Remains of 19th-century American ‘vampire’ are analysed by scientists
Scientists haven’t actually found the resting place of Dracula - but they may have done the next best thing.
The skeletal remains of a man who lived in the 19th century and was suspected to have been a vampire have been analysed by archaeologists.
The man, who is thought to have died about 200 years ago, had been dug up and reburied with his head and limbs placed on top of his ribcage - a sign that people suspected him of being undead.
But the reality was that the remains in Connecticut are probably those of a poor farmer who died of tuberculosis, Live Science reported.
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Analysis of the grave site suggests his name may have been John Barber, and he probably died in pain from tuberculosis, which was so bad it scarred his ribs.
The remains, known as JB-55, were found in 1994, but were newly analysed this year, according to a report by the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Charla Marshall, a scientist at SNA International, said in an interview with MSN, 'This case has been a mystery since the 1990s.
'Now that we have expanded technological capabilities, we wanted to revisit JB 55 to see whether we could solve the mystery of who he was.'
The researchers wrote, ‘Upon opening the grave, the skull and femora were found in a “skull and crossbones” orientation on top of the ribs and vertabrae, which were also found in disarray.
‘On the coffin lid, an arrangement of tacks spelled the initials “JB-55”, presumably the initials and age at death of this individual.
‘We believe that he was rearranged in the grave because he was believed to be undead.’
