“[Individuals represented by MLD2 and another skull fragment] met their death by manually applied violence. The fractures exhibited by the mandible show that the violence, which probably occurred in fatal combat, was a localized crushing impact received by the face slightly to the left of the midline in the incisor region, and administered presumably by a bludgeon… this youth probably met his fate at the hands of a kinsman more expert than himself in the accurate application of directed implements” (p. 393-394)

This rather fanciful hypothesis may reflect Dart’s alleged bloodlust, and the condition of the fossil likely reflects damage that occurred after death during the sometimes abusive process of fossilization.