Morgue cooler failure and disappearing body parts.....

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Lawyers in Waco suit say morgue cooler failed By Jack Douglas Jr. and Karen Brooks Star-Telegram staff writers

This article contains graphic language.

FORT WORTH -- Lawyers in a wrongful-death suit against the federal government said yesterday that they have been unable to fully explore the deaths of about 80 Branch Davidians in 1993 because many of their bodies liquefied when a cooler failed at the Tarrant County morgue.

The attorneys are also pursuing reports from a pathologist hired by the family of Davidian Jimmy Riddle that portions of Riddle's body disappeared during the more than two years it was stored in Fort Worth.

The missing body parts and the failure of a refrigeration unit at the morgue are expected to be debated as part of a wrongful-death trial scheduled to begin next month in Waco.

The cooler failed weeks after Medical Examiner Nizam Peerwani had performed autopsies on members of the religious sect, including spiritual leader David Koresh. The Davidians died in the April 19, 1993, blaze that destroyed their compound near Waco.

Chris Gavras, Peerwani's spokesman, said yesterday afternoon that there may be some mitigating factors concerning reports that the morgue's cooler failed, but he declined to elaborate.

Peerwani did not return telephone calls to his office. His secretary, Linda Anderson, said he "has been advised not to make any further comments" in the wake of Thursday's appointment of a special counsel to investigate what happened at Mount Carmel on the last day of the siege.

He did, however, speak to reporters at the Waco Tribune-Herald yesterday.

Don Petty, who worked with Peerwani as a forensic photographer on the Davidian case, and Fort Worth pathologist Stephen Putthoff, who also worked on the Davidians' bodies, said the autopsies were conducted accurately and professionally.

"Dr. Peerwani did a superb job organizing the entire effort," said Putthoff, a deputy medical examiner for Tarrant County and chairman of the pathology department for the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth.

If the cooler malfunctioned, Putthoff said, it would not have mattered because all of the autopsies had been completed and the forensic evidence collected.

But the lawyers suing the government say that when the badly burned corpses were liquefied from exposure to high temperatures, it prevented a second, independent examination to learn more about what -- and possibly who -- caused the Davidians' deaths.

Kirk Lyons, who is representing three Davidian survivors of the fire and relatives of 23 dead sect members, said he has been told that "somebody accidentally pulled the plug, and the bodies turned to soup."

"It just destroys any chance for anybody to come back and challenge what the government said happened," said Lyons of Black Mountain, N.C.

Petty said he believes that "approximately 40 or 50" unclaimed Davidian bodies were in the cooler when it failed.

The cooler, which is behind the morgue and is still being used, was given to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office by the federal government to hold the bodies of the sect members, Petty said.

Peerwani told CNN in an interview this week that his office was not asked by the government to determine whether any of the Davidians were killed by federal agents.

"I don't think that was an issue at the time," he said.

Peerwani also said he was not asked by the government to determine the manner of the deaths -- homicide, suicide or accidental -- which is usually a routine procedure in autopsies.

"In this particular case, we were primarily focused on deciding the cause of death. We had no control over the information that was surrounding this compound's tragedy," the medical examiner told CNN.

Putthoff said the fiery end to the 51-day standoff between the religious sect and federal agents was an "extremely complex disaster."

"I think the hardest part for the pathologists ... was separating out and seeing the bodies of the children who were co-mingled with the adult female bodies," Putthoff said.

Putthoff said that most, if not all, of the Davidian bodies were terribly burned and damaged by the fire and shrapnel from explosions, making it extremely difficult for the team of pathologists at the Tarrant County morgue to examine them.

Houston lawyer Michael Caddell, who is representing the relatives of 55 dead Davidians, said the survivors wanted a re-examination because "we think the autopsies were by and large not done in the best manner possible."

Despite the damage done because of the cooler failure, authorities may still be able to learn more about the deaths of the Davidians by studying their bones, said Mary Manhein, professor of forensic pathology at Louisiana State University and deputy coroner of Baton Rouge Parish.

