CrimeBlog.US » Blog Archive » What Happened to Madeleine McCann?
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Missing Michael: Jeremiah 31:16 ".......They shall return".
Missing Michael: Jeremiah 31:16 ".......They shall return".
Christopher "Michael" Pierce
Christopher “Michael” Pierce
Judy and Irish Downes & Family encourage you to join them in a very special Prayer/Candlelight Vigil to remember their missing grandson, Christopher “Michael” Pierce, who disappeared without a trace after he left work at Taco Bell, in Bossier City, LA around midnight on May 18, 2003.
It would be a tremendous blessing to all of us if you could be there and offer your support and prayers on the 4th Anniversary of his disappearance.
FFFF
Located at: Fiddler’s Inn parking lot
Corner of Music Valley Drive and McGavock Pike, Nashville TN (Across from entrance of Opryland Hotel)
DATE: Friday, May 18, 2007
TIME: 7:00 PM
E-mail: iwish4@bellsouth.net Judy Downes: 414-0462
We anticipate media involvement as we also desire to create awareness for the 10’s of thousands of Missing Children and Adults and the grieving families they leave behind. Let us come together and glorify God for who He is and what He has done and will do in our lives.
With Hope,
The Downes, Pierce , and Rogers Families
Parents' plea for daughter's return Madeleine McCann
Parents' plea for daughter's return
Madeleine McCann, 3, who has gone missing in PortugalThe parents of the three-year-old girl who went missing from a
Portuguese holiday apartment have made a heartfelt plea urging her abductors to return her to her family.
Gerry and Kate McCann begged for the safe return of their daughter, Madeleine, as the frantic search to find her continued.
She was last seen by her father sleeping soundly at around 9pm on Thursday night at the Ocean Club resort in the seaside village of Praia Da Luz in the south-western Algarve.
But at 10pm when her mother Kate went to check on her, she found the shutter slid up, the bedroom window open and her daughter gone.
Mr McCann read out a brief statement, with his wife at his side, pleading with the abductors to release the three-year-old - described as "happy-go-lucky" - back to her family.
With the emotion audible in his voice, he said: "We cannot describe the anguish and despair we are feeling as parents of our beautiful daughter Madeleine.
"We request that anyone with any information relating to Madeleine's disappearance, no matter how trivial, contact the Portuguese police and help us get her back safely."
He then directly addressed anyone who might be holding his daughter, saying: "Please, if you have Madeleine, let her come home to her Mummy, Daddy, brother and sister."
He also asked that the family's privacy be respected so that they can do as much as possible to help the police investigation into their daughter's disappearance.
"Everyone can understand how distressing the current situation is. We ask that our privacy is respected to allow us to continue assisting the police in their investigation," he said.
Monica Caison
CUE Center for Missing Persons
PO Box 12714
Wilmington, NC 28405
(910) 343-1131
(910) 232-1687 24 Hour Line
Email: cuecenter@aol.com
Website: http://www.ncmissingpersons.org/
Madeleine McCann, 3, who has gone missing in PortugalThe parents of the three-year-old girl who went missing from a
Portuguese holiday apartment have made a heartfelt plea urging her abductors to return her to her family.
Gerry and Kate McCann begged for the safe return of their daughter, Madeleine, as the frantic search to find her continued.
She was last seen by her father sleeping soundly at around 9pm on Thursday night at the Ocean Club resort in the seaside village of Praia Da Luz in the south-western Algarve.
But at 10pm when her mother Kate went to check on her, she found the shutter slid up, the bedroom window open and her daughter gone.
Mr McCann read out a brief statement, with his wife at his side, pleading with the abductors to release the three-year-old - described as "happy-go-lucky" - back to her family.
With the emotion audible in his voice, he said: "We cannot describe the anguish and despair we are feeling as parents of our beautiful daughter Madeleine.
"We request that anyone with any information relating to Madeleine's disappearance, no matter how trivial, contact the Portuguese police and help us get her back safely."
He then directly addressed anyone who might be holding his daughter, saying: "Please, if you have Madeleine, let her come home to her Mummy, Daddy, brother and sister."
He also asked that the family's privacy be respected so that they can do as much as possible to help the police investigation into their daughter's disappearance.
"Everyone can understand how distressing the current situation is. We ask that our privacy is respected to allow us to continue assisting the police in their investigation," he said.
