“The Smoking Gun” Evidence in the Tragic Death of Vincent Van Gogh

Authors: Arenberg I*, Kobobel EL and Tufford A

DOI: 10.23880/ijfsc-16000371

Volume 9, Issue 1

Abstract

It has been widely accepted in the past that Vincent Van Gogh died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a field outside of Auvers-sur-Oise, France. However, much of the new evidence points to another theory: Van Gogh didn’t kill himself but was murdered. The updated forensic research into this cold case is significant for the art community and art historians interested in the truth. Interviews, letters, and records were compiled and reviewed in detail, including evidence regarding the potential weapon and possible persons of interest. Van Gogh’s wound was described as pea sized, surrounded by discoloration with no exit wound or powder burn. The records of these details have been reviewed by a forensic pathologist, who concluded the unlikelihood of self-infliction. No potentially related gun, bullet, or other weapon were found immediately following his death. However, 60 years later a rusted and significantly damaged non-functioning Lefaucheux pinfire revolver was found in a wheat field, coincidentally and somewhat suspiciously, as the movie, LUST FOR LIFE, was being filmed on site. Whether this weapon, recently auctioned for approximately $183,000 USD, was related to his death is debated. Further investigation by a qualified gunsmith or forensic firearms examiner needs to be undertaken to determine if this gun was actually functional when it was “dropped” in the field or placed there to create additional buzz for BIG budget Hollywood production. Vincent van Gogh was allegedly shot in the abdomen on July 27, 1890, allegedly as critically there is no definitive evidence to support a gunshot wound. There is no smoking gun in evidence, no bullet, no suicide note, no exit wound, no black powder, no autopsy, no known crime scene, no witnesses, and no solid evidence of any kind to support a gun shot. All that is known for certain is that he sustained a penetrating wound to his abdomen. All one has to go on to make any kind of forensic analysis, or even confirm the possibility of a gunshot wound, is a description of the wound 26 years later.

Keywords: Suicide; Murder; Evidence; Vincent; Tragic Death

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