Daris Swindler
Encyclopedia
Daris Ray Swindler was an American anthropologist
.
, Swindler later served in the U.S. Navy in World War II
, working on tankers in the North Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He went on to study anthropology at West Virginia University
and the University of Pennsylvania
. A long-time professor at the University of Washington
, Dr Swindler also taught human anatomy at Cornell University Medical College (now known as Weill Medical College of Cornell University
), at the University of South Carolina
and Michigan State University
.
Swindler assisted police in many criminal cases, notably the searches for serial killers Gary Ridgway
(a.k.a. the Green River Killer) and Ted Bundy
.
Swindler was generally acknowledged as a leading primate
expert, having specialized in the study of fossil
ized teeth; his book An Atlas of Primate Gross Anatomy is a standard work in the field. According to Stein, His collection of primate tooth castings has been donated to New York University
and is being digitally recorded in 3D
for web use giving students all over the world access to the collection.
Dr Swindler adored his students and is remembered by many as a the most important instructor and aid in attaining their doctorates. Publishing over 9 books, he traveled the world from an archaeological dig in the Valley of the Kings
to Easter Island
. Just prior to Swindler's death in December 2007 the University of Washington
established a graduate fellowship in his name.
. Samples were collected for DNA profiling by Dr. Katherine Taylor, who is with the King County, Washington
Medical Examiner
Office and also is a UW forensic anthropologist faculty affiliate, and sent as forensic evidence with the remains to law enforcement agencies in Washington state
and Michigan
.
In 2008, police in Yakima, Washington
looking for the skull
of a 1977 crime victim led them to a search of Swindler's archives. Among remains found in Swindler's archives was the partial skull of a child mailed in a box labeled "Books" from Bay Center in Pacific County, Washington to the UW Department of Anthropology in 1980. It was found to not be the Yakima case victim's skull, so was turned over to Grays Harbor County investigating yet another case of 1974 of a missing 5-year-old boy. Another skull was found in a box containing a letter from 1981 identifying it as having come from the Bellingham, Washington
area, and was turned over to the Bellingham Police Department. A third group of bones contained a tag from 1958 that is possibly from a police department in Michigan
. In all, eight sets of human skeletal remains were found in the archive:
(the giant, bipedal ape-like creature said to live in North America's Pacific Coast), Swindler was one of the few experts willing to examine evidence cited in support of the creature's existence. As quoted by Stein, Swindler's opinion regarding Bigfoot changed after the discover of the so-called Skookum Body Cast (an impression left in a mud pit by a purported Bigfoot): after making a detailed examination of the cast, Swindler stated, "Whatever made this was very well adapted to walking on two feet ... It's not conclusive, but it's consistent with what you'd expect to see if a giant biped sat down in the mud."
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
.
Biography
Born in Morgantown, West VirginiaMorgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia. It is the county seat of Monongalia County. Placed along the banks of the Monongahela River, Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia, and the base of the Morgantown metropolitan area...
, Swindler later served in the U.S. Navy in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, working on tankers in the North Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He went on to study anthropology at West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
and the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. A long-time professor at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, Dr Swindler also taught human anatomy at Cornell University Medical College (now known as Weill Medical College of Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
), at the University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
and Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
.
Swindler assisted police in many criminal cases, notably the searches for serial killers Gary Ridgway
Gary Ridgway
Gary Leon Ridgway is an American serial killer known as the Green River Killer. He murdered numerous women in Washington during the 1980s and 1990s, earning his nickname when the first five victims were found in the Green River. He strangled them, usually with his arm but sometimes using ligatures...
(a.k.a. the Green River Killer) and Ted Bundy
Ted Bundy
Theodore Robert "Ted" Bundy was an American serial killer, rapist, kidnapper, and necrophile who assaulted and murdered numerous young women during the 1970s, and possibly earlier...
.
Swindler was generally acknowledged as a leading primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
expert, having specialized in the study of fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
ized teeth; his book An Atlas of Primate Gross Anatomy is a standard work in the field. According to Stein, His collection of primate tooth castings has been donated to New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
and is being digitally recorded in 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
for web use giving students all over the world access to the collection.