Monica Caison
CUE Center for Missing Persons
PO Box 12714
Wilmington, NC 28405
(910) 343-1131
(910) 232-1687 24 Hour Line
Email: cuecenter@aol.com
Website: http://www.ncmissingpersons.org/
Friday, May 04, 2007
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Model missing person legislation
Model missing person legislation
Important reading…..about my friend's success in Indiana who passed similar model missing person legislation.
please read, if you can.
http://www.news-tribune.net/opinion/local_story_119104413.html
BTW, I just received an e-mail yesterday from my Senator's Director concerning the Legislation
"Patricia's Law", that I have been working in NJ. The Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee will be convening a meeting
on May 10 to review the Bill so I will be going again to Trenton to testify. On Feb 26, I testified for the Senate Law and
Public Safety Committee prior to the Bill being passed out of that committee. I am hopeful that the result will be the same.
It will go to the appropriation committee in mid May and then hopefully to a joint session in June for a full vote. We are getting closer to
passing this new Missing Person legislation, "Patricia's Law" in NJ.
Jim Viola
Last Friday, the state of Indiana took a stance and demonstrated its shared view of timeliness. Passing a bill into law, Gov. Mitch Daniels signed off requiring police to immediately begin investigating missing person’s cases. The law was named after Eastern Kentucky University student Molly Dattilo, of Madison, who disappeared from Indianapolis nearly three years ago. “Molly’s Law” was supported by her family and the loved ones of other fellow missing Hoosiers.
Important reading…..about my friend's success in Indiana who passed similar model missing person legislation.
please read, if you can.
http://www.news-tribune.net/opinion/local_story_119104413.html
BTW, I just received an e-mail yesterday from my Senator's Director concerning the Legislation
"Patricia's Law", that I have been working in NJ. The Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee will be convening a meeting
on May 10 to review the Bill so I will be going again to Trenton to testify. On Feb 26, I testified for the Senate Law and
Public Safety Committee prior to the Bill being passed out of that committee. I am hopeful that the result will be the same.
It will go to the appropriation committee in mid May and then hopefully to a joint session in June for a full vote. We are getting closer to
passing this new Missing Person legislation, "Patricia's Law" in NJ.
Jim Viola
Last Friday, the state of Indiana took a stance and demonstrated its shared view of timeliness. Passing a bill into law, Gov. Mitch Daniels signed off requiring police to immediately begin investigating missing person’s cases. The law was named after Eastern Kentucky University student Molly Dattilo, of Madison, who disappeared from Indianapolis nearly three years ago. “Molly’s Law” was supported by her family and the loved ones of other fellow missing Hoosiers.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Take 25 : A Program of The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Take 25 : A Program of The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
NEW NATIONAL CHILD SAFETY CAMPAIGN IS LAUNCHED TO MARK 25TH NATIONAL MISSING CHILDREN'S DAY
Children’s Actions Enable them to Escape in More than 50 Percent of Attempted Abductions
Alexandria, VA - May 1, 2007 - A new national child safety campaign was launched today by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The new campaign, “Take 25,” encourages families to take 25 minutes to talk with their children about safety and abduction prevention. A new website, www.Take25.org, has been established for the campaign that provides twenty-five safety tips and other information for parents, guardians, educators, and the public.
Every year in America an estimated 800,000 children are reported missing, more than 2,000 children each day. Of that number, 200,000 are abducted by family members, and 58,000 are abducted by non-family members, the primary motive for which is sexual. Each year 115 children are the victims of the most serious abductions and are taken by non-family members and either murdered, ransomed or taken with the intent to keep. An analysis of attempted abduction cases by NCMEC found that in 56% of the cases, the child escaped would-be abductors by yelling, kicking, pulling away, running away or attracting attention.
May 25 has been observed as National Missing Children’s Day since it was first proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan in 1983. This year will be the 25th National Missing Children’s Day. The new “Take 25” campaign will help parents and others teach children to be alert to potential threats and provide simple preventive steps that children can take to stay safe.
“We know that teaching children about safety works. It is important that parents and others take the time to talk to their children about these issues. The new campaign is designed to provide information to make it easy for parents and others to teach their children about safety,” said Ernie Allen, President and CEO of NCMEC. “There is no better way to mark the 25th Missing Children’s Day than to launch an initiative designed to empower children and help keep them safe.”
More than 100 local and national organizations and more than 100 US cities throughout the country have partnered with NCMEC on the new safety campaign. It is a major grassroots initiative that will include hundreds of events in communities all across America throughout the month of May. Farmers Insurance is the corporate sponsor for the “Take 25” campaign and has generously underwritten the cost to design and print campaign materials.
“I am extremely proud of the work the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children does and the role Farmers plays in supporting this organization,” said Eric Rizzo, Assistant Vice President of Government Affairs at Farmers. “In working together to promote the Take 25 campaign, the Farmers family hopes to see that children remain where they belong – safe and at home.”
