Thomas Curry's coffin contained only pieces of wood, according to investigators who exhumed it after reopening the probe into the suspicious death of the 17-years-old at an infamous Florida School in 1925.
Forensic anthropologists from the University of South Florida were reportedly looking to open Thomas Curry's coffin to study the remains of the teenager. Curry died after escaping from the Florida boys' school reputed for its inhumane treatment of students.
"Skeletal trauma analysis is a tool that may help establish facts about the cause of death as well as clarify the official record, in hopes of helping his family find answers," USF researchers said in a statement.
Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys was notorious for its ill and sometimes life threatening handling of its young students.
CNN Reports indicate that "from 1900 to 1925, 100 boys died there, but only about half were buried on the reform institution's grounds. Others were shipped home to their families."
The school was closed down in 2011 due to financial reasons and has since been turned into a juvenile detention center.
Curry is believed to have escaped from the ill-famed institution after just 29 days of his arrival.
The cause of death is questionable after decades of conflicting reports. A 1925 coroner's statement cites an unknown cause of death, while the Philadelphia Old Cathedral Cemetery believes he may have died from a train accident.
Dozier records state that Curry died from a crushed skull although they didn't say what caused the injury.
The school reportedly never reported his death to state authorities. He was later buried in an unmarked grave next to his grandparents in Philadelphia after his remains were reportedly sent via cargo.
In 2008, investigations into his death were reopened. And on Wednesday, a team of forensic anthropologists visited the Old Cathedral Cemetery in Marianna, Philadelphia, PA, to exhume Thomas Curry's corpse.
But the contents of Thomas Curry's coffin shocked scientists as his body was nowhere to be found.
"Something was shipped up from Florida, and it was buried, and someone believed it was Thomas Curry," Cpl Tom McAndrew of the Pennsylvania police department said of Thomas Curry's coffin.
He went on to say that "It was a little bit of a shock. It was certainly anticlimactic."
About 55 graves are being exhumed in the school grounds. Reports indicate that the remains of three boys have been identified using their DNA. They have since been sent home to be reburied.
According to USF researchers, investigations would continue to investigate the woody contents of Thomas Curry's coffin and where his remains might be buried.
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