Dr Swindler adored his students and is remembered by many as a the most important instructor and aid in attaining their doctorates. Publishing over 9 books, he traveled the world from an archaeological dig in the Valley of the Kings
Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings , less often called the Valley of the Gates of the Kings , is a valley in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were constructed for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom .The valley stands on the west bank of...
to Easter Island
Easter Island
Easter Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian triangle. A special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888, Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapanui people...
. Just prior to Swindler's death in December 2007 the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
established a graduate fellowship in his name.
Swindler Archives Revive Multiple Cold Case Investigations
A number of cold case investigations are under review after a search of Swindler's archives revealed eight sets of skeletal human remainsSkeleton
The skeleton is the body part that forms the supporting structure of an organism. There are two different skeletal types: the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, and the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside the body.In a figurative sense, skeleton can...
. Samples were collected for DNA profiling by Dr. Katherine Taylor, who is with the King County, Washington
King County, Washington
King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2010 census was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 14th most populous in the United States....
Medical Examiner
Medical examiner
A medical examiner is a medically qualified government officer whose duty is to investigate deaths and injuries that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdictions to initiate inquests....
Office and also is a UW forensic anthropologist faculty affiliate, and sent as forensic evidence with the remains to law enforcement agencies in Washington state
Washington State
Washington State may refer to:* Washington , often referred to as "Washington state" to differentiate it from Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States* Washington State University, a land-grant college in that state- See also :...
and Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
In 2008, police in Yakima, Washington
Yakima, Washington
Yakima is an American city southeast of Mount Rainier National Park and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the eighth largest city by population in the state itself. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 91,196 and a metropolitan population of...
looking for the skull
Skull
The skull is a bony structure in the head of many animals that supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.The skull is composed of two parts: the cranium and the mandible. A skull without a mandible is only a cranium. Animals that have skulls are called craniates...
of a 1977 crime victim led them to a search of Swindler's archives. Among remains found in Swindler's archives was the partial skull of a child mailed in a box labeled "Books" from Bay Center in Pacific County, Washington to the UW Department of Anthropology in 1980. It was found to not be the Yakima case victim's skull, so was turned over to Grays Harbor County investigating yet another case of 1974 of a missing 5-year-old boy. Another skull was found in a box containing a letter from 1981 identifying it as having come from the Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...
area, and was turned over to the Bellingham Police Department. A third group of bones contained a tag from 1958 that is possibly from a police department in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. In all, eight sets of human skeletal remains were found in the archive:
- Partial skull, child from Bay Center;
- Skull, young to middle-aged adult female of mixed African-American and Caucasian ancestry;
- Skull missing lower jaw, 45-55 year old white male. Bullet hole. Dental work just after World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Possibly connected to discovery on April 27, 1981, estimated to have died 10 to 30 years before found and likely sent to the UW by BellinghamBellingham- Places :Australia:* Bellingham, Tasmania, coastal hamlet in Northern TasmaniaEngland:* Bellingham, London, neighbourhood and electoral ward in the London Borough of Lewisham* Bellingham, Northumberland, villageUnited States:* Bellingham, Washington...
police in 1981; - A skull, without a lower jaw, of an adult with trauma to the skull;
- An adult lower jaw with dental work;
- Dental remains of a burn victim;
- Arm and leg bones from an adult, possibly related to a 1958 case from MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
; - Leg and pelvic bones of a young woman.
Bigfoot research
Though a longtime skeptic of BigfootBigfoot
Bigfoot, also known as sasquatch, is an ape-like cryptid that purportedly inhabits forests, mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Bigfoot is usually described as a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid...
(the giant, bipedal ape-like creature said to live in North America's Pacific Coast), Swindler was one of the few experts willing to examine evidence cited in support of the creature's existence. As quoted by Stein, Swindler's opinion regarding Bigfoot changed after the discover of the so-called Skookum Body Cast (an impression left in a mud pit by a purported Bigfoot): after making a detailed examination of the cast, Swindler stated, "Whatever made this was very well adapted to walking on two feet ... It's not conclusive, but it's consistent with what you'd expect to see if a giant biped sat down in the mud."