Forensic Hair
Unit 6
forensics, forensic science, csi, crime scene, crime, scene, crime, lab, crime lab, laboratory
In a case that would come to be known as the “Wood Chipper Murder,” Helle Crafts disappeared unexpectedly from her home in Connecticut. Her husband, Richard, claimed she had merely returned to her native country of Denmark to live with her mother, but her friends didn’t believe the story. Helle had previously warned them not to believe stories of disappearance or accident in the event of her death. They hired a private investigator to look into the matter, and he uncovered rumors of physical abuse and serial philandering on Richard’s part.
However, with no body, it was difficult to charge Richard with anything. Luckily, an eyewitness came forward who claimed to have seen a manoperating a wood chipper on a bridge over the Housatonic River. Police found a few strands of blond hair, some skin, and a fingernail, but since this was before DNA technology became available, all police could determine was that the skin they found was the same type as Helle’s. After one mistrial and the discovery of a host of circumstantial evidence, Richard was convicted of his wife’s murder and sentenced to 50 years in prison. The conviction, absent any physical evidence aside from these miniscule remnants or even a body, was a landmark case in the state of Connecticut. |