The Mad Trapper: Unearthing a Mystery

Ever since he was gunned down in a torrent of RCMP bullets in February 1932, the true identity of Albert Johnson, a.k.a. the "Mad Trapper of Rat River", has remained a mystery. Theories and claims have abounded, but no one has yet been able to positively identify the enigmatic loner who shunned his neighbours and led police on a wild chase that ended not only with his own death but with one officer killed and two others wounded. Fast-forward to the age of DNA testing and modern forensic techniques. In an attempt to settle once and for all the identity question, a team of scientists and a film production crew from Myth Merchant Films exhumed Albert Johnson from his Arctic grave in August 2007. Barbara Smith was part of that team and has now written a book about the experience. Illustrated with striking photos from the exhumation, this book describes the scientists' research and the making of the documentary that will air on the Discovery Channel this spring. Smith also recaps the manhunt that brought Johnson down and the legends that have grown up around him. But was the true identity of the Mad Trapper at last revealed? You'll have to read this book to find out.