While a student at Texas Christian University, William Harper was at Dealey Plaza the day following the assassination. He came upon a bone fragment and took it to his uncle, Dr Jack Harper. After examination he was told that it appeared to be part of the occipital bone which is in the back of the head and would confirm the fatal bullet came from the front.

This piece of bone has become known as the Harper Fragment and has caused some controversy as it does not align with official xrays. Government doctors have been claiming it came from the parietal area of the skull when is the front of the head. However the interior surfaces of the skull are quite different between the two sections of the skull, and why Dr Harper was able to identify it as he did.