Purse with bullet hole may have belonged to Bonnie and Clyde

It’s either Bonnie Parker’s pocketbook or that of someone else with a harrowing story of how their handbag shielded gunfire.

A leather purse etched with the name Bonnie Parker — that is, one-half of notorious crime duo Bonnie & Clyde — could officially make history books as forensic scientists at the University of Central Oklahoma set out to confirm the bag belonged to the Queen Pin.

The hand-sewn and ornately embossed accordion-style bag had been donated to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, with the donor asking UCO to carry out a study to confirm its provenance.

“It’s a mystery and we are going to use forensic science to solve that mystery,” said Caitlin Porterfield, instructor of forensic science at UCO, in a statement.

Parker, born in 1910, would link up with “partner-in-crime” Clyde Chestnut Barrow around 1930, just as the Great Depression was underway. The roguish lovebirds would go on to commit a string of robberies and murders throughout the central US, launching a years-long manhunt until they were killed in a police shootout in 1934.

“We decided to turn to science and contacted UCO, who graciously accepted to help us on this quest,” said Melissa Owens, a curatorial officer with the museum. “There are not many items directly associated with either Bonnie or Clyde. If it is Bonnie’s then as a historical piece it’s priceless.”

Investigators hope to find DNA evidence or fingerprint scans that could link the accessory to Parker.

“I think it’s very possible to pull DNA off this purse,” said Rhonda Williams, Ph.D., associate professor of forensic science at UCO, who explained that the match would have to come from one of Parker’s relatives since there is yet no record of her DNA.

“The question will be, who’s is it? If we find DNA and we can somehow link it, that’s amazing and the museum can use it for their exhibits,” Williams added.