When the DNA results came back from England, they were “inconclusive,” according to Philly Voice, however, further testing determined that the body in the tomb was a relative of the Mudgett family. The scientists on the project were thus convinced it was Herman Mudgett. He hadn’t escaped execution.
The team hoped to do more tests on the body, but the Philadelphia courts and the Catholic archdiocese that owned the cemetery containing the grave both insisted Mudgett be reburied. After he was exhumed on May 6, 2017, he was reburied on Aug. 31, 2017.
Contrary to what Victorian doctors believed, Janet Monge said that nothing about Mudgett’s body explained why he had committed such horrible crimes. During his lifetime, he almost certainly murdered nine people, but he confessed to 27 total murders and eventually claimed more (via Philly Voice). According to Britannica, some researchers believe he had more than 200 victims.
Whatever the case, Herman Mudgett, alias H.H. Holmes, continues to fascinate. Hulu is currently making a series based on “The Devil in the White City,” produced by Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, with Keanu Reeves playing Daniel Burnham, architect of the World’s Columbian Exposition (via IndieWire).
