Identity Crisis: The Murder, the Mystery, and the Missing DNA

by Jefferson Bass

Renowned forensic anthropologist Bill Bass—founder of the Body Farm—tackles one of his most baffling cases ever in this real-life spellbinder

In 1978, 56-year-old Leoma Patterson left a bar in Clinton, Tennessee, and was never seen again. Six months later, a female skeleton was found on a wooded lakeshore in a neighboring county. The bones were consistent with those of the missing woman, and one of Patterson's daughters recognized a ring found at the death scene as her mother's. The bones were buried, and six years later, a relative of Patterson's—one of the men she was last seen alive with—confessed to killing her. Case closed.

But the tentative identification—made years before DNA testing was available to confirm it—failed to convince some of Patterson's relatives. And so it was that in 2005 Dr. Bass found himself winding around hairpin curves to the mountainside grave, where he would unearth the disputed remains and collect DNA samples. The forensic twists and turns that followed would test the limits of DNA technology … and of Dr. Bass's half-century of forensic knowledge.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Science, Audiobook, Mystery, Crime, Anthropology

112 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 28, 2015

About the author

Jefferson Bass on FACEBOOK
http://www.facebook.com/JeffersonBass...


Jon Jefferson
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

Bill Bass
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

Jefferson Bass is the pen name of Jon Jefferson, writer, and Dr. Bill Bass, renowned forensic anthropologist. Jefferson and Bass have collaborated on 2 nonfiction books and 6 crime novels; their 7th novel, The Inquisitor's Key, will be published in May 2012. Dr. Bass, founder of the University of Tennessee's "Body Farm," is an author on more than 200 scientific publications. Jefferson is a veteran journalist and documentary filmmaker; his two National Geographic documentaries on the Body Farm were seen around the world.

Reviews

[Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm rewatching Bones and reading this book makes me really realize how easy everything is on TV when it comes to identifying bodies. Cold cases in real life aren't that easy to solve.

Nothing is easy in this book when it comes to identifying the remains of "Leoma Patterson". There isn't much left of her body, only the skull, and some bones and trying to figure out if the bones belong to Leoma or not took years instead of days. It was intriguing to read and also sometimes mind-boggling. I'm no scientist so some of the explanations, like how to determine if the DNA is a match or not will I just have to take the experts word for it.

I have wanted to read "Jefferson Bass" (pseudonym Jon Jefferson, writer, and Dr. Bill Bass) fiction book series "Body Farm," but after reading this book I'm even more inclined to read the books!

I received this copy from Witness Impulse through Edelweiss in return for an honest review!

[Li'l Owl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating case of using DNA to help a family get closure!
Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson give readers the intricate details of how extracting DNA came about and the difficulties that exist even with the most recent scientific advances in forensic science.

[Alice-Elizabeth (Prolific Reader Alice) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love Netflix’s Forensic Files or any true-crime show, this book is for you. Following a forensic anthropologist called Bill Bass, he takes on one of the toughest cases ever in the form of a missing female from the 1970s and with remains and a ring found, they were put to rest to the confusion of family, convinced the remains are not their relative. Many years later, Bass decides with the permission of the family, to examine the remains for him and his team, due to new advances in DNA technology. Putting all of their skills to the test, many shocking twists happen throughout the case. A quick, interesting and very scientific read. I look forward to diving into this genre more!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Identity Crisis: The Murder, The Mystery, and the Missing DNA by Jefferson Bass is a 2015 Witness Impulse publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fascinating true story that follows a puzzling case in which a family in Tennessee is uncertain if their grandmother, who was allegedly murdered, was properly identified. After an exhumation, DNA analysis came back with shocking results, which led to a facial reconstruction, and even more DNA work, which only brought with it more questions than answers.

This story chronicles the saga that took over two years of forensic testing, with either puzzling results or no results, but that finally, with an incredible stroke of luck, put an end to the lingering doubts this family had about whether or not the woman buried under the name of Leoma Patterson was actually her. It was a long, tedious process which shows how Television dramas can lead the public to expect miracles where none exist. In this case things worked out and the family is satisfied they got the correct answers. However, it took years of ups and downs and many disappointments along the way before the case was finally put to rest, so to speak.

While the book is only a little over a hundred pages in length, there were some moments when the author got a little off topic, and if this were a novel, I might go so far as to call it an “information dump”.

