IFL Science
By Benjamin Taub
March 21, 2024
A 16th-century “vampire” who was buried with a stone brick in her mouth has been resurrected thanks to the work of a facial reconstruction expert. Discovered in a mass grave for plague victims, the long-dead woman may have been suspected of spreading the disease through her bloodthirst, hence the need to bung up her evil gob.
The body was first uncovered in 2006 during excavations of a burial site on the island of Lazzaretto Nuovo in the Venice lagoon. Once used as a sanatorium for plague sufferers, the island became the final resting place for large numbers of people who died during an outbreak in 1576.