Dr. Michael West
Dr. Michael West biography
Dr. Michael West is a hazardous man; he has put several innocent people behind bars.
He is a dentist and forensic odontologist. Forensic odontology, or bite mark analysis, is "the application of dental science to legal investigations," It became popular after the arrest and conviction of serial killer Ted Bundy.
In 2009, it was reported that West had once forced a suspect's dental mold into a corpse to make it fit. David Averill, the former president of the American Board of Forensic Science, said that West's actions were "troubling... there's just no justification for him to push the cast into the skin like that. That isn't an acceptable way to perform a bite mark analysis."
West is retired and currently living in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. In a 2011 deposition, West said he "no longer believes in bite-mark analysis. I don't think it should be used in court. I think you should use DNA. Throw bite marks out."
In 2012, two women named Leigh Stubbs and Tammy Vance were freed from prison after spending almost 11 years behind bars. They had been convicted in 2001 after West claimed he matched bite marks on a victim's body to Stubbs and Vance.
last updated September 2022
