DNA diss: 'Anastasia' Manahan jilted by scientists
"They never answered the other forensic evidence–- the mountain of forensic evidence–- in her favor," says a still-believing Robert Crouch, shown last month placing flowers near the memorial marker of the late Anna Manahan.FILE PHOTO BY HAWES SPENCER
A new report in a peer reviewed journal consisting of triple-tested DNA work claims to conclusively put to rest the notion that little Anastasia Romanov survived a Bolshevik fusilade and then made her way to Charlottesville to become an eccentric cat lady.
Some folks less swayed by the release and the article in PlosOne contend the DNA just doesn't compute.
"My knowledge of her case and my experiences of her character all convince me that she was genuine," says Vermont author Peter Kurth. "But I'm not a scientist, and I can't argue against scientific evidence."
For further reading, U.S. News & World Report has an article, as does the L.A. Times.
"It seems that they have wrapped it up," says Kurth, "but they've wrapped it up so many times before I can only suspect we haven't heard the end of it even now."
4 comments
I don't know. I do understand what the DNA report says. I'm about as pro-science as they come, and definitely not a conspiracy theorist... but my gut keeps telling me she was the real deal. It's not just the identical ears and other close physical features, but much much more.
Don't think it's wishful thinking either as I've never been the slightest emotionally invested in believing the story. It's just that there's something that doesn't quite add up, but I'll be damned if I can figure out what that is. I always feel like Detective Columbo when I read this story. There's this tingling in the back of my brain that something's just not quite right-- perhaps something we're missing, or don't know yet.
I hope Dr. Coble's fine paper and its results, along with those of the Russian scientists, will finally put this case to rest and end all the conspiracy theories.
When I was a young lad living at 1715 mason lane, on haloween we always stopped at revrend Bodkins house on stonefield lane. He was a tall man with a long white beard that lived alone and he always gave us fruit. I asked the folks about him and was told he was a russian orthodox priest and that he was trying to prove that Anastasia was still alive.
Sad, sad story. No one, even royalty during a revolution, deserves to be murdered! I guess this will settle a multitude of conspiracy theories once and for all!!!