However, the details of how all this came about was very interesting and absorbing. The facial reconstruction was probably the most interesting of all the forensic sciences that were employed in this case. It's incredible when you think about it, even if DNA and forensics don't always hold all the pieces to a puzzle, it has come a long way in a short time and is a huge help in crime solving, even if it takes a little bit longer than 45 minutes to wrap up a case.

If you enjoy novels like Kathy Reichs forensic mysteries or the television show “Bones” you will probably enjoy this one.

4 stars

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Dr. Bass is asked to help solve an almost 30 year mystery he accepts the challenge. And what a challenge it was. The family of Leoma Patterson knows that she is gone, but they want to know for sure that she is the one buried in her grave. The remains that were found were incomplete and ravaged by animals. The challenge for Dr. Bass was DNA. Would there still be any? The journey to the truth was very interesting. There is a lot of background information (about DNA) in this short book and I enjoyed every bit of it. If you like forensics, you'll like this book.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bass published this non-fiction novella (can it be called that?) ahead of the ninth Body Farm novel, in hopes of shedding light on one of the interesting forensic cases undertaking in years past. The case of identifying the remains of a partial skeleton, believed to belong to Leoma Patterson took up periods of time for Bill Bass and some of his other forensic friends, each working in their respective field. Bass illustrates how this set of bones, limited by scavengers and eventually deterioration in a casket, opened some doors to identification, but slammed others shut, due to the time passed. Bass and his various crew members felt they had a slam-dunk identification, only to have members of the family (and parts of the scientific community) dispute or prove otherwise. By weaving through various areas of forensic technology (facial reconstructions, DNA, bone measurements, etc), all of which have been featured in Body Farm novels, Bass was able to eventually give concrete proof surrounding his identification project. If nothing else, it gave the family some semblance of closure. A wonderfully penned short summary of the case perfect for Body Farm fans and those who enjoy forensic science.

I am an avid fan of the Jefferson-Bass writing duo and have devoured the entire Body Farm series. I have also made it a point to read all of the non-fiction work that they'd put out, so as to better understand the real science behind it. Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell seek to impress (and do) with their respective work, but there are times to talk REAL cases and ACTUAL results. Bass goes so far as to continually debunk the CSI effect, where laymen use the show and its popularity to presume they know everything. Bass presents this case with its facts and struggles right alongside. There are some highly technical areas, though they are not handled in an overly academic way, leaving the reader to struggle through enzyme plasmosis or osteorazification (ok, I made those up to illustrate a point). The story reads in a highly informative manner and educates while also entertaining, as Body Farm novels do as well. This case has appeared in the other non-fiction work and its return allows the reader to spend a little more time on the case and understand it. Attentive readers may also see portions of Body Farm narratives in the actually happenings in the story. What a treat and one I wish they'd replicate again soon on another case. Surely, Bill Bass has enough to fuel many a fire.

Kudos, Messrs. Jefferson and Bass for shining a light on this interesting case and showing the variety of forensic branches there are working together.

Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[Malorie (Firereader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love true crime and science you will enjoy this. I'm not saying that just because I was a forensic anthropologist, this book will be interesting to any mystery and medicolegal enthusiast. It is also a quick read, I read it one rainy afternoon and I'm a slow reader.

[Yan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short and amazingly thrilling book is such a treat. It's great for readers who have not tried any of Jefferson Bass' books as this one gives you a taste of the writing style and kind of information that a forensic investigation book contains. It enables you to gauge whether you want to invest more of your time into their longer novels. And yes, I can't wait to sink my teeth into them!
Simply un-putdownable.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novella, or the nonfiction equivalent, in which Bill Bass ,mostly, of the Jefferson Bass duo, describes a case the two worked on in the early 2000s in which a family asked to have the remains of a long buried relative identified with DNA to quell a constant family rumour that it may not actually be her buried in the family plot. In this case, the author tells how what he assumed would be a simple DNA profile turned into a puzzling two-year search to positively identify the remains. Not exactly a riveting case, but one that shows DNA is not the be all and end all it is often portrayed to be on TV. In this case, the DNA came back with more questions than they had started with and Bass details the various technology used to identify the remains as well as the repeated attempts at different methods of DNA sampling.

