neighbors describe Walter's behavior over the past month as suspicious. He was tearing up his carpet.
He bought a large amount of paint so he was trying to do some painting. NARRATOR: And, finally, a witness
swears that she saw a power saw in Walter's living room. And that was enough for us to get a search
warrant to go inside Michael's house and search for forensic evidence. NARRATOR: On July 5th, 1995, police
scour Michael Walter's house. They found that the entire basement, walls and floor of the basement, had
been painted, freshly painted. Some of the paint was still wet. NARRATOR: Investigators spray the entire room
with luminol, a chemical that reacts to the iron contained in blood. When illuminated by a black light, blood traces will glow.
They found that there was blood on the floor of the basement, and that's probably why
the basement had been painted. NARRATOR: Lieutenant Dwyer orders another DNA test
to see if the blood in Walter's house matches Lindsay Everett's. He also turns Walter's house inside out
but fails to find a power saw or the missing body parts. Then, while Lieutenant Dwyer waits for the DNA results,
he pulls Walter in for questioning. He was very calm, cool, and collected. Keeps asking questions about someone I don't know.
He claimed no knowledge of anything to do with a murder. He denied knowing Lindsay Everett.
Never met her, never saw her before-- so, we've got blood on his walls, and he's just saying, hey, probably off my knuckles.
I know it's just not Lindsay's. NARRATOR: And, without any hard evidence to link Walter to the murder, Lieutenant Dwyer
must let him go. My gut instinct is I'm talking to the guy that brutally murdered and cut up a woman,
and I have to let him go. That's one of the worst feelings that you could ever have.
NARRATOR: After an anxious week, the DNA test finally comes back. The bloodstains in Walter's basement are a perfect
match to Lindsay Everett's. This is a major breakthrough in the case. We can at least put her inside that house,
and we can put her bleeding inside that house, so we're heading in the right direction.
NARRATOR: But prosecutor Dan Eichel needs concrete proof that Walter was responsible for Lindsay's death
before he will bring the case to trial. We do not have a confession. We do not have a cause of death.
There is not sufficient evidence to make an arrest. NARRATOR: In his hunt for more evidence,
Lieutenant Dwyer questions Walter's sister again. After a long interrogation, she begins to break down.
Eventually, she confesses to covering up her brother's crime. She was able to tell us that her brother Walter had actually
murdered this person, and he needed their help in disposing of the parts. She told us that her and her mother disposed of body parts
in two different graves. [inaudible]. She cooperated and took the police exactly
where the remains were buried. NARRATOR: Walter sister leads Lieutenant Dwyer to the first grave site, where he begins to dig.
Within minutes, he sees empty eye sockets staring back at him. It's a human skull.
He immediately calls Dr. Murray. When she's on the scene, she's in charge. She's the one running the show.
What she says goes. Very carefully, I excavated around the skull and removed it, along with as much soil as I could,
and placed it in a container. The reason for doing that is to preserve any evidence that's immediately in and around the skull.
NARRATOR: Using this process of meticulous excavation, Dr. Murray recovers all the missing body parts.
Everything was matched up to Lindsay Everett by DNA analysis. NARRATOR: The discovery of Lindsay's missing remains
has the potential to break this case wide open, but only if Dr. Murray can read the secrets they might hold.
Best case scenario-- that skull or those limbs are going to provide some kind of evidence
of cause or manner of death. NARRATOR: For this case to go to trial, prosecutors are counting on Dr. Murray
to prove that Walter murdered Lindsay and then dismembered her to cover up his crime.
If not, a suspected murderer will remain at large. Michael Walter-- he's a dangerous person.
You don't want to let a guy like that go. We need a cause of death to prosecute this guy for homicide.
NARRATOR: Coming up, Dr. Murray's findings are challenged in a court of law. Will her testimony stand up to the defense's attack?
This is when it really matters. This is when my work will either make or break the case.
NARRATOR: When "Skeleton Stories" returns-- Forensic anthropologist Dr. Beth Murray
is examining the remains of 34-year-old Lindsay Everett, recently excavated from their shallow grave.
Dr. Murray and investigators hope these bones will yield the forensic evidence needed to charge suspect Michael
Walter with Lindsay's murder. He knows what he did. He's just waiting for us to piece it
together and hoping we don't. NARRATOR: Dr. Murray begins by carefully washing the residual soil off of Lindsay's skull.
There's a lot more going on here than I originally thought. Take a look at this.
I can begin to see that there's a lot of damage to the facial region. I think the nasal region, at least one blow--
it appeared as though a lot of the facial bones were broken. NARRATOR: Very quickly, a clear pattern of injuries emerges.
I can see at least four different blows, one to the left eye [inaudible], one to the left side
of the skull, behind the ear, and another one to the upper part of the jaw. I can't imagine any kind of accident that could
cause fractures like this. Lindsay was definitely bludgeoned. NARRATOR: Then Dr. Murray makes one last chilling discovery.
Looks like a couple pieces got actually pushed in there. NARRATOR: The brute force of the blows
causes shards of shattered bone to be pushed into the brain itself. Causing bleeding, swelling, loss of cerebrospinal fluid--
and damage to this area and extensive bleeding can actually cause a person to suffocate on their own blood.
NARRATOR: With this final forensic clue, Dr. Murray believes she has found the evidence that points
to a cause of death, craniocerebral trauma inflicted by a blunt object. Prosecutor Dan Eichel now has enough
hard evidence to bring charges of murder against Michael Walter. The damage to the skull suggested
that this was a murder and that the dismemberment was to cover up a murder. NARRATOR: Investigators arrest Michael Walter
and prepare for the trial. On November 6th, 1996, he goes to court for the murder
of Lindsay Everett. Dr. Murray is the prosecution's key witness. It's my job as an expert witness
to educate the jury on what happened and how it happened to the best of my ability.
She was able to just state the facts plainly in an unbiased fashion. Four blows to the head caused this person's death.
NARRATOR: Now it's the defense team's turn to ask the questions, and they have a surprise
for the expert witness. The defense was attempting to allege that the damage to the face was done either
by Detective Dwyer and or myself during the process of the excavation. We had a contentious trial going on.
NARRATOR: But Dr. Murray has come prepared. I could prove by photographs of the skull
in the ground, the skull at my lab, the skull with the flesh removed, that there was no way that the damage to that skull
was caused by a shovel. NARRATOR: The prosecution is now ready to reconstruct for the jury their version of the final moments
of Lindsay's life. On April 23rd, 1995, Lindsay is at Walter's house, possibly buying or doing drugs.
Then something happens that pushes him over the edge. What are you doing? Could have been a violent argument or altercation
between the two-- one thing led to another. The defendant picked up a hammer and hit her in the head.
She was struck at least four times. We're talking about some great force that actually fractured the skull.
These kinds of blows to the skull can send shards of bone into the brain itself.
NARRATOR: These multiple violent blows to Lindsay's head cause her brain to bruise and swell.
Soon, the brain ceases to function, resulting in the failure of all vital organs.
Within a few minutes, Lindsay is dead. But now Walter needs to dispose of the body.
From there, he basically dismembered her. NARRATOR: Using a power saw, Walter removes
Lindsay's head, arms, and legs. He then tosses her mutilated torso into the river.
But the desecration of Lindsay's body is not over. Then we know that the mother and sister took the body parts
and buried them. To me, it doesn't matter who the person was, whether they were an upstanding citizen or a down and out drug addicted
person. There's no excuse for this. NARRATOR: After just five hours, the jury returns with their verdict--
guilty. He was found guilty on all counts. NARRATOR: On November 15th, 1996, Michael Walter is sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
OK, great. Thank god, you know, Beth was able to give us our cause of death. I'm convinced that's what got us our murder conviction.
NARRATOR: As Dr. Murray wraps up her case, she reflects on how reading the bones of the dead
can have a tremendous impact on the lives of the living. To be able to use science in a way that
has direct benefits to family members, to society in general-- that's really a rewarding thing.

A farmer makes a startling discovery while fixing a fence when he stumbles onto a human skull and torso. A dismembered torso is found on a riverbank by two bicyclists.

This true crime series delves into the case files of the country’s top forensic anthropologists and reveals the secrets trapped deep inside the human body.

Brief Summary

Forensic anthropologists investigate the murders of Julie Stanton and Lindsay Everett, uncovering crucial evidence to secure convictions.

Key points

The Discovery of Human Remains. A farmer finds a human skull in his field, leading to a shocking investigation.
Identifying Julie Stanton. Forensic anthropologist Dr. Melbye matches dental records to identify the remains as Julie Stanton.
Peter Stark's Conviction. Peter Stark is convicted of first-degree murder without a body, a first in Canada.
The Appeal. The discovery of Julie's remains jeopardizes Stark's conviction as he files an appeal.
The Evidence of Sexual Assault. Dr. Melbye finds crucial evidence indicating Julie was sexually assaulted before her murder.
Dr. Murray's Role. As a forensic anthropologist, Dr. Murray speaks for those who can no longer speak for themselves.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I never gave up searching for Julie.

Dr. Melbye reflects on his commitment to finding Julie.

6:23WatchSep 30, 2021

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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