Fawn Hoof Mummy

 

 

In September of 1811 a tomb for a woman was found inside Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. She was found in a little crypt with a big stone as a roof. She was in a sitting position with two decorated deer skins, and a woven woolen blanket. Her red hair was cut short, and her teeth and nails were pristine. She was 6 ft tall which was unusual for the time. There was evidence of makeup on her lips. She had a necklace made of young deer hooves, giving her the name "Fawn Hoof Mummy". She had many dressing ornaments and utensils in her tomb. She must have been cared for.

Some say that she was mummified purposely and similarly to how the Egyptians did it. It's possible that she wasn't and that it was done naturally due to the cave and the deer skins she was wrapped in. It's unknown now as her body has been lost. 

After her body was found at the time like many other historical remains it was treated as property. She had gone through many hands. The last time it was seen was shortly after the Smithsonian photographed it. Some believe that the Smithsonian still has her remains, but they were disassembled and stored.

SOURCES:
Little House of Horrors
Ancient Code

Curiosmos 
Mummipedia

Lemon Grove Girls

 

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In 1966 a couple of teenage boys were obsessed with archeology. They heard of how in Mexico people were buried or mummified in caves. The boys would spend over a month exploring the caves of Chihuahua, Mexico for a discovery. They were successful in doing so as they discovered a pregnant mother and her child. In order to not be caught they would smuggle the remains over the border to Lemon Grove, California. The boys could not show off their discovery or turn the bodies over to a museum because what they had done was illegal. 

When the two were drafted they asked a friend if they could store the box in their garage. More than likely it was unknown to the friend what was inside the box. In 1980 the friend's mother opened the box while cleaning the garage. She was horrified at the sight and called the police. Where everything was discovered.

The remains were discovered to have lived and died between AD 1040 and AD 1260. The bodies were then donated to the San Diego Museum of Man and the Mexican Government decided to grant the U.S.  custody of them.

The mother was estimated to be around 15-years-old and was around 7 months pregnant and close to giving birth. The infant girl was around 1. It's not stated if the two were related. It's not believed that they were purposly buried. The teenage girl laid with her arms over her head.

One refrence states that a CT scanof the young woman revealed a dislocated shoulder, ossified hematoma on the back of the head, indicating blunt force trauma, and a dislocated hip. These injuries are similar to a fall, and she had died soon after.

Another refrences don't mention their deaths, but that it was suspected from their positions that they may have died in their sleep. 

SOURCES:

Atlas Obscura

Ancient Orgins

The Lemon Grove Mummies

Mumipedia