National partners in this initiative include the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, U.S. Conference of Mayors, U. S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. House of Representatives Missing & Exploited Children’s Caucus, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, Fraternal Order of Police, International Association for the Leisure & Entertainment Industry, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces, iVillage, Minor League Baseball, National Association of Black County Officials, National Association of Counties, National Association of Hispanic Firefighters, National Association of School Resource Officers, National Education Association-Health Information Network, National Latino Peace Officers Association, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, National Parent Teacher Association, U.S. Secret Service, Sports Camp Federation, Team Hope, and Youth Service America.
"You take 25 minutes to watch your favorite television show, you should take 25 minutes to talk to your children about safety," said Regina B. Schofield, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs and national AMBER Alert coordinator. "The Department of Justice is proud to partner with NCMEC and other organizations in support of the Take 25 initiative."
About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)
NCMEC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. NCMEC's congressionally mandated CyberTipline, a reporting mechanism for child sexual exploitation, has handled more than 475,000 leads. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement with more than 130,300 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 112,900 children. For more information about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its web site at www.missingkids.com.
About Farmers Insurance
Farmers Insurance Group of Companies(R) is the nation's fourth-largest Personal Lines Property & Casualty insurance group. Headquartered in Los Angeles and doing business in 41 states, insurers comprising the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies provide Homeowners, Auto, Business, Life insurance and financial services more than 15 million households through 48,000 exclusive and independent agents and district managers. Through support of the March of Dimes, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, award-winning educational programs provided free to schools as well as other safety, civic and arts organizations, Farmers is committed to making a difference in the communities where its agents, employees and customers live and work. For more information about Farmers, visit www.farmers.com
CONTACT:
NCMEC Communications Department
(703) 837-6111
media@ncmec.org
NEW NATIONAL CHILD SAFETY CAMPAIGN IS LAUNCHED TO MARK 25TH NATIONAL MISSING CHILDREN'S DAY
Children’s Actions Enable them to Escape in More than 50 Percent of Attempted Abductions
Alexandria, VA - May 1, 2007 - A new national child safety campaign was launched today by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The new campaign, “Take 25,” encourages families to take 25 minutes to talk with their children about safety and abduction prevention. A new website, www.Take25.org, has been established for the campaign that provides twenty-five safety tips and other information for parents, guardians, educators, and the public.
Every year in America an estimated 800,000 children are reported missing, more than 2,000 children each day. Of that number, 200,000 are abducted by family members, and 58,000 are abducted by non-family members, the primary motive for which is sexual. Each year 115 children are the victims of the most serious abductions and are taken by non-family members and either murdered, ransomed or taken with the intent to keep. An analysis of attempted abduction cases by NCMEC found that in 56% of the cases, the child escaped would-be abductors by yelling, kicking, pulling away, running away or attracting attention.
May 25 has been observed as National Missing Children’s Day since it was first proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan in 1983. This year will be the 25th National Missing Children’s Day. The new “Take 25” campaign will help parents and others teach children to be alert to potential threats and provide simple preventive steps that children can take to stay safe.
“We know that teaching children about safety works. It is important that parents and others take the time to talk to their children about these issues. The new campaign is designed to provide information to make it easy for parents and others to teach their children about safety,” said Ernie Allen, President and CEO of NCMEC. “There is no better way to mark the 25th Missing Children’s Day than to launch an initiative designed to empower children and help keep them safe.”
More than 100 local and national organizations and more than 100 US cities throughout the country have partnered with NCMEC on the new safety campaign. It is a major grassroots initiative that will include hundreds of events in communities all across America throughout the month of May. Farmers Insurance is the corporate sponsor for the “Take 25” campaign and has generously underwritten the cost to design and print campaign materials.
“I am extremely proud of the work the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children does and the role Farmers plays in supporting this organization,” said Eric Rizzo, Assistant Vice President of Government Affairs at Farmers. “In working together to promote the Take 25 campaign, the Farmers family hopes to see that children remain where they belong – safe and at home.”
National partners in this initiative include the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, U.S. Conference of Mayors, U. S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. House of Representatives Missing & Exploited Children’s Caucus, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, Fraternal Order of Police, International Association for the Leisure & Entertainment Industry, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces, iVillage, Minor League Baseball, National Association of Black County Officials, National Association of Counties, National Association of Hispanic Firefighters, National Association of School Resource Officers, National Education Association-Health Information Network, National Latino Peace Officers Association, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, National Parent Teacher Association, U.S. Secret Service, Sports Camp Federation, Team Hope, and Youth Service America.
"You take 25 minutes to watch your favorite television show, you should take 25 minutes to talk to your children about safety," said Regina B. Schofield, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs and national AMBER Alert coordinator. "The Department of Justice is proud to partner with NCMEC and other organizations in support of the Take 25 initiative."
About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)
NCMEC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. NCMEC's congressionally mandated CyberTipline, a reporting mechanism for child sexual exploitation, has handled more than 475,000 leads. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement with more than 130,300 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 112,900 children. For more information about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its web site at www.missingkids.com.
