Miller

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Does anyone know what caused Sederwall and crew to disregard John Miller after he was dug up?

[Wayne Land]

I'm not so sure they "disregarded" him. They just hit a brick wall. They were looking for DNA to compare to the bench Billy was allegedly laid out on which they had located. I think it turned out the DNA from the bench was not useable because there was blood from multiple sources on it and the science to separate out what they needed was just too expensive.

I will say again though, I don't think Miller could have been BTK. His facial dimensions do not match the tintype.

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I wasn’t trying to say Miller was BTK. I was just curious why after all that work to dig up a body. And no real explanation.

[Wayne Land]

I should clarify, I don't know if anything else was done after the DNA route didn't work out. My statement above is based on my best recollection of what Sederwall said had happened. My understanding is they had Miller's DNA but the DNA on the bench was too expensive to isolate. If I'm remembering correctly, there "was" caucasian male human DNA on the bench but it needed to be isolated to be compared to Miller and that process was way too expensive to undertake. Maybe someone else remembers more precise info on it.

[kerry]

If John Miller's DNA matched the blood on the bench - it would only prove he was the person Pat Garrett shot and not that he was BTK...Miller's skeleton did show a gunshot wound through the shoulder blade that he was known to have and that was consistent with him being mistakingly shot by Garrett as BTK.

[Wayne Land]

Well you know they say truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. I came up with the far fetched idea years ago that Miller might have actually been Billy Barlow. About the only way I could see that ever being proven would be as you say, for the DNA on the bench to match Miller's and Brushy's DNA to match Catherine Antrim's. That would prove Brushy was BTK and make it extremely likely that Miller was Billy Barlow. Ahhh!, imagination is a wonderful thing.

[leeb]

Aug 6, 2020 13:39:48 GMT -5 Wayne Land said:

Well you know they say truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. I came up with the far fetched idea years ago that Miller might have actually been Billy Barlow. About the only way I could see that ever being proven would be as you say, for the DNA on the bench to match Miller's and Brushy's DNA to match Catherine Antrim's. That would prove Brushy was BTK and make it extremely likely that Miller was Billy Barlow. Ahhh!, imagination is a wonderful thing.

it would be far fetched as there is and never will be a Billy Barlow. The bench was what it was a butchers bench, full of poultry blood.

[Deleted]

The way I understand it, the men who did the DNA on Miller as well as the bench, basically have their hands tied legally because they illegally dug up Miller. I forget the contrived legal arguments but they have to wait X amount of time once the statute of limitations is up before they can announce the results of the DNA test results.

Now I could be mistaken, but that is the story that I heard. I heard that the evidence they have is pretty interesting, but they won't say whether Miller was Billy The Kid or not. I'm assuming that there is a genetic relationship between the blood on the bench and that of Miller but that doesn't necessarily mean that he was Billy The Kid.

Jesus Christ Almighty God bless you all 😊

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Thank you all for your replies.

[Wayne Land]

I'm not going to divulge my source because I promised I wouldn't, but I do believe the exhumation of Miller was legal and the reason there has been no publication of results is because the DNA from the bench was too expensive to isolate just the human blood from it. I will also say my source of information on that is, was, very close to what was going on and is reliable.

[kerry]

Obtaining Miller's DNA was legal but rung alarm bells for any digging at Old Fort Sumner or looking for Catherine...Miller's DNA wasn't going anywhere anyway. I Think it is Brushy's
DNA that is the Key and there maybe local support rather than opposition -I also think a more reliable link to descendants rather than ancestors should prove decisive for Brushy...I think Paulitta Maxwell deliberately revealed before her death that BTK had a child born in OFS even though she continued to insist BTK was killed by Pat Garrett.

[huckleberry87]

Sederwall covers all or most of these ?s in his book that just came out, The Dirty on Billy the Kid(or something like that). It’s on that kindle unlimited right now.

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I will have to get that book. Wayne, I hope your source is objective.

[kerry]

One thing Sederwell proved was that digging up 19 century DNA that is definitive --is not that easy....remains merging with other remains.They believed they had two specimens for Miller -one with a bad hip and one with a through chest wound(Miller had both).
The grave at OFS when found-would have no meaning unless it contained remains of the wrong race -or rocks.
DNA from BTK 's son if matched to Brushy would prove first of all his stated birth date was correct.It would be biologically impossible for Brushy to be 12 years old in 1881-he would have to be old enough to father a child.
The descendants of this child -referred to as a girl by Paulitta Maxwell (and indirectly by Chino Silva) claim this was to protect him from being killed...murders associated with the LCW continued into the 1880's(including BTK's killing of Ollinger who had powerful friends)
It is of course relevant that this child when it became a boy -was called Pat -after his godfather ..

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Kerry, if there are descendants of this child has anyone come forward claiming to be a descendant?