Mark Benecke | |
|---|---|
 Benecke in 2015 | |
| Born | August 26, 1970 Rosenheim, Bavaria, West Germany |
| Nationality | German |
| Alma mater | Cologne University |
| Known for | Work on identification of Adolf and Eva Hitler's skull and teeth in Moscow; only forensic scientist to work on the case of Colombian serial killer and rapist Luis Garavito |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Forensic biology |
| Institutions | Freelance expert witness |
Mark Benecke (born 26 August 1970[1]) is a German forensic biologist.
Benecke has worked on the identification of Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun's dental remains in Moscow (as well as a skull fragment claimed to be Hitler's).[2][3] He is also the only forensic scientist to work on the case of Colombian serial killer and rapist Luis Garavito.[4][5] Some of his forensic cases have been covered by the National Geographic Channel and the History Channel.
Benecke has published several best-selling popular science books about the biology of aging, criminal cases and forensic biology.[6] He is a member of the editorial board of the Annals of Improbable Research (Cambridge, USA), guest editor for Forensic Science International (Forensic Entomology Special Issue[7]) and scientific advisor to the German skeptic organization GWUP,[8] where he publishes skeptical articles on various topics, including his attempt to explain alleged signs of vampirism.[9] In 2001, Benecke was editor of the Forensic Science International special issue on forensic entomology.[10] In 2004, he was the guest editor of Anil Aggrawal's Internet Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology for the Forensic Entomology Special Issue).[11]
In 2011, Benecke featured as a vocalist on Sara Noxx's cover of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' song "Where the Wild Roses Grow".[12] In 2020, together with Bianca Stücker, he published a Leonard Cohen tribute cover album.[13]
Using the pseudonym "Belcanto Bene", Benecke was a member of the German punk band Die Blonden Burschen between 1989 and 2000.[14]
In 2010, Benecke was candidate for the office of prime minister for Germany's largest state North Rhine-Westphalia for the satirical political party Die PARTEI. Since 2010, he is Chairman of Die PARTEI in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Benecke was born in Rosenheim, Bavaria. After receiving a Dr. rer. medic. at Cologne University in 1997,[15] he worked in the Chief Medical Examiner's Office in Manhattan, New York, from 1997 to 1999. As of 1999[update], he works internationally on forensic cases as a freelance expert witness. He also teaches at various police academies and acts as a visiting professor to universities in Germany, England, Vietnam, Colombia, and the Philippines. He was married to the criminal psychologist Lydia Benecke.