[Ann Winans · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy their stories....This was short but interesting to see to what great lengths they went to get a correct answer to the identity.

[Noninuna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Identity Crisis gives a glimpse of the past in method of identification using bones and such before today's advancement of DNA. Great read for the knowledge.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

My copy is only 68 pages. It's disappointing since the book contains 112 pages, but the second half of the book is an excerpt from another book that I have already read.

Regardless, the true story was interesting to read!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook

[Kenneth Ely]

Very interesting, well done as usual.

Short but worth the time, especially since it`s a true story not fiction. I see more of these in my reading list.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these books by Jefferson Bass. I find forensic science very interesting, and some of this info comes in use in some of my biology and anatomy classes that I teach. Unlike the fictional accounts that Bass usually writes, this was a true case in which a family was not sure whether the bones buried under a woman's name were actually hers. With the big changes made over the last thirty years in being able to use both DNA and computers to help identify the missing and the dead, they were able to use this new technology to properly identify the person in the grave and bring closure to the family. I'm impressed by the length of time that was devoted to this case. I'm sure the family appreciate the time and effort.

This isn't a long book...I actually finished this book a long time ago, and forgot to post a review for it. This can easily be read in a couple of days if you have work and family. Bass does a great job explaining scientific jargon, and I highly recommend these books if you like to learn along with your reading.

[Sandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. Yet another book where I wonder if I've read something completely different than everyone else, because I can't understand why there are a bunch of glowing reviews.

Badly written with lots of odd, repetative, and irrelevant information thrown in, I would assume to help pad out the short narrative. I mean, in reality, the mysterious story is that there really was not a mysterious story at all, although at times it seemed there might have been. The moral of it all, I guess, being that not paying close attention to a shoddy report can cause you do a lot of unnecessary work. It was really a fairly pointless and badly executed book.

[Karen A. Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enlightening!

Enjoyed reading this particular book on this topic. DNA testing is such a tremendous tool that keeps my attention and interest focused.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

True story of the process used to identify skeletal remains during the infancy of DNA

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forensic scientist Bill Bass shares about a cold case he was called in to help with. A woman had disappeared, a body had been found, and in the absence of any fingerprints and being prior to DNA technology, a positive identification had been made and a murderer confessed to her killing. But the family wanted to know for sure if the woman they buried was really their mother. So years later Bill Bass exhumed the body and what followed was a 2 year case that demonstrates the ups and downs of DNA technology and facial reconstruction in helping make positive IDs.

This is a quick read, and a fascinating look at the limits of science, the care that must be taken to prevent contamination of DNA, and a short history of how facial reconstruction has developed over the past couple decades. A very interesting case, and related in a very easy to read manner.

Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: The murder is mentioned and possible murder methods, but no really gory details. There is another duo of murders related that is somewhat gory and vicious. The OJ Simpson case comes up and the DNA evidence it used.
Ethnic diversity: The murder victim was white/Native American. Most of the forensic scientists mentioned are white American.
LGBTQ+ content: None
Other: All of the murders mentioned had something to do with drugs. Examination of remains is the main focus.

[Forgetfulone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bill Bass, half of the writing team of Jefferson Bass, is the narrator of this nonfiction book. Bill Bass was the head of the anthropology department at the University of Tennessee, and the man who started the Body Farm. He has over fifty years of experience in forensic anthropology. With his writing partner Jon Jefferson, they write crime fiction novels in which anthropology is used to help solve crimes. It's commonly called the Body Farm series, and the protagonist, Bill Brockton, is based on Bill Bass. The first book in that series is called Carved in Bone. This book is not part of that series, though I'm sure Jon Jefferson assisted in writing this one as well.

This book is a nonfiction account of a puzzling case that Dr. Bass actually worked on. In 2005, he was asked to help make a clear identification of a woman who had been buried in a family plot since the day she was murdered in 1978, a time when DNA had not even been invented. They know who killed the woman, and the perpetrator has been punished, so that's not the mystery in this book. It is her identity they are unsure of. Dr. Bass excavates the bones, not once, but twice, and through a series of complicated tests and other efforts, may be able to put to rest the real identify of the woman in the grave.

I enjoyed this book because it was real. It wasn't just a fictional expert trying to solve a mystery. The book takes the reader through many different methods of identification explained in a way that a layperson can understand. We just assume that you run a test for DNA and you're done, thanks to shows like Law and Order and CSI. That's not the way it works. And a result is not always the end of a case. Who knew so much could go wrong?

