Stealing Mary

SYNOPSIS:

Two skulls in a Scottish museum spark a modern-day forensic investigation into the 1819 murder of a Chief and the brutal abduction of his wife, “Mary”. They were among the last of the Beothuk of Newfoundland -a mysterious people who painted themselves red and who inspired the English term “Red Indian”.

The man responsible for their death was a British Justice of the Peace. He testified in court that the killing was an act of self-defense however, modern forensic science, a surprise witness, and DNA testing will prove his version was a lie; a cover-up for a revenge killing and kidnapping that would lead to the extinction of an entire People.

THE SCIENCE:

Unprecedented access to the human remains was made possible due to the support of internationally renowned scientists, historians, and leaders of Newfoundland’s First Nations. Our team conducted the first complete forensic analysis of Beothuk remains and succeeded -for the first time ever- to isolate and identify Beothuk DNA.

Our film has helped to launch a long-term project to build a DNA profile of the extinct Beothuk People. It is hoped that this profile will help determine their unknown origins. To date, it is a mystery that remains to be solved.

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