THE face of a man 18th-century locals believed to be a “vampire” was pictured using DNA evidence that also revealed a bizarre burial ritual.
A 3D reconstruction of his skull was made using evidence from his grave in Connecticut, where his bones had been rearranged in a strange way.
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Researchers shared that the man’s femur bones were placed on his chest in a “criss-cross” pattern, LiveScience reported.
This suggests that the body was disinterred and reburied, a practice that people of the era followed when they believed someone to be a vampire.
Scientists say the purpose of rearranging the man’s bones was to prevent him from crawling out of the grave and attacking the town.
“The remains were found with the femur bones removed and crossed over the chest,” said Ellen Greytak, director of bioinformatics at Parabon NanoLabs and the tech lead of the organization’s DNA division.
“This way they wouldn’t be able to walk around and attack the living.”
While the DNA test determined that the man was human, it also found that he suffered from tuberculosis, which explains why some thought he was a vampire.
Researchers share that tuberculosis has been historically linked with vampirism, with people of the era believing that a person who died from this condition might later come back from death.
The DNA test also allowed scientists and forensic artists to reconstruct the man’s face with 3D technology, determining that he had fair skin, brown eyes, freckles, and brown or black hair.
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They also determined that he was about 55 years old at the time of death.
The DNA was extracted from the man’s bones, a challenging task that could have only been achieved with today’s technology.
“When bones become old, they break down and fragment over time,” said Greytak.
“We wanted to show that we could still extract DNA from difficult historical samples.”
To complete their DNA sample and develop a fuller picture of the man, researchers extracted DNA from a relative in a nearby grave.
The remains of the vampire, who was named John Barber, were unearthed in 1990, with new technologies helping supplement his story and background.
Researchers determined that Barber was likely a poor farmer who died of tuberculosis.