About Farmers Insurance
Farmers Insurance Group of Companies(R) is the nation's fourth-largest Personal Lines Property & Casualty insurance group. Headquartered in Los Angeles and doing business in 41 states, insurers comprising the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies provide Homeowners, Auto, Business, Life insurance and financial services more than 15 million households through 48,000 exclusive and independent agents and district managers. Through support of the March of Dimes, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, award-winning educational programs provided free to schools as well as other safety, civic and arts organizations, Farmers is committed to making a difference in the communities where its agents, employees and customers live and work. For more information about Farmers, visit www.farmers.com
CONTACT:
NCMEC Communications Department
(703) 837-6111
media@ncmec.org
Jeremy Alex
Here are the most recent articles regarding Jeremy's disappearance. Thanks for everyone's support and awareness during this long and difficult time for friends and family.
All my love,
~Nikohl Alex-McKee
State Police Investigate Suspicious Missing Person Case As A Homicide
Web Editor: Aaron Roberts, Reporter
Last Updated: 4/25/2007 11:50:03 AM
Jeremy Alex has been missing for three years. He was Last seen in Northport on April 24, 2004. Ted Alex drove up to Northport from his home in New Hampshire to speak with NEWS CENTER on the anniversary of his son's disappearance.
He says while he holds out hope of finding his son, Jeremy Alex, he doesn't believe his son will be found alive.
Jeremy Alex lived in Belfast and his empty van was found in a parking lot in Northport back in April 2004. Family members and authorities searched for Jeremy Alex and flyered the area.
The Waldo County Sheriff's Department along with State Police are investigating. Ted Alex believes there was foul play involved, and says his son's drug use was somehow related to his death. Right now the family just wants closure.
Ted Alex is offering a $20,000 reward for finding his son. If you have information about the case call State Police or the Waldo County Sheriff's Department.
NEWS CENTER
Play Video
Jeremy Alex
Three years later, search for Jeremy Alex goes on
By Jay Davis
VillageSoup/Waldo County Citizen Senior Reporter
NORTHPORT (April 24): Jeremy Alex disappeared Saturday, April 24, 2004, leaving family and friends to grieve his absence and ponder the reasons he is no longer here.
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His father, Ted, observed the third anniversary of Jeremy's mysterious exodus by returning to Belfast to again solicit help in locating him.
Ted Alex stands in a Main Street doorway in Belfast next to a poster seeking information on his son, Jeremy. (Photo by Jay Davis)
Ted has no illusions about Jeremy's fate. "I think someone killed him and that someone knows something and through guilt or just something eating at him this someone will come forward," he said.
The Alex family has increased the reward to $20,000 for information leading to the resolution of Jeremy's disappearance. Ted said he still receives phone calls and e-mails about the case.
More than anything, Ted said he'd like to know what happened to Jeremy, who had issues with drugs and addiction, and who was a kind-hearted man who would have turned 31 on Easter Sunday.
"We didn't know the extent of his drug use until he disappeared," Ted said, "though I always knew he did drugs." Ted said Jeremy was more of a binge user of drugs than an addict and was "always able to get himself clean."
Ted said Jeremy was a good worker who helped him finish off a Belfast-built Holland 32 lobster boat at his Portsmouth, N.H. home and "could handle most anything." That's why Ted believes his son's life ended violently — why else would he disappear?
"I think it was either money-related or drug-related," he said. "I know he wasn't lost in the woods."
Jeremy was on a binge before his disappearance, Ted said, that likely began with a snowboarding trip to Sugarloaf three days before the fateful disappearance. Jeremy had just moved to a house on the Harbor Road in Northport and had made an appointment to look at a moped that day.
Ted said he has spoken with the couple that saw Jeremy emerge from the woods at about 5:20 p.m. in a clearly distraught, disheveled state, saying someone was after him. Ted said Jeremy had used heroin and cocaine that day and was not rational, perhaps even hallucinating.
Jeremy reportedly recognized the woman from his days in school and approached her. The woman and her husband tried to calm down Jeremy. The husband actually tackled Jeremy, and a call to 9-1-1 was made, Ted said.
Jeremy reportedly first offered to buy his freedom, then broke free. By the time the ambulance arrived, he was long gone. He was spotted once more, crossing a road, but Jeremy has not been seen since.
Ted has been working with a therapist since he learned of Jeremy's disappearance and has been in contact with other families who have lost children. "It becomes an obsession," he said, "and it becomes your identity for other people."
Ted is trying to move on. The Jeremy Alex Fund, which the family started to remember Jeremy, "is a deflection" of his obsession, Ted said.
