An excavation of a mass grave in Italy of victims of the plague yielded the discovery of what some might believe is an actual vampire. Forensic Archaeologist, Matteo Borrini and his team discovered the skull of a female with the jaw forced open with a brick. This was a technique used in an exorcism on suspected vampires.

In the medieval era, the process of decomposition was poorly understood. The accusation of vampirism against corpses was common place in this era. A misinterpreted sign of decomposition was when the torso of the body would swell with various gases and then the pressure behind the gases would cause blood to ooze from the mouth and the nose which would give the body the look of a well fed vampire.

Author, Paul Barber wrote a book called Vampires, Burial, and Deathand he shows the struggle of society to create explanations of death. Some of these explanations contributed to the rampant myths and theories about vampires. This book goes into the myths and lore about vampirism. It goes into the account of the 16th century shoemaker whose ghost terrorized the city and it explores a Doctors account of Serbian vampires and their exhumation.

Burial shrouds were often used to cover the deceased. Sometimes moisture build up would cause tears around the mouth area of the shrouds. This caused many to believe that the shrouds had been eaten through. This was often seen as a problem during plague times as tombs were often re-opened to add new victims. It was believed that Vampires were the cause of plagues during this time and fear of them was wide spread. The insertion of bricks and stones into the mouths was believed to stop vampirism.

This is the first time in history that an actual suspected victim of vampirism has been found. Matteo Borrini is now linked to one of the coolest archaeological claims to fame. Borrini says, "I was lucky, I didn't expect to find a vampire during my excavations."