Leslie Eisenberg

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Leslie Eisenberg is a forensic anthropologist in Wisconsin, USA. A graduate of New York University, she is board-certified and an honorary fellow at the University of Madison-Wisconsin. She studied Native American burial grounds in Wisconsin and coauthored a book on the topic, which was published in 2000. [1] She led a team from her university in helping identify remains after the World Trade Center attacks in 2001 and after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. She coordinates the Burial Sites Preservation Program at the Wisconsin Historical Society, and has also studied and worked in France. [2] She worked for the office of the Wisconsin State Archaeologist. [3]

In 2005, in November, Eisenberg became involved in the investigation into a missing photographer, Teresa Halbach, which gained a high profile due also to the main suspect, Steven Avery. [4] Her testimony would feature in the 2015 internationally popular Netflix documentary Making a Murderer and its sequel in 2018. [5] [6] Wisconsin District Attorneys would describe her as "the state’s expert on all things bones" [7] and "regarded as one of the nation’s very best bone experts". [8] Legal arguments and confusion have continued over the identification of burned bone fragments from multiple locations. [9] [10]

Also from November 2005, Eisenberg was involved in another missing person case which received widespread attention, that of Christine Rudy, who was pregnant. Eisenberg was sent charred bone fragments from a burn pit linked to the main suspect, which she identified as human adult and fetus. However, in spring when ice thawed, the body of Rudy and her fetus were found in a river, unburned. [11] [12] [13]

Eisenberg published a number of book reviews through her career, including in 2009 of a book on cremains by Canadian forensic anthropologist Scott Fairgrieve, who had also testified at the Avery trial. [14] [15]

In 2010 Eisenberg was the last coauthor on an article published in The British Medical Journal The BMJ, which purported to have identified a mummified head as French King Henry IV. The research, from multiple forensic angles, led to a prime time documentary on French television in 2011 and 2012, and a followup book in 2013. However, genetic research showed that it was a misidentification, and Eisenberg cosigned a letter asking to retract the original article. [16] [17]

In 2016/17 she assisted in the search and recovery of the remains of a pilot who crashed in France during World War II. [18] [19]

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References

  1. ↑ UW Press (March 29, 2005). "'Indian Mounds of Wisconsin' wins Steinberg Prize". news.wisc.edu. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  2. ↑ "Eisenberg, Leslie". Missing in Action. 2021-11-02. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  3. ↑ Walker, Evan (Jul 15, 2004). "Canine Case Closed? - Archaeology Magazine Archive". archive.archaeology.org. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  4. ↑ "Experts testify at Steven Avery trial on Teresa Halbach's remains". www.jsonline.com. Mar 1, 2007. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  5. ↑ Farley, Rebecca. "What Exactly Happened At The End Of "Making A Murderer" Season 2?". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  6. ↑ "Steven Avery case through the years". www.postcrescent.com. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  7. ↑ Griesbach, Michael (2016-08-30). Indefensible: The Missing Truth about Steven Avery, Teresa Halbach, and Making a Murderer. Kensington. ISBN   978-1-4967-1014-7.
  8. ↑ Kratz, Ken; Wilkinson, Peter (2017-02-21). Avery: The Case Against Steven Avery and What Making a Murderer Gets Wrong. BenBella Books, Inc. ISBN   978-1-944648-01-5.
  9. ↑ Wynne, Kelly (2019-02-19). "'Making A Murderer' Update: Avery Case And Bone Pieces". Newsweek. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  10. ↑ "Making A Murderer Fans Found More Evidence That Could Change The Case". UPROXX. 2016-08-05. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  11. ↑ "Investigators Wonder Where Bones Came From". Central Wisconsin Broadcasting. Nov 28, 2005. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  12. ↑ Ollwerther, Matt (May 26, 2006). "Questions in Rudy case linger". Marshfield News Herald. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  13. ↑ Grace, Nancy (2006-01-19). "The Nancy Grace Show, transcript". CNN.
  14. ↑ Eisenberg, Leslie E. (2009). "Book review: Forensic Cremation: Recovery and Analysis. Book review: The Analysis of Burned Human Remains". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 138 (2): 239–240. doi:10.1002/ajpa.20938. ISSN   0002-9483.
  15. ↑ Ferak, John (2016-06-28). "Absence of photos mars Avery investigation". The Post-Crescent. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  16. ↑ "French King Henry IV's head stars in forensic dispute". Los Angeles Times. 2013-10-31. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  17. ↑ Medievalists.net (2015-07-01). "The Strange Mystery Of The King's Head: Henry IV of France (1553-1610)". Medievalists.net. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  18. ↑ "UW Team Recovers Downed WWII Plane". Wisconsin Public Radio. 2017-01-18. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  19. ↑ "UW search team recovers remains of airman missing since WWII". news.wisc.edu. Dec 28, 2017. Retrieved 2024-09-09.


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