The fund has nearly $200,000 in assets and this year will make grants totaling about $5,000 to children and young adults who need help staying the course. The fund is administered through the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, he said, and will be available for youth in need in perpetuity.
This year, the Jeremy Alex Fund will contribute $1,200 to help a youth on the edge participate in a Spanish class trip to Costa Rica. It will also provide camperships for children during a Tall Ship cruise from Newport, R.I. to Portsmouth.
Ted is grateful for the interest local law enforcement personnel have shown in Jeremy's disappearance. He is in regular contact with them, and he notes a continuing optimism that their investigation will pay off.
Ted has also been in touch with a volunteer group of retired detectives that has provided information to the Maine State Police on Jeremy's case.
Ted believes "we need to change how adults who disappear are looked for." Though many are later found alive and well, he said, others are abducted or killed and the places they were last seen and their possessions should be treated like crime scenes.
Ted said Jeremy's car, which was found near his home in Northport, and his new house should have been preserved as evidence in what may one day be known as a homicide.
Ted's message on the third anniversary of Jeremy's disappearance is to ask again for help in finding him. He adds that contributions to the fund established in Jeremy's name may help other troubled young people avoid the same fate.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do you know where my brother is?
Jeremy Alex missing since April 24, 2004
http://myspace.com/jeremyalexmissing
Monday, April 30, 2007
identity of body found in Perry County Identified
Officials seek identity of body found in Perry County
08:35 a.m., April 20, 2007
Updated 08:35 a.m., April 20, 2007
An autopsy is being performed this morning on a body pulled from the Ohio River Thursday night in Perry County.
Indiana Conservation Officer Mark Farmer said the body was spotted lodged in drift shortly before 7 p.m. near Tobinsport, Ind.
Authorities pulled it from the waters and transported it to the Kentucky State Medical Examiner's Office in Louisville, Farmer said, where it was undergoing an autopsy this morning.
Identification was found on the body, but Farmer declined to reveal any details about it. He said he did not know if it matched that of a missing person.
The body had decomposed and appeared to have been in the water for some time, Farmer said.
Monica Caison
CUE Center for Missing Persons
PO Box 12714
Wilmington, NC 28405
(910) 343-1131
(910) 232-1687 24 Hour Line
Email: cuecenter@aol.com
Website: http://www.ncmissingpersons.org/
5:04 p.m. IDENTIFIEDLOUISVILLE, Ky. - Indiana conservation officers said an unidentified body found in the Ohio River last Friday is that of Jacob P. Bezy, 30, of New Albany. Police said his father, Gilbert Beezy, called police after he recognized the sketch that had been released in the news. Police said when he and his son?s landlord couldn?t contact him, Beezy called police and identified the body at 3:30 p.m. Friday. Authorities said he had no obvious injuries. So far no cause of death has been determined, but police haven?t ruled out foul play. The investigation continues.
08:35 a.m., April 20, 2007
Updated 08:35 a.m., April 20, 2007
An autopsy is being performed this morning on a body pulled from the Ohio River Thursday night in Perry County.
Indiana Conservation Officer Mark Farmer said the body was spotted lodged in drift shortly before 7 p.m. near Tobinsport, Ind.
Authorities pulled it from the waters and transported it to the Kentucky State Medical Examiner's Office in Louisville, Farmer said, where it was undergoing an autopsy this morning.
Identification was found on the body, but Farmer declined to reveal any details about it. He said he did not know if it matched that of a missing person.
The body had decomposed and appeared to have been in the water for some time, Farmer said.
Monica Caison
CUE Center for Missing Persons
PO Box 12714
Wilmington, NC 28405
(910) 343-1131
(910) 232-1687 24 Hour Line
Email: cuecenter@aol.com
Website: http://www.ncmissingpersons.org/
5:04 p.m. IDENTIFIEDLOUISVILLE, Ky. - Indiana conservation officers said an unidentified body found in the Ohio River last Friday is that of Jacob P. Bezy, 30, of New Albany. Police said his father, Gilbert Beezy, called police after he recognized the sketch that had been released in the news. Police said when he and his son?s landlord couldn?t contact him, Beezy called police and identified the body at 3:30 p.m. Friday. Authorities said he had no obvious injuries. So far no cause of death has been determined, but police haven?t ruled out foul play. The investigation continues.
Forensic scientist’s career stretches from FGCU to cable TV | BonitaNews.com
Forensic scientist’s career stretches from FGCU to cable TV | BonitaNews.com
Reading bones for the truth
Fort Myers -
By Laura Kadechka
Heather Walsh-Haney is one of about five forensic anthropologist in Florida. She has hundreds of cases under her belt, including the Value Jet crash of 1995 and identifying remains after 9-11. However, her efforts in helping law enforcement reaches beyond her work in the field. She's now working to help better train investigators in Florida when it comes to the who's and why's of unidentified remains.
