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This article discusses a historical event related to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the death of Lee Harvey Oswald, and the 1981 exhumation of his body to verify his identity. This content is intended solely for educational and historical purposes, to promote understanding of one of the 20th century’s most controversial events, the investigative process, conspiracy theories, and forensic science. It is not intended to cause gratuitous shock, glorify violence, or promote any conspiracy theories.
Opening the Casket of Lee Harvey Oswald – The Alleged Assassin of JFK: The Truth Behind the 1981 Exhumation
The assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas, remains one of the most shocking events of the 20th century. Lee Harvey Oswald (1939–1963), a former U.S. Marine who had once defected to the Soviet Union, was accused of shooting Kennedy from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository. Just two days later, on November 24, 1963, Oswald himself was shot and killed by Jack Ruby on live television while being transferred from Dallas police headquarters to the county jail. Oswald was hastily buried on November 25, 1963, at Rose Hill Cemetery in Fort Worth, Texas, in an unmarked grave (with only a temporary marker added later). However, due to persistent conspiracy theories suggesting that Oswald was not the actual shooter, or even that the body in the grave was an impostor, his family and involved parties agreed to exhume the casket in 1981. The results were staggering—not because of any sinister discovery, but due to the near-perfect state of preservation after 18 years of interment.
Context: The Death and Burial of Lee Harvey Oswald
After being fatally shot by Jack Ruby in the basement of Dallas police headquarters, Oswald’s body was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital—the same hospital where Kennedy had been taken two days prior. Forensic doctors performed a swift autopsy: finding one bullet wound through the chest and another to the head, causing instantaneous death. There were no signs of professional embalming; the body was temporarily preserved via refrigeration.
Due to the Oswald family’s financial struggles (his mother Marguerite and brother Robert) and immense public pressure, the funeral was hurried and private, with only about 12 people in attendance. Oswald was buried in a simple metal casket at Rose Hill Cemetery. To prevent vandalism, the original headstone was hidden, and later replaced with a small stone bearing only his name and dates of birth and death.
Reasons for the 1981 Exhumation
Throughout the 1960s and 70s, conspiracy theories regarding the JFK assassination proliferated (involving the CIA, Mafia, Castro, KGB, or even a “second Oswald” or body double). Some theorists claimed the body in the grave was not Oswald, or that he had been replaced. In 1981, Marguerite Oswald (his mother) and the family requested an exhumation to:
Verify the identity of the remains using dental records and forensic files.
Put an end to persistent theories that Oswald was still alive or that his body had been switched.
Allow for photography and examination to debunk rumors.
The Tarrant County Court (Texas) approved the request in October 1981. The exhumation was carried out on October 4, 1981, under the strict supervision of forensic scientists, police, and family representatives.
What Was Found Upon Opening the Casket
The metal casket was opened at a private mortuary in Fort Worth. The results were shocking—but in a positive forensic sense:
The body remained remarkably intact after 18 years (with no signs of being switched or replaced).
The face was still identifiable: the cheekbones, nose, and chin matched pre-mortem photographs.
Dental records matched Oswald’s records perfectly (including specific cavities and characteristic fillings).
The skull showed the exit wound from the headshot, consistent with the 1963 autopsy findings.
There were no signs of unusual decomposition or post-mortem tampering.
Forensic experts concluded: This was undeniably the body of Lee Harvey Oswald. No evidence supported the conspiracy theories of a body double or a switched corpse.
Historical Significance and Lessons
The 1981 exhumation stands as a rare instance where the body of a major controversial figure was opened to resolve conspiracy theories. While the results confirmed Oswald’s identity, they did little to dampen the allure of other JFK assassination theories (the roles of the CIA, Mafia, Cuba, etc.). It also demonstrated the incredible natural preservation of a body under simple burial conditions in Texas.
Oswald’s remains were subsequently re-interred in the same grave at Rose Hill Cemetery, with a new headstone and tighter security to prevent desecration.
When Lee Harvey Oswald’s casket was opened on October 4, 1981, the body was found remarkably intact after 18 years, with a face and dental records that matched the 1963 files perfectly. This finding debunked the conspiracy theory that the body had been switched—though it could not fully extinguish other theories regarding the JFK assassination. The exhumation remains a significant chapter in American forensic and criminal history, a testament to the power of science in resolving historical doubt.
Sources:
Official Exhumation Report: Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office, Texas (Oct 4, 1981).
Dental and Autopsy Records: Lee Harvey Oswald (1963 & 1981) – Dallas County Medical Examiner and National Archives.
The Warren Commission Report (1964) & House Select Committee on Assassinations (1979).
Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Contemporary reports on the exhumation (Oct 1981).
Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK – Gerald Posner (1993).
Reclaiming History – Vincent Bugliosi (2007).
Archives of Associated Press, The New York Times, and Time Magazine (1981).