Mwivano Mwambashi Kupaza was a young woman murdered in Wisconsin in 1999. Her cousin was later convicted of killing her, after the victim alleged to roommates of his sexual abuse towards her. Kupaza's case was the first in history where a copy of a skull was created via 3D printed paper for reconstruction purposes.
Case[]
Kupaza's dismembered remains were discovered days after her murder in various dark-colored trash bags in and along the shores of the Wisconsin River. It was determined she had been a victim of homicide, the specific cause of was undetermined, and her killer had removed various portions of tissue from her body, notably from her face, to prevent identification.
Initially, a man accused of murdering a woman in New Hampshire, in a similar way, became a person of interest. The offender had visited several states before his apprehension, but his whereabouts had been carefully documented, excluding him as this woman’s killer.
The remains were examined and the body was estimated to belong to a black female between 15 and 25, standing at an average height. She had excellent dental health without any signs of treatment or lost teeth. Evidence of a previous pregnancy was also noted.
Because investigators were unwilling to risk destroying evidence, a 3D replica of the skull was created by engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for a facial approximation. Upon examining the copy of the skull, the possibility of the victim being native to Africa came to light.
Identification[]
Six months after the remains were discovered and a facial reconstruction was released to the media, former roommates of Kupaza reported the strong physical resemblance between the then-unidentified Jane Doe and the victim, who was attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Kupaza's identity was confirmed by matching fingerprints recovered from the body to those left on clinic paperwork she had completed.
After her identification, Peter Kupaza the victim's cousin, told investigators that she planned to return to her home country of Tanzania, taking a bus to Iowa in late April 1999. Authorities and friends remained suspicious, based on past accusations of sexual assault that led to the victim terminating an alleged pregnancy by Peter. Mwivano Kupaza's family denied she had ever returned, not having made contact with her, nor Peter Kupaza. since the early summer of 1998. It was later discovered that the victim had remained in the United States until at least the end of June 1999, based on a letter she sent bearing a fingerprint identified as her own.
Peter Kupaza was later arrested and convicted of the murder; he denied responsibility and took the stand at his trial.
Gallery[]
Media[]
Kupaza's case is frequently covered in forensic-themed programs. The following television shows have documented her murder:
- Cold Case Files
- The New Detectives
- Murder She Solved
- Secrets of the Morgue (2018)
- Season 1, episode 2: “Torn to Pieces”
Sources[]
- Cold Case Files
- Secrets of the Morgue
- Murder She Solved
- The New Detectives