A forensic pathologist, Eckert’s interest in sudden death led him to found the International Organizations of Forensic Medicine and the American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology. The organization and journal brought legitimacy and stature to the profession of forensic pathology, said a spokesman for the National Association of Medical Examiners.
Eckert’s interest in history led him into several unusual cases, such as when, in the 1980s, he applied the then-new concept of criminal profiling to try to identify serial killer Jack the Ripper, who terrorized London in the late 1880s. In more modern times, he worked on the investigation into the assassination of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and helped to positively identify the remains of Nazi death camp doctor Josef Mengele, who had been buried under a pseudonym. Dr. William Eckert died September 17 in New Orleans. He was 73.