Jan. 2 (UPI) — Idaho officials and a nonprofit genealogy organization said they confirmed a headless, dismembered body found in a cave some 40 years ago as outlaw bootlegger Joseph Henry Loveless.
Loveless, who had escaped from prison in 1916 likely died that same year and had his body placed in the Buffalo Cave in Dubois Idaho minus his head and limbs. The DNA Doe Project said Tuesday that the Clark County Sheriffs Office confirmed the remains with help from it and Idaho State University.
Loveless was wanted for the murder of his second wife and believed to have escaped by cutting through the bars of his jail cell using a saw he hid in his shoe.
His torso was found inside a burlap sack in Buffalo Cave in 1979, while his limbs were discovered in 1991. His head has not been found.
“He most likely died in 1916, making him about 46 years old at the time of his death,” said a statement on the DNA Doe website. His remains were preserved in the Buffalo Cave for as long as 63 years, well surpassing the estimated post-mortem interval of six months to five years.”
Idaho State recruited DNA Doe’s help to identify the remains last year after trying for several years to determine their identity. Officials were able to make a genetic matching with Loveless’ remains based on his living grandson, who is now 86.
Authorities said Loveless used several aliases that helped him evade law enforcement. They said it remains a mystery who killed Lovelace and dismembered his body.