Walsh-Haney, who is also a professor at Florida Gulf Coast University says her field of forensic anthropology is an important one, "I think it's important because none of us want to believe how touched by death we are..."
Her latest case, crack the mystery behind the discovery of eight skulls and what's been called a "remarkable number" of bone fragments in Fort Myers last month. There was no clothing, no jewelry...only what Walsh-Haney knows best. Bones. She explained to WINK News how she usually goes about her investigations, "We read and look at different types of trauma that can appear on the bone...whether it's blunt force trauma, sharp force trauma, or maybe even evidence of a gunshot would or strangulation." She cannot reveal much about the skulls investigation, although theories vary from the work of a serial killer to a funeral home dumping. All speculation.
The bones remain at the Lee County Medical Examiners office where she's putting in a lot of hours to help find out what happened to those eight people. It is still not known how long the bones had been in the Fort Myers field and DNA results are not due back for weeks, even months. Walsh-Haney's job, read the bones...and she doesn't need very many tools to do that. She said, "Forensic anthropology is particularly important in tropical and sub-tropical environments like we have here in southwest Florida because soft tissue a medical examiner will use to establish who a person was or how they died will be gone in a matter of weeks."
That's why she's helping to create a body farm at Florida Gulf Coast University. It will become the second in the country, behind the University of Tennessee. She says it will give Florida law enforcement real life training using donated bodies set up in different crime scene scenarios. Essentially, teaching them the science of reading bones found in Florida's balmy climate. Walsh-Haney said, "I'd like to make sure we continue to train people who can speak for the individuals that would otherwise go nameless."
If you're thinking you've heard her name before, you're right. Walsh-Haney has co-hosted "Mummy Autopsy" on the Discovery Channel and will soon appear on a new National Geographic show called "Conspiracy Test". She's also going another step further to help law enforcement, soon to release an almanac to help investigators distinguish human bones from non-human. By the way, the book is published by a Southwest Florida Publisher, CRC Press.
Skeleton Keys: How Forensic Anthropologists Identify Victims and Solve Crimes
Heather Walsh-Haney
United States
7 June 2002
BACK TO THE FEATURE INDEX
To forensic anthropologists, the analysis of human bone opens the portal of scientific truth that enables the justice system to discover the facts and circumstances surrounding criminal acts. Trained in anthropology, archaeology, human osteology, and chain-of-evidence procedures, forensic anthropologists are primary players in forensic science both in the field and in the laboratory.
The resolution of civil or criminal trials can depend upon the systematic recovery and collection of physical evidence in the field, rigorous scientific analysis in the laboratory, and protection of the integrity of the evidence. Typically, federal, state, and county evidence response teams collect and analyze physical evidence, including the human skeletal remains. However, forensic anthropologists are often called upon by such agencies to help in this endeavor. As such, forensic anthropologists have used their skills in the analysis of victims of homicides, accidental deaths, natural deaths, and mass fatalities.
Our archaeological training, in particular, comes into play in the field as we methodically search and meticulously recover human remains and other physical evidence from a crime scene. This is especially crucial because the recovery process itself is destructive. Scene responders have one "contamination-free" chance to recover all of the physical evidence, photograph the human remains, bullet casings, or cigarette butts in place, map these items relative to each other and other scene features, and collect the necessary data.
In the laboratory, forensic anthropologists use their knowledge of human osteology and anatomy to help medical examiners or coroners identify the victim, reconstruct what happened at the time of death (e.g., was there foul play?) and what occurred after death (e.g., did animal scavengers chew on the victim?s hands and feet?). The victim?s bones are visually, stereoscopically, and radiographically examined so that we can determine the age, sex, stature, and ancestry of the victim.
But forensic anthropologists also realize that the biological profile derived from skeletal examination has the potential to reveal the victim?s personal history. For example, fine horizontal grooves on the victim?s front teeth (incisors) indicate that the victim may have been very ill or malnourished when these teeth were developing during childhood. Fractures to bones of the face, ribs, and hands that are in various stages of healing may suggest a history of violence in the domestic setting, while the presence of orthopedic implants in the knee may have resulted from sports-related injuries. As such, creation of the victim?s biological profile often uncovers clues regarding the victim?s life history, a revelation that will hopefully facilitate the victim?s positive identification.
Once the biological profile of the victim is completed, the next step is the forensic anthropologist?s analysis of trauma that occurred around the time of death. Skeletal trauma analysis is a time-intensive process. If done correctly, this analysis can reveal secrets surrounding the circumstances of death. Yet, identifying whether a mark was caused by a knife stabbed into the victim at the time of death or by lawn mower blades hitting the bones months or years after death can only come from the experience of years spent evaluating thousands of bones, whether in a morgue, laboratory, or museum. For this reason, coroners, medical examiners, and other forensic specialists rely upon the expertise of forensic anthropologists.
