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Skull Not Hitler's; Suicide in Doubt
Bullet-pierced skull fragment belongs to woman under 40, say scientists
By Mary Papenfuss
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Posted Sep 28, 09 2:23 AM CDT
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(Newser)
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A portion of bullet-pierced skull believed to be Adolf Hitler's is actually from the head of a woman under 40, throwing into question how the Nazi dictator died, American scientists have revealed. The skull portion, seized by Russians after soldiers stormed Hitler's bunker, has the DNA, bone thickness and fusion patterns of a younger woman and not a man Hitler's age, 56, according to tests at the University of Connecticut. Hitler's lover Eva Braun was 33.
The stunning discovery casts doubt on the generally accepted version of events that Hitler shot himself in his bunker with Braun as the Russians stormed Berlin. Braun and Hitler's bodies were pulled from the bunker, tossed in a shallow hole, doused with gas and set afire, according to witnesses. A skull fragment believed to be Hitler's was later dug up at the spot and examined by scientists in Russia, where it has remained. US scientists were allowed recently to examine the skull and collect DNA samples.