Jesse James is among the most famous outlaws of the Old West. Along with his brother, Frank, James was a member of the feared Quantrill's Raiders during the Civil War. After the war, James, joined up with some other former Confederates to rob banks and trains. Historical documents state that James was shot in the back and killed by Bob Ford, a member of his own gang, on April 3, 1882 in St. Joseph, Montana.

However, people living in Granbury, Texas, have claimed for years that Jesse James faked his own death to escape authorities, and had been living under the assumed name J. Frank Dalton. The townspeople of Granbury suspect that Dalton was really the infamous Jesse James. Dalton evidently made the claim himself shortly before his death. The legend stayed alive because the late Hood County Oran C. Baker believed it to be true.
Thanks to advances in DNA technology, the truth can be finally brought into the light. A Hood County judge ordered the remains of J. Frank Dalton to be exhumed and examined. On Tuesday, May 30th, crewman unearthed the remains of the man who died in 1951 who is said to be the legendary Jesse James. An anthropologist from the University of California will perform a DNA analysis on the exhumed remains and compare it to the DNA of a known descendent of James, Robert Jackson, an Oklahoma City attorney. Thanks to the new developments in science and DNA technology, scientists and historians are able to put their questions, like "Did Jesse James fake his own death?" and others like that, to rest.