Forensic anthropologists are also trained to evaluate and recognize how environmental conditions alter the appearance and composition of bone over the span of time since death. For example, an untrained eye can mistake the chafing or erosion of the braincase by water or wind for a wound that occurred at the time of death. Similarly, conical depressions and tiny parallel grooves can be interpreted as knife wounds, but may actually be tooth marks from carnivores or rodents, respectively. Thus, skeletal trauma analysis differentiates between patterns of violent trauma caused by a weapon at the time of death and fracturing or breakage caused by animals or weathering after death.
Because forensic anthropologists are typically better equipped to locate and map the human skeletal remains and eliminate rocks, sticks, and animal bones from the evidence collection, our activities allow investigating agencies to reallocate their resources to other facets of the investigation. For example, many of the forensic anthropologists called to help in the recovery of victims of the 11 September World Trade Center attack (of which I was one) were tasked with sorting the human remains from the incomprehensible volume of nonhuman material, rocks, sticks, and other debris. Although we did not use our skills to positively identify the victims in this case, our work sped up the identification process conducted in large part by DNA and dental experts. For these reasons, forensic anthropologists have become scientific linchpins for many forensic investigations, helping in the recovery and analysis of the victims of mass fatalities in addition to tying the perpetrators of crime to the victim and weapon by using our knowledge of tool marks on bone.
The inclusion of forensic anthropologists early in an investigation helps to ensure maximum recovery and protection of the human skeletal remains and allows the evidence response team members to focus upon other lines of evidence (fingerprints, fibers, DNA). Furthermore, a forensic anthropologist?s skeletal analysis helps to identify the victim and determine how the victim may have died. Because of the nature of the cases that they work on--victims that are badly decomposed, skeletonized, or when body parts are missing--the forensic anthropologist is often the victim?s last chance for identification and justice.
Monica Caison
CUE Center for Missing Persons
PO Box 12714
Wilmington, NC 28405
(910) 343-1131
(910) 232-1687 24 Hour Line
Email: cuecenter@aol.com
Website: http://www.ncmissingpersons.org/
Reading bones for the truth
Fort Myers -
By Laura Kadechka
Heather Walsh-Haney is one of about five forensic anthropologist in Florida. She has hundreds of cases under her belt, including the Value Jet crash of 1995 and identifying remains after 9-11. However, her efforts in helping law enforcement reaches beyond her work in the field. She's now working to help better train investigators in Florida when it comes to the who's and why's of unidentified remains.
Walsh-Haney, who is also a professor at Florida Gulf Coast University says her field of forensic anthropology is an important one, "I think it's important because none of us want to believe how touched by death we are..."
Her latest case, crack the mystery behind the discovery of eight skulls and what's been called a "remarkable number" of bone fragments in Fort Myers last month. There was no clothing, no jewelry...only what Walsh-Haney knows best. Bones. She explained to WINK News how she usually goes about her investigations, "We read and look at different types of trauma that can appear on the bone...whether it's blunt force trauma, sharp force trauma, or maybe even evidence of a gunshot would or strangulation." She cannot reveal much about the skulls investigation, although theories vary from the work of a serial killer to a funeral home dumping. All speculation.
The bones remain at the Lee County Medical Examiners office where she's putting in a lot of hours to help find out what happened to those eight people. It is still not known how long the bones had been in the Fort Myers field and DNA results are not due back for weeks, even months. Walsh-Haney's job, read the bones...and she doesn't need very many tools to do that. She said, "Forensic anthropology is particularly important in tropical and sub-tropical environments like we have here in southwest Florida because soft tissue a medical examiner will use to establish who a person was or how they died will be gone in a matter of weeks."
That's why she's helping to create a body farm at Florida Gulf Coast University. It will become the second in the country, behind the University of Tennessee. She says it will give Florida law enforcement real life training using donated bodies set up in different crime scene scenarios. Essentially, teaching them the science of reading bones found in Florida's balmy climate. Walsh-Haney said, "I'd like to make sure we continue to train people who can speak for the individuals that would otherwise go nameless."
If you're thinking you've heard her name before, you're right. Walsh-Haney has co-hosted "Mummy Autopsy" on the Discovery Channel and will soon appear on a new National Geographic show called "Conspiracy Test". She's also going another step further to help law enforcement, soon to release an almanac to help investigators distinguish human bones from non-human. By the way, the book is published by a Southwest Florida Publisher, CRC Press.
