Mystery Boy in Iron Coffin Identified

September 20th, 2007 in Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Mystery Boy in Iron Coffin Identified (AP)

In this photograph provided by the Smithsonian Institution, anthropologist Kari Bruwelheide, right, and Doug Owsley, head of physical anthropology at the National Museum of Natural History, center, examine the remains of an iron coffin at the museum in Washington in this Aug. 3, 2005 file photo. The remains have been identified as 15-year-old William Taylor White, who died in 1852 and was buried in the Columbia College cemetery. The college later became The George Washington University. (AP Photo/Smithsonian Institution)

(AP) -- Researchers have solved the mystery of the boy in the iron coffin. The cast-iron coffin was discovered by utility workers in Washington two years ago. Smithsonian scientists led by forensic anthropologist Doug Owsley set about trying to determine who was buried in it, so the body could be placed in a new, properly marked grave.

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