Paul Groody and his assistant Alan Baumgardner were initially quite satisfied with the results of the exhumation and examination of the remains of Lee Harvey Oswald. But several days later the men had a change of heart. Gary Mack recalls, “Baumgardner and Groody were having lunch or something when he suddenly remembered the craniotomy and asked Groody if it should have been noticeable at the exhumation. That was the first time either man thought of it.” As Groody explains, “When an autopsy is done and the skull is cut in order to remove the cap in order to remove the brain, there is a distinctive line of where all the fissures and all of the skull has been parted. Now, it's going to cause a bit of a mark no matter what you try and do-it's going to show. And knowing that I handled the body originally and there was an autopsy on that head and now to see that there was no autopsy on the head made it, in my mind, pretty clear that something had transpired that had caused this.”

   Hearse With Oswald's Body

Groody provided an explanation for what he had seen, “I feel as though someone had gone to the cemetery...off hours, had taken the head of really of Lee Harvey Oswald that now was dead-how he got that way I don't know but at least it was the head-and had brought the vault to the surface as best they could being a heavy item as it is-a tripod lifting that body lifting the body and the vault out of the grave. In the process, the bottom of the vault fell, breaking the vault-causing the casket to deteriorate to a degree. Then of course, removed the head of the one that was there that had been autopsied and put this head in its place so that we would find the teeth of Lee Harvey Oswald-that's my theory-this is what I think happened. Whoever caused that is the same faction that caused the assassination in the first place. In my mind, a cover-up had taken place.”

After hearing the story at the basketball game, White approached Mack who contacted Groody. He declined to go public and urged Mack to find someone to investigate the matter. Mack, then employed at Dallas NBC affiliate KXAS-TV, asked the station to look into the matter. Mack, Groody and Baumgardner met with that station’s top investigative reporter and the men repeated their concerns. Mack explains, "They freely admitted their recollection may have been in error and they did not want any publicity - they only wanted to let someone know about their uncertainty after remembering the craniotomy. Groody explained that, in his experience with exhumations, the skull cap almost always falls off when so many years have elapsed." However, KXAS was unable to investigate the story further and, when the Norton Report was published, lost interest. In February 1982, Mack contacted Dr. Linda Norton who had headed the team of physicians at the exam. Norton told Mack (through an assistant) that the team’s report would be forthcoming and no specifics would be released before that time, hopefully two to three months.

By the summer of ’82, the report had still not been released and all involved were still concerned by the mystery. Mack and White turned to journalist and author Jim Marrs who later wrote the book Crossfire. Marrs contacted Dr. Norton directly by phone and quizzed her about the craniotomy. Norton stated that it was indeed present and noted for the record. The men were still puzzled by her answer since Groody and Baumgardner could not recall any cranial incision. Mack wanted to go directly to Marina Oswald in an attempt to clear up the matter. However, Marina had made it clear to the media that she considered the exhumation issue closed so Mack instead approached her friend, John Cullins, a police officer and security guard. Cullins had been present at the exhumation and exam and was therefore in a unique position to comment on Groody’s assertions. Initially skeptical, Cullins only became involved after the story was publicized on local radio station WFAA.

Cullins now told Mack that he could gain access to a videotape of the examination made with Marina’s permission by Hampton Hall, son of a local politician. Cullins viewed the tape along with his personal physician in December of 1982. Both men agreed that no craniotomy cut could be seen on the video and it was either absent or too small to be seen. Cullins also reported that the skull was held upside down at one point and dislodged from a mount on a metal tray as well. Since no glue had been used on the skullcap at the time Groody prepared it, this seemed to be more proof of no craniotomy and a possible skull switch. In January 1984, the Norton Report was finally released after a delay of 27 months. Unfortunately, the report seemed to raise more questions than it answered, at least in the minds of those who followed the Groody story. Yes, the team had seen the craniotomy cut but no photos were provided of it. So the mystery remained. Could Groody and his assistant be mistaken? Or were Dr. Norton and her team part of a cover-up to hide some terrible truth about Lee Harvey Oswald?

Next: The Allegations Refuted Part 1

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