Skeleton Keys: How Forensic Anthropologists Identify Victims and Solve Crimes
Heather Walsh-Haney
United States
7 June 2002
BACK TO THE FEATURE INDEX
To forensic anthropologists, the analysis of human bone opens the portal of scientific truth that enables the justice system to discover the facts and circumstances surrounding criminal acts. Trained in anthropology, archaeology, human osteology, and chain-of-evidence procedures, forensic anthropologists are primary players in forensic science both in the field and in the laboratory.
The resolution of civil or criminal trials can depend upon the systematic recovery and collection of physical evidence in the field, rigorous scientific analysis in the laboratory, and protection of the integrity of the evidence. Typically, federal, state, and county evidence response teams collect and analyze physical evidence, including the human skeletal remains. However, forensic anthropologists are often called upon by such agencies to help in this endeavor. As such, forensic anthropologists have used their skills in the analysis of victims of homicides, accidental deaths, natural deaths, and mass fatalities.
Our archaeological training, in particular, comes into play in the field as we methodically search and meticulously recover human remains and other physical evidence from a crime scene. This is especially crucial because the recovery process itself is destructive. Scene responders have one "contamination-free" chance to recover all of the physical evidence, photograph the human remains, bullet casings, or cigarette butts in place, map these items relative to each other and other scene features, and collect the necessary data.
In the laboratory, forensic anthropologists use their knowledge of human osteology and anatomy to help medical examiners or coroners identify the victim, reconstruct what happened at the time of death (e.g., was there foul play?) and what occurred after death (e.g., did animal scavengers chew on the victim?s hands and feet?). The victim?s bones are visually, stereoscopically, and radiographically examined so that we can determine the age, sex, stature, and ancestry of the victim.
But forensic anthropologists also realize that the biological profile derived from skeletal examination has the potential to reveal the victim?s personal history. For example, fine horizontal grooves on the victim?s front teeth (incisors) indicate that the victim may have been very ill or malnourished when these teeth were developing during childhood. Fractures to bones of the face, ribs, and hands that are in various stages of healing may suggest a history of violence in the domestic setting, while the presence of orthopedic implants in the knee may have resulted from sports-related injuries. As such, creation of the victim?s biological profile often uncovers clues regarding the victim?s life history, a revelation that will hopefully facilitate the victim?s positive identification.
Once the biological profile of the victim is completed, the next step is the forensic anthropologist?s analysis of trauma that occurred around the time of death. Skeletal trauma analysis is a time-intensive process. If done correctly, this analysis can reveal secrets surrounding the circumstances of death. Yet, identifying whether a mark was caused by a knife stabbed into the victim at the time of death or by lawn mower blades hitting the bones months or years after death can only come from the experience of years spent evaluating thousands of bones, whether in a morgue, laboratory, or museum. For this reason, coroners, medical examiners, and other forensic specialists rely upon the expertise of forensic anthropologists.
Forensic anthropologists are also trained to evaluate and recognize how environmental conditions alter the appearance and composition of bone over the span of time since death. For example, an untrained eye can mistake the chafing or erosion of the braincase by water or wind for a wound that occurred at the time of death. Similarly, conical depressions and tiny parallel grooves can be interpreted as knife wounds, but may actually be tooth marks from carnivores or rodents, respectively. Thus, skeletal trauma analysis differentiates between patterns of violent trauma caused by a weapon at the time of death and fracturing or breakage caused by animals or weathering after death.
Because forensic anthropologists are typically better equipped to locate and map the human skeletal remains and eliminate rocks, sticks, and animal bones from the evidence collection, our activities allow investigating agencies to reallocate their resources to other facets of the investigation. For example, many of the forensic anthropologists called to help in the recovery of victims of the 11 September World Trade Center attack (of which I was one) were tasked with sorting the human remains from the incomprehensible volume of nonhuman material, rocks, sticks, and other debris. Although we did not use our skills to positively identify the victims in this case, our work sped up the identification process conducted in large part by DNA and dental experts. For these reasons, forensic anthropologists have become scientific linchpins for many forensic investigations, helping in the recovery and analysis of the victims of mass fatalities in addition to tying the perpetrators of crime to the victim and weapon by using our knowledge of tool marks on bone.
The inclusion of forensic anthropologists early in an investigation helps to ensure maximum recovery and protection of the human skeletal remains and allows the evidence response team members to focus upon other lines of evidence (fingerprints, fibers, DNA). Furthermore, a forensic anthropologist?s skeletal analysis helps to identify the victim and determine how the victim may have died. Because of the nature of the cases that they work on--victims that are badly decomposed, skeletonized, or when body parts are missing--the forensic anthropologist is often the victim?s last chance for identification and justice.
Monica Caison
CUE Center for Missing Persons
PO Box 12714
Wilmington, NC 28405
(910) 343-1131
(910) 232-1687 24 Hour Line
Email: cuecenter@aol.com
Website: http://www.ncmissingpersons.org/
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