Dead Men Do Tell Tales: The William R. Maples Collection will share with audiences the extraordinary world of a renowned forensic anthropologist. Dr. William R. Maples oversaw the C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory at the Florida Museum of Natural History and was a pioneer in the relatively young field of forensic anthropology. The exhibit includes images and documents pertaining to his many high profile cases, including the identification of the real skeleton of Francisco Pizarro, whose bones were thought to be safely tucked away in a crypt for over 444 years. After many months of persistent requests, a Zachary Taylor enthusiast, with the blessing of the Taylor family, got Maples to examine the bones of the twelfth president to see if there were signs of arsenic poisoning, pointing to an assassination. Due to his notoriety in the field, Maples was also granted permission to study the skeleton of Joseph Merrick, “The Elephant Man,” whose body was a scientific anomaly during his life and whose story continues to captivate contemporary audiences. Maples’ most famous investigation revolves around the murder of the Romanov family, a mass execution in 1918, which was shrouded in mystery until the bodies were found a little over 70 years later. It would be Maples and a team of forensic specialists who would finally identity the skeletons and allow them to be put to rest.
In 2006, the William R. Maples Collection was donated to Florida Gulf Coast University by his widow, Margaret Maples-Gilliland. The collection includes documents, photographs, 35mm slides, field notes, audiovisual materials, and non-human primate skeletons. Maples’ documentation chronicles his 28-year career as a forensic anthropologist and 35 years as a physical anthropologist providing invaluable research for scholars of both fields. Access and preservation of the collection have been made possible by a partnership between FGCU Library and Maples’ esteemed protégé, Dr. Heather Walsh-Haney.
