Burned bodies perplex Rochester in real-life CSI case
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Burned, and burning, bodies keep turning up around Rochester, N.Y. — two in July and eight so far this year.
Passersby spotted a burning body on the side of a road in a nearby town July 5. The next day, 20 miles away, two early-morning walkers discovered a burned body in a city park on Rochester's north side. In May, sheriff's deputies discovered a body in a burning vehicle in a remote area near Sonyea State Forest. In April, firefighters in Macedon responded to a car fire on an access road near the Erie Canal. When they extinguished the blaze, they found a body inside.
And in January, city firefighters discovered four bodies on the third floor of an apartment house as they finished putting out a small fire. All of the victims had gunshot wounds. Investigators say the blaze was likely set to hide the murders or taint the crime scene. That was likely a mistake, said Rochester Police Capt. Lynde Johnston, who heads the police department’s major crimes unit. “I think a lot of people … think burning will destroy the real cause of death, but it doesn’t,” he said. “There are so many ways of finding out."
Forensic experts agree that arson as a means of concealing a crime is neither common nor particularly effective. Some criminals mistakenly believe that a fire will reduce a body to ash. While these types of fires may leave a body charred on the outside, they typically don't get hot enough or burn long enough to cause more than superficial damage. Indeed, in each of the cases, police were able to identify the victims fairly quickly, in one case by the serial number on her artificial knee.
Anthony Falsetti, a longtime forensics anthropologist consultant for police departments, said the entire body, even after burning, provides many options for identification. “On a burned body you can CAT scan the whole thing because then you’ll have a digital image of the whole body,” he said. From there, Falsetti said, former surgical procedures or medical devices can be identified and provide helpful information.
“Ultimately, the nice thing about medical devices, depending on the type of device, is it may be serialized,” said Falsetti, who has assisted with mass death tragedies, including the Oklahoma City bombing, and who teaches at Arizona State University.
Officials from various police agencies who have investigated the cases say they have found no evidence that they are linked. There has been an arrest in one case, but police say it’s not related to the others.
Livingston County Sheriff Thomas Dougherty said last week that the body found near the state park in May was determined to be an accidental death, although he did not provide more details. Macedon Police Chief John Colella said his investigation of the body near the Erie Canal concluded that case was a suicide, but declined to explain further.
In the remaining six cases, where foul play was suspected, the fire did not seem to slow police from identifying the victims or determining the cause of death. It took less than 48 hours for Rochester police to release the names of the four victims discovered in the apartment fire. They were able to identify the victim found in the city park the same day his body was found. Robert Mitchell, 37, a professional photographer, had distinctive tattoos, which helped pathologists identify him, according to Rochester Police Capt. Johnston.
Police are still waiting for a final confirmation through dental records, though the tattoos, coupled with Mitchell’s height — “He was very tall,” Johnston said — leave police and even Mitchell’s family certain of the identity.
Police have declined to say how Mitchell was killed.
New York State Police identified the body found on the roadside using a serial number found on an artificial knee in the body. It matched medical records of Patrice S. Miller, 64, from a knee replacement surgery and confirmed the identification. That led to the arrest of two people, a couple who shared a home with the victim, less than 72 hours after the body was discovered. Police have not said how she was killed
While forensic science can assist in making an identification, traditional police work often provides clues for police to get started. The location of the body or other evidence not consumed in the fire can assist. Missing persons reports or other witness accounts can also point police in the right direction. The use of dental records or DNA evidence requires police to have some idea of who the victim was.
“Unless they have an inkling of who the person was before the fire, it gets very, very difficult,” said dentist Neil Goldstein, who has done forensics work for the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office.
With the right direction, the DNA provides another identification tool, said Elayne Pope, a Virginia-based forensics anthropologist who specializes in the analysis of burned human remains. "You can compare that to any family member," she said.
When funeral directors cremate a body, it takes extreme temperatures and several hours for the body to be destroyed. Those conditions are nearly impossible for criminals to recreate outside of a professional setting, