We have been studying the chemical aspects of the Charles Lindbergh baby kidnapping case evidence, now 80 years old, with “fresh eyes” and using chemical methods and instrumentation not available at the time. Working with the New Jersey State Police Museum, where the majority of the evidence is housed, we have a large collection of new observations and, for the first time, measurements and data not previously reported ranging from data as simple as the ransom note dimensions to ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectra of various colors and substances, all focusing on the 15 ransom notes associated with this case. However, one of the problems in studying this case is that most new observations and developments are not published in refereed journals. Rather, this information is shared on discussion board websites and written in books that contain no references or data to support the claims. Unreferenced information can many times be incorrect or proven wrong, however, this information is accepted as fact by the naïve reader. Trying to combat this way of gathering and reporting information, we plan to package our data in the form of a book that would discuss how methods work and walk the reader through the analysis. This book will outline separate experiments for the reader to do and will present our data for reference and comparison. This book could be used as a textbook in a forensic chemistry course at the undergraduate or high school level, teaching the fundamentals of chemical analysis in the context of a real case that is of international recognition. The unique design of this textbook aims to introduce a new perspective of chemistry while allowing the reader to consider what new discoveries could mean regarding the case.

15 letters

251st National Meeting (2016)

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