The damage on Dylan Redwine’s skull could have been made by a coyote’s teeth or claws and the boy’s head could have been carried for miles by the scavenger, according to the testimony of an forensic anthropologist Friday morning in a Durango courtroom.
The 13-year-old was reported missing on Nov. 19, 2012; his disappearance lead to an extensive search and gained national attention. Dylan’s remains were not found until 2013 and 2014. The first set of remains were uncovered about eight miles from Redwine’s home.
The expert testimony came as attorneys opened their defense in the murder trial of
Mark Redwine, who is accused of killing Dylan, his 13-year-old son, in 2012. Friday’s testimony came after nearly three weeks of prosecution testimony delving into Dylan Redwine’s death.
The testimony from Bruce Anderson, an Arizona forensic anthropologist, in La Plata
County Court showcased the defense’s central argument in the case: that Dylan’s death
can be attributed to an animal, not a person, as a previous expert witness claimed
earlier in the trial.
Dylan’s death was ruled a homicide by the La Plata County coroner, but the cause of
death was not determined. Friday morning’s testimony centered on marks made in Dylan’s
skull, which was found 1.5 miles from the rest of his remains.
Anderson testified that coyote teeth can be sharper than a dull knife, and could be responsible for the small bit of broken bone in the boy’s skull. He added that coyotes have always been known to carry human remains miles away.
Prosecutors have said Mark Redwine killed Dylan in a fit of rage over sordid photographs.
Expert witnesses brought by prosecutors earlier in the trial testified that several factors
made it highly unlikely that Dylan was killed by an animal, and that fractures found in his skull appeared to have been made by a knife or sharp tool.
The prosecution rested its case Thursday afternoon. Redwine’s attorneys attempted to call an expert witness to begin their defense Friday morning, but a judge ruled that the witness should not take the stand until he could evaluate an objection from the prosecution.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropologist
https://witnessdirectory.com/signup.php
