Scientific tests by Simon Fraser University researchers have shown that the infamous Mad Trapper of Canada’s far north was not Canadian but rather American or Scandinavian, and that he had lived in the United States prior to Canada.
Albert Johnson, known as the Mad Trapper, shot and killed an RCMP officer in 1932, setting off an intensive, high profile six-week police chase through the high Arctic. He was eventually tracked down and shot nine times before he died. No one knows why he was in the North or who he really was.
Forensic anthropologist Lynne Bell’s tests on Johnson’s remains, which were exhumed from the cemetery in Aklavik in the Northwest Territories, involved tracing the levels of two different oxygen isotopes found in water systems. Scientists use the oxygen isotope to build life histories of unidentified human remains.
“The water we drink leaves an inherent signature in tooth enamel, making it possible to determine where a person lived during their childhood while their teeth were developing,” said Bell in a news release.
Comparative studies were also performed by other SFU research team members using DNA from individuals who believed they were related to Johnson. Their personal histories “have now been reshaped,” said the release.
Police went to see Johnson at his cabin in Rat River after complaints that he was interfering with aboriginal trap lines in the Aklavik area. A firefight ensued and a Mountie was wounded. Police returned twice more, the second time dynamiting the cabin.
Somehow Johnson survived and went on the run, during which he shot and killed one Mountie and wounded two others.
The 240-km foot chase ended with a shootout in which Johnson was fatally wounded. He was finally tracked down with the help of Wop May, a legendary bush pilot. He had been eluding the police posse by moving in the tracks of caribou herds.
At the time of his death Johnson was carrying $2,400 in both Canadian and American currency as well as some gold. Lore has it that he also had a pocket compass, a razor, a knife, fish hooks, nails, a dead squirrel, and a dead bird.
Bell and the SFU research team’s work was highlighted in a television documentary The Hunt for the Mad Trapper, which aired on the Discovery Channel on May 21.
The documentary concluded that Johnson was in his mid-30s, had lived in Iowa, Indiana, or Ohio before arriving in the Arctic, and that he was “well to do” as he'd had expensive dental work done.
Myth Merchant, the company that produced the film, recruited Bell to apply her expertise in forensic applications related to human identification. Bell had done similar isotopic testing to determine the origins of the crew of Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose.
Albert Johnson, known as the Mad Trapper, shot and killed an RCMP officer in 1932, setting off an intensive, high profile six-week police chase through the high Arctic. He was eventually tracked down and shot nine times before he died. No one knows why he was in the North or who he really was.
Forensic anthropologist Lynne Bell’s tests on Johnson’s remains, which were exhumed from the cemetery in Aklavik in the Northwest Territories, involved tracing the levels of two different oxygen isotopes found in water systems. Scientists use the oxygen isotope to build life histories of unidentified human remains.
“The water we drink leaves an inherent signature in tooth enamel, making it possible to determine where a person lived during their childhood while their teeth were developing,” said Bell in a news release.
Comparative studies were also performed by other SFU research team members using DNA from individuals who believed they were related to Johnson. Their personal histories “have now been reshaped,” said the release.
Police went to see Johnson at his cabin in Rat River after complaints that he was interfering with aboriginal trap lines in the Aklavik area. A firefight ensued and a Mountie was wounded. Police returned twice more, the second time dynamiting the cabin.
Somehow Johnson survived and went on the run, during which he shot and killed one Mountie and wounded two others.
The 240-km foot chase ended with a shootout in which Johnson was fatally wounded. He was finally tracked down with the help of Wop May, a legendary bush pilot. He had been eluding the police posse by moving in the tracks of caribou herds.
At the time of his death Johnson was carrying $2,400 in both Canadian and American currency as well as some gold. Lore has it that he also had a pocket compass, a razor, a knife, fish hooks, nails, a dead squirrel, and a dead bird.
Bell and the SFU research team’s work was highlighted in a television documentary The Hunt for the Mad Trapper, which aired on the Discovery Channel on May 21.
The documentary concluded that Johnson was in his mid-30s, had lived in Iowa, Indiana, or Ohio before arriving in the Arctic, and that he was “well to do” as he'd had expensive dental work done.
Myth Merchant, the company that produced the film, recruited Bell to apply her expertise in forensic applications related to human identification. Bell had done similar isotopic testing to determine the origins of the crew of Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose.
