In 1976 while filming a segment of the 6 million dollar man a prop man moved a mannequin and its arm fell off. Prop man picks up arm to reattach and sees a bone sticking out, turns out its Elmer McCurdy. On December 8, 1976, the production crew of the television show The Six Million Dollar Man were filming scenes for the Carnival of Spies episodes at the The Pike. During the shoot, a prop man moved what was thought to be a wax mannequin that was hanging from a gallows.[8] When the mannequins arm broke off, a human bone and muscle tissue were visible.[9] Police were called and the mummified corpse was taken to the Los Angeles coroners office. On December 9, Dr. Joesph Choi conducted an autopsy and determined that the body was in fact that of a human male who had died of a gunshot wound to the chest. The body was completely mummified and had been painted several times with phosphorus paint. It weighed approximately 50 pounds and was 63 inches in height. Some hair was still visible on the sides and back of the head while the ears, big toes and fingers were missing. The examination also revealed incisions from his original autopsy and embalming. Tests conducted on the tissue showed the presence of arsenic which was a component of embalming fluid until the late 1920s. While the bullet that caused the fatal wound was presumably removed during the original autopsy, the bullet jacket was found. It was determined to be a gas check, which were first used in 1905. These clues helped investigators pinpoint the era in which the man had been killed.[10] Further clues were found when the mandible was removed for dental analysis. Inside the mouth was a 1924 penny and ticket stubs to the 140 W. Pike, Side Show and Louis Sonneys Museum of Crime. By December 11, investigators had pieced together enough information to conclude the body was that of Elmer McCurdy. By that time, the story had been featured in newspapers and on television and radio. Several funeral homes called the coroners office offering to bury McCurdy free of charge, but officials decided to wait to see if any living relatives would come forward to claim the body. Fred Olds, who represented the Indian Territory Posse of Oklahoma Westerns eventually convinced Dr. Thomas Noguchi, then the Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner for the County of Los Angeles, to allow him to bury the body in Oklahoma. After further testing to ensure proper identification. Olds was allowed to take custody of the body.[11] On April 22, 1977, a funeral procession was conducted to transport McCurdys body to the Boot Hill section of the Summit View Cemetery in Guthrie, Oklahoma. A graveside service attended by 500 people was conducted after which McCurdy was buried.[12] To ensure that McCurdys body would not be stolen, concrete was poured over the casket
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 14:47:11 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015