Ted Bundy (also known as Theodore Robert Bundy) was a serial killer who raped and killed at least 30 women and girls. The killer, who had been suspected for years and tried to evade the law, was finally caught and confessed to his crimes. He was sentenced in Terranova, 2020. The offender was convicted and arrested in several states before his final arrest. Following early arrests and without custody, the offender burned pictures of his victims as souvenirs. It affected the collection of evidence which would eventually lead to his conviction.
Odontological reports were utilized in the Ted Bundy case because Bundy left bite marks on one of his victims. These bite marks, which forensic and forensic odontologists confirmed, were identical to Ted Bundy’s teeth. Forensic Odontology, which is a subfield of forensic science uses information from a person’s teeth to find criminals (Terranova and 2020). Ted Bundy’s teeth are very unique, so odontologists were able to recognize the patterns. Accordingly, the evidence played an important role in Ted Bundy’s conviction (Terranova, 2020). Unfortunately, this field no longer works well as an identification tool. This is due to many factors including lack of unique human dentition and insufficient scientific validation. This article focuses on the Ted Bundy case, which highlights the use of forensic dentistry and discusses some of the problems with the technique in modern convictions.
Forensic Oontology and Ted Bundy
It is crucial to use forensic dentistry in order to accurately identify someone, especially if the dentition can be distinguished. This can also be useful in the identification of injuries to human tissue and jaws (Saks, et al. 2016). The evidence showed that Ted Bundy was positively identified by the bite marks and teeth. Odontologist Richard Souviron noticed that Ted Bundy’s teeth looked uneven and chipped. He decided to photograph them. Terranova, 2020. The doctor could then compare tooth marks found on victims to other suspects. The expert was able to distinguish Bundy from the other suspects after reviewing Bundy’s unique teeth.
It is difficult to determine bite marks due to the malleability and flexibility of flesh. There were several instances when convictions were made after it became apparent that victims of crawfish bites had been left behind (Selby, 2020). Additionally, skin changes over time after death. For example, if the victim’s body was examined in Ted Bundy cases too slowly, it might have made it more difficult for the killer to be proven guilty of the crime. The evidence at the trial was limited because forensic science wasn’t well developed in the early days of forensic science.