[Jerry Jares · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the truth behind the scenes in real crime detection. It took 2 years to determine if the bones buried in the grave were really those of a beloved grandmother who had been killed brutally twenty-five years before.

Most of the rating goes to the amazing work of the young woman, Joanna Hughes, who meticulously reconstructed the face of the woman with clay. The story of how Joanna got her degree is almost as amazing as what she was able to do with the skull.

Please note: the back half of the book introduces THE BREAKING POINT (see below), the 9th entry into the Jefferson Bass Body Farm Series.

Bass Nonfiction
Death's Acre (2003)
Beyond the Body Farm (2007)
** Identity Crisis (2015)

Body Farm Series
1) Carved in Bone (2006)
2. Flesh and Bone (2007)
3. The Devil's Bones (2008)
4. Bones of Betrayal (2009)
5. The Bone Thief (2010)
6. The Bone Yard (2011)
7. The Bones of Avignon (2012) aka The Inquisitor's Key
8. Cut to the Bone (2013)
** 9. The Breaking Point (2015)

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I borrowed this as an ebook on a whim from my library when I saw they had a copy in stock. I read the Body Farm novel earlier this year and was eager to read more. And, well, I still am since this is just over 100 pages.

It's good. I don't know if it's quite the page turner it's called, but it was good. It's definitely a realistic overview of how forensic investigations can go (and also how important Occam's Razor is...). Even though I don't know any of the people mentioned, I loved hearing about who invented what program, or what procedure, who did their dissertation in what subject that lead to something new. So many great minds, and hearing about the back end of all that was great.

However, I think this might have done better as a chapter in a book instead of a stand alone novella length story.
(Also not counting this towards my book goal for 2017 due to the length)

[Ursula Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a fan of CSI, you will have heard of the legendary Body Farm and how led to forensic techniques that have helped solve many cases and advanced science in several fields. I have been interested in reading the Body Farm books and thought I would start with a real life interesting case. The book covers what would have made a great episode of CSI, a question of the identity of a murder victim by the family and the complicated process of discovering the truth. There are no photos in the Kindle version unfortunately and the links no longer work. The audio book narration was excellent and this was an enjoyable listen. I will be reading about their fictional works as well.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Bass takes on a 25-year-old mystery - is the partial skeleton and skull recovered years before really those of Leoma Patterson? Her family wants to know for sure and Dr. Bass is fairly confident that DNA testing, which wasn't available when the remains were found, would provide a quick answer. Instead, Dr. Bass finds himself having to learn more than he really wanted to know about DNA and facial reconstruction before he is able to definitively say if the bones are Leoma's.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bass published a few books featuring actual cases from his file. This short book walks us through a confusing and interesting case that challenged the developing science of DNA analysis. During the book his gives a significant slap to the LA police and the prosecution's handling of the OJ trial evidence. The ignorant jury also shares that slap when they found OJ innocent, despite odds of 1 10 billion that it wasn't him.

[Norma · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Format : Audiobook )
"Teamwork."

' Fascinating, frustrating but ultimately satisfying' is how the author himself described attempts to determine the identify of the bones of a body believed to possibly be that of a missing woman. She had disappeared in Tennessee in 1978. Clearly and succinctly written, and similarly read by narrator Charles Constant, this was an intriguing tale, sadly too short in duration.

[Daniel Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the performance of the audiobook and the writing was excellent and did hold my interest, the actual content went on far too many tangents for my liking with many of them being pointless to the overall narrative of the case. That said, considering the unsatisfying ending and lack of content I'm not overly surprised that tangents and long lists of names were needed.

[Carol Avery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short it edcating

I enjoy Body Farm books. I choose the book for that reason. I like mystery novels and at times, true crimes. The book was informative, enlightening and a good short read.

[Carol Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never fails to capture the readers attention

I have read most of the “Body Farm” books. They are so well written, easy to understand and just plain fascinating. Warning: do not begin a book until you are free to spend some time with Dr. Bass at the body farm!

[Carolyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thought was a novel just a report

I thought this was a novel on forensic anthropology. Basivally this is the bare bones..no pun intended...not a fully fleshed out novel. Would have loved more.