</s>4-481 BULKY ENCLOSURE BIN # BIN 1/8 13 2005 RELEASE UNDER E.O. M178

Summary  
The documents detail forensic analysis conducted by the FBI in connection with the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) on April 4, 1968. Key evidence included clothing items such as a shirt (Q76), necktie (Q77), suit jacket (Q78), and other garments recovered from MLK’s residence or location of death. Forensic examinations focused on fibers, hairs, physical damage to fabrics, and trace evidence such as soil, bullet fragments, and plastic pins. Specimens like pillowcases, bed sheets, leather straps, and plastic pins were analyzed for connections to the assassination. FBI file numbers (e.g., 44-38281, PC-A5694) and references to specimen retention, microscopic comparisons, and prior investigations involving John F. Kennedy (JFK) are noted. A separate inventory lists items recovered by Memphis Police Department Inspector N. E. Zachary from a location near 424 South Main Street on April 5, 1968, including firearms (.243 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield), ammunition, toiletries, currency notes (Q64), and personal items such as beer cans, toothbrushes, razors, and clothing. Laboratory examinations by the FBI included fibers, soil samples, and hair collected from locations associated with the investigation, including 432 South Main Street and areas near the Rebel Motel.  

Key People  
- J.W. Marshall  
- C.S. Marshall  
- Mr. Kinley  
- John Edgar Hoover (FBI Director)  
- Robert Fitzgerald (Memphis FBI Office)  
- Clark, Gallagher, Frazier (examination personnel)  
- James Earl Ray (implied through references to "head hair sample")  
- Bessie Ruth Breuer (fingerprint card submitted for examination)  
- John Vallard (subject of FBI file)  

Key Locations  
- Memphis, Tennessee (FBI offices and crime scene locations)  
- 424 South Main Street, Memphis, Tennessee (location of recovered items)  
- 432 South Main Street, Memphis, Tennessee (associated with bathroom window sill fibers)  
- Rebel Motel Unit 34 (area near parking lot and sidewalk referenced in soil samples)  
- 4002-South-Martin (location of bathroom windowill specimen)  
- Washington, D.C. (FBI headquarters)  

Key Events  
- Forensic analysis of clothing and personal items linked to MLK’s assassination (April 1968).  
- Examination of fibers, hairs, physical damage, and trace evidence on garments and other objects.  
- Recovery of firearms, ammunition, and personal items from 424 South Main Street on April 5, 1968.  
- FBI laboratory examinations of fibers, soil samples, hair, and bullet fragments collected from locations associated with the investigation.  
- Retention of specimens (e.g., Q204-Q213) for further analysis.  
- Reference to prior FBI investigations involving JFK and civil rights cases.  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Memphis Office, Washington, D.C. headquarters, laboratory divisions (PC-A5694, PC-A5530)  
- United States Department of Justice – Civil Rights Division (overseeing laboratory examinations)  
- Memphis Police Department (recovered items from the scene)

MLK Declassified Files

44-hq-38861-bulky_hs1-233652821_76-08-part_1_of_3.pdf

Document Summary

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