Bone marrow can harbor DNA samples for as long as 10 years, and a study of the bones can often solve the mysteries of a violent death, Manhein said.

But a better preserved body, including the existence of lung tissue and blood samples, could help determine whether any of the Davidians died from smoke inhalation or from poison caused by government tear gas, said Jay Siegel, professor of criminal justice and chemistry at Michigan State University.

"If they didn't find that out on the initial autopsy ... it would be much more crucial to have something preserved," said Siegel, a member of the American Academy of Forensic Science.

Bodies begin to decompose from the moment of death, but the speed with which they do so depends on the circumstances, Manhein said.

Decomposition is quicker at hotter temperatures and, even at room temperature, can cause a body to deteriorate beyond recognition within two to three days, Manhein said.

Corpses can be preserved if temperatures are kept under 40 degrees, she said.

Plaintiffs attorneys also have questions about the findings of Dr. Ronald Graser, the private pathologist hired by Riddle's family.

Graser's examination found that body parts disappeared from Riddle, whose remains were kept at Tarrant County Mortician Service, a private mortuary in southeast Fort Worth, court documents say.

During that time, the body of Riddle, who had been killed by a shot in the head, was kept in a "crash bag" and sealed in a metal container in a cooler, said Tom Ramsey, owner of the mortuary.

But when Graser examined the remains, he said part of the skull was missing, including the section where the bullet entered and exited, the court documents say.

Jack Douglas Jr., (817) 390-7700 jld@star-telegram.com

Karen Brooks, (817) 685-3806 kbrooks@star-telegram.com http://www.star-telegram.com/news/doc/1047/1:FRONT62/1:FRONT62091199.html

-- Mumsie (Shezdremn@aol.com), September 12, 1999

Answers

This is excellent. This is important! At first I thought this was an excuse for why the people who died from smoke inhalation in the fire were found in bits and pieces. But its NOT.

"The cooler failed weeks after Medical Examiner Nizam Peerwani had performed autopsies on members of the religious sect, including spiritual leader David Koresh. The Davidians died in the April 19, 1993, blaze that destroyed their compound near Waco."

And later his assistant (love the name) "Put-off" says:

"If the cooler malfunctioned, Putthoff said, it would not have mattered because all of the autopsies had been completed and the forensic evidence collected."

Sooo...if the cooler malfunction is not the explanation for why people were found in bits and pieces and varying states of decay, what is?

You gotta love this part:

"Peerwani told CNN in an interview this week that his office was not asked by the government to determine whether any of the Davidians were killed by federal agents.

"I don't think that was an issue at the time," he said.

Peerwani also said he was not asked by the government to determine the manner of the deaths -- homicide, suicide or accidental -- which is usually a routine procedure in autopsies."

So.... his routine procedures were not done in this case... while he was under government orders. Interesting.

You vill see nothing, you vill say nothing.

So, even if there is no head with which to inhale... you can still die of smoke inhalation. Sure.. no problem. I gotcha boss.

Waco Holocause Museum

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), September 12, 1999.


typo.. should be: Waco Holocaust Electronic Museum

in particular see:

Death Examination of the crime scene and autopsies

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), September 12, 1999.


Every day there's more gruesome and disturbing revelations about Waco. Maybe some in the herd will realize that incomprehensibly dastardly deeds are indeed possible, and there will be no end to the desecrations involved in cover-ups. A clueful Y2K primer.

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), September 12, 1999.

"The cooler, which is behind the morgue and is still being used, was given to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office by the federal government to hold the bodies of the sect members, Petty said"

Curious that a device furnished by the Feds to preserve evidence would fail.Almost too convenient.

-- Sam (Gunmkr52@aol.com), September 12, 1999.


A&L - "Every day there's more gruesome and disturbing revelations about Waco. Maybe some in the herd will realize that incomprehensibly dastardly deeds are indeed possible, and there will be no end to the desecrations involved in cover-ups. A clueful Y2K primer."

The most important clue is that orders to involve the military.. orders for the raid.. orders for the coverup.. orders for the destruction of evidence.. had to come from the highest levels of the FBI, Dept. of "Justice" and the President of the United States... all of whom are still in power as we go into rollover ("rollover".. appropriate term dontcha think?)

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), September 12, 1999.



Sam - besides the cooler failing at just the most convenient time, I note that it is still being used. Reminds me of the BCM alert devices which went off all the time during the Gulf War. The soldiers were told they were just malfunctioning and to pay them no mind... but they are still using those devices.

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), September 12, 1999.

Rollover and play dead ... oopsie, this wasn't a drill. Lime!

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), September 12, 1999.

Linda, hope the .gov .system .biz .establishment is as quick with nitty-gritty-grungy for-real COVER-UPS. Tink dey gots dem contingency plans "final solutionized?" Got grave diggers? Got enough crematoriums?

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), September 12, 1999.

We've concluded that, whatever idiocy, myopic tunnel selfish laziness contributed to the Y2K catatonicastrophy, NOW it has become a .system conscious Cull Opportunity. Big fast way to eliminate all that enormous drain of Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, etc.

Entitlement Coffers to Coffins. Koffinsky in charge. Let's reinvent Government!

Stocking streamlined shrouds ...

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), September 12, 1999.


Linda, I went to your link for the Waco Holocaust Museum and found this site to be rich in information. As I was navigating around,the following message came up:

'Alert! Yet another attempt to cover up the the Waco Holocaust. Read about the new hoax documentary, Waco: The Rules of Engagement in the Museum's Burial Gallery.'

They are claiming this movie is a hoax and I thought this was the same film that was responsible for the new investigation. Now I'm confused.

-- Whats (up@with.this), September 12, 1999.



Hey Linda! What's a BCM device? I'm assuming it's some sort of biological agent detector...

-- Steverino (steve.kuhn@turner.com), September 12, 1999.

Mumsie,

Sort of lends a whole new meaning to the word 'LIQUIDATE'!

BTW did you ever sort out the marriage/travel question over rollover??



-- K. Stevens (kstevens@ It's ALL going away in January but not WACO.com), September 12, 1999.


What's,

I think the electronic museum's objection to the video is that it gives the impression that wacko was just clumsiness on Elmer's part. With the subsequent research, they may feel that truth is nos being exposed.

gene

-- gene (ekbaker@essex1.com), September 12, 1999.


It seemed to me that the main objection to the video Waco: Rules of Engagement is that they (Museum) feel it is downplaying the accountability of our military. They suspect the military is much more involved on every level, and that the slant and presentation of the video lets them 'off the hook'.

Update to K. Stevens...Last weekend while visiting the young man asked Dad for "permission", and is returning in two weeks...we presume to ask her. Thanks for asking!

-- Mumsie (Shezdremn@aol.com), September 12, 1999.


Does anyone know if the sequel to "Waco: The Rules of Engagement," "Waco: A New Revelation," answers the objections of the Waco Holocaust Museum? The first film may have inadvertently left something out, but there's no way it could be construed as cover-up or "damage control." I mean, it shows clearly that the Fed set the fire, and fired on innocents trying to escape that fire. If it doesn't mention SAS or Delta Force, it's probably because evidence available wasn't conclusive at the time, as it is now.

Liberty

-- Liberty (liberty@theready.now), September 13, 1999.



Steverino - "Hey Linda! What's a BCM device? I'm assuming it's some sort of biological agent detector..."

Typo alert.. should've been BCW.. Biological and Chemical Weapons. But you got the idea in spite of my typing.

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), September 13, 1999.


This sounds alot like the 'failure' of the X-ray machine to work on the day when Vince Foster was autopsied, meaning that this vital bit of evidence which could have proved how he really died never materialized. Of course, had the X-ray machine mysteriously worked, the X-rays probably would have disappeared just like most of the crime scene photos!

-- Tom Knepper (thomas_knepper@intuit.com), September 13, 1999.

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