| Popis: |
Mrs. Pearl Bruns of South Portland, Maine was reported missing in August 199 1. The search for Mrs. Bruns went on for thirteen months. Evidence from various forensic techniques and interviews suggested a remote possibility that Mrs. Bruns may have been interred in the dirt basement (approximate 3.5 foot crawlspace) of her residential home. In July 1992, the Maine State Police contacted ABB Environmental Services inquiring about the use of geophysical methods which could detect shallow graves. Based on site conditions and law enforcements’ desire not to tear the home from its foundation to dig up the cellar, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) was chosen to screen for the presence of a shallow grave. Considering the target was approximately 5 feet long and 1.5 feet in width, a one by one foot survey grid was conducted in September 1992 using a GSSI System III GPR unit equipped with a 500 MHz transducer. A strong reflector (approximately 3 feet below the basement surface) was profiled throughout the survey area. A test pit revealed the reflector represented an oxidized, cemented sand which could not be penetrated with hand tools. However, in one comer of the basement next to a foundation wall, GPR data indicated the reflector was conspicuously absent. Mrs. Brims, wrapped in plastic bags and bound by the wrists and ankles, was found buried 2.5 feet below the basement surface at this location. Her husband, Mr. William Bruns was arrested and charged with murder. Mr. Bruns plead guilty to manslaughter in April 1994 and is serving a twenty year prison sentence. |
