William Ross Maples, Ph.D. (August 7, 1937 — February 27, 1997) was an American forensic anthropologist working at the C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory at the Florida Museum of Natural History. His specialty was the study of bones. He worked on several high-profile criminal investigations, including those concerning historical figures such as Francisco Pizarro, the Romanov family, Joseph Merrick (known as the "Elephant Man"), President Zachary Taylor, and Medgar Evers. His insights often proved beneficial in closing cases that otherwise may have remained unsolved.
Dr. William Ross Maples | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 7, 1937 |
| Died | February 27, 1997 (aged 59) Gainesville, Florida, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Texas |
| Spouse |
Margaret Kelly (m. 1958) |
| Children | 2 daughters |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Forensic anthropologist |
| Institutions | University of Florida |
He is the author of Dead Men Do Tell Tales: The Unusual and Fascinating Cases of a Forensic Anthropologist (co-authored by Michael Browning). The book chronicles his career in forensic anthropology and some of his high-profile cases.
Personal life
editMaples married Margaret Kelly in 1958. They had two children, Lisa and Cynthia.
Maples completed his doctorate at the University of Texas at Austin in 1967. On February 27, 1997, he died at his home in Gainesville, Florida, from a cancerous brain tumor.[1]
References
edit- ^ Herszenhorn, David M. (March 1, 1997). "William R. Maples, 59, dies; Anthropologist of Big Crimes". The New York Times. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
- Goza, W M (1999), "William R. Maples, forensic historian: four men, four centuries, four countries", J. Forensic Sci., vol. 44, no. 4 (published Jul 1999), pp. 692–4, PMID 10432600
- Falsetti, A B (1999), "A thousand tales of dead men: the forensic anthropology cases of William R. Maples, Ph.D", J. Forensic Sci., vol. 44, no. 4 (published Jul 1999), pp. 682–6, PMID 10432599
- Maples, William R. and Browning, Michael (1994). Dead Men Do Tell Tales. (ISBN 0-385-47968-9) Existe versión en español "Los muertos también hablan" (2006)
External links
edit- C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory
- The William R. Maples Center for Forensic Medicine
- The William R. Maples Collection Digital Collection of William R. Maples works, documents, photos and research. Maintained by the Florida Gulf Coast University Library.