***Update at 1:50 p.m. on October 29, 2009 Recovered Human Skull Positively Identified As That Of Ruth Keaton***
Recovered Human Skull Preliminarily Identified And Matched To Remains In St. Petersburg Cemetery
Release Number: 09-268
Who:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Patrol Operations Bureau
Investigative Operations Bureau
-Robbery/Homicide Unit – Detective John Spoor/Lead Investigator
Medical Examiners Office – District 6 - Pasco and Pinellas County
University of South Florida – Department of Anthropology
Royal Palm Cemetery
101 55th Street South, St. Petersburg
Skull preliminarily identified as that of:
Ruth Keaton
10/17/1913 – 10/11/1948
Remains buried at Royal Palm Cemetery
Gary S. Thomas (formerly a grave digger at Royal Palm Cemetery, who received skull as gift 25-30 years ago. Skull was found at his residence by PCSO deputies responding to a disorderly conduct call)
DOB: 02/17/1949
Address: 6597 Wayne Street, St. Petersburg
Robert Carpenter (formerly a grave digger at Royal Palm Cemetery, who dug up skull 25-30 years ago)
DOB: 07/28/1961
Address: 5310 19th Avenue South, St. Petersburg
Mark D. Keaton (Nephew of Ruth Keaton)
DOB: 11/19/1956
Address 3726 Prescott Street, St Petersburg
What: A human skull recovered by deputies has been preliminarily identified and matched to remains in a St. Petersburg Cemetery.
Following an investigation by the Sheriff’s Office Robbery/Homicide Unit, detectives have preliminarily identified the skull as that of Ruth Keaton.
The remains of Ms. Keaton will be exhumed at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 29, 2009, and the skull, if positively matched, will be re-interred and rejoined with her remains at the Royal Palm Cemetery. The process will be conducted with the assistance of the University of South Florida, Department of Anthropology.
Where: The skull was discovered at a private residence located at 6597 Wayne Street in St. Petersburg.
The remains will be exhumed and the skull re-interred at the Royal Palm Cemetery located at 101 55th Street South, St. Petersburg.
When: The skull was recovered on Saturday October 3, 2009.
The remains of Ms. Keaton will be exhumed and her skull re-interred at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 29, 2009 at the Royal Palm Cemetery.
How/Why: ***Update at 1:50 p.m. on October 29, 2009***
Update Begins:
With the assistance of the USF Department of Anthropology, detectives have positively identified the recovered skull as that of Ruth Keaton. The skull is being re-interred with her remains at the Royal Palm Cemetery in St. Petersburg.
***Update Ends***
A human skull recovered by deputies has been preliminarily identified and matched to remains in a St. Petersburg cemetery. The skull was found at a private residence located at 6597 Wayne Street in St. Petersburg on Saturday October 3, 2009 when deputies responded to the home on a disorderly conduct complaint.
Upon their arrival, the complainant stated that the person involved in the disorderly conduct, 60-year-old Gary Thomas, had left the residence. As deputies spoke with the complainant they noticed a skull on a table in a bedroom of the home. Deputies immediately contacted Robbery/Homicide detectives, who initiated an investigation. The skull was collected by crime scene investigators; and then transferred to the Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner’s Office, who verified it to be a human skull.
As part of the investigation, lead homicide detective John Spoor conducted interviews with Gary Thomas and with a friend of Mr. Thomas identified as 48-year-old Robert Carpenter. Detective Spoor determined that both Thomas and Carpenter had been formerly (over 25 years ago) employed as grave diggers at the Royal Palm Cemetery located at 101 55th Street South in St. Petersburg. Detective Spoor also learned that at that time Thomas was a member of a motorcycle gang know as the ‘Satan Saints.’
According to Detective Spoor, in the early 1980s, Thomas received the skull as a gift from another grave digger by the name of Bobby Anderson, on whom detectives have no further information at this time.
Carpenter told Detective Spoor that sometime around the early 80s, he, Anderson and two other unidentified individuals were digging a grave next to the grave of Ruth Keaton, when Ms Keaton’s grave collapsed. Anderson allegedly collected Ms. Keaton’s skull in Carpenter’s presence. The grave diggers told Detective Spoor they took nothing else and immediately re-buried Ms. Keaton’s remains. Anderson later gave the skull to Thomas. Thomas has been in possession of the skull ever since.
From the description provided by Carpenter, Detective Spoor was led to the exact location of her burial plot at the Royal Palm Cemetery.
Through additional research, to include use of the St. Petersburg Times archives, vital statistic and wedding announcements of the 1940s, Detective Spoor was able to locate Mark D. Keaton, a nephew of Ms. Keaton.
After Mark D. Keaton was notified of the findings, he requested the skull of his aunt be returned to its proper resting place.
Through the work of Detective Spoor, Mr. Keaton and administrative personnel of the cemetery reached agreement to re-inter the skull of Ms. Keaton.
At 9:30 a.m. on October 29, 2009, the University of South Florida, Department of Anthropology will assist the Sheriff’s Office in this case.
On this date, the remains of Ms. Keaton will be exhumed at the Royal Palm Cemetery. At that time Department of Anthropology researchers will make the final determination if the skull positively matches the remains of Ms. Keaton. If so determined, the skull will be reunited with the remains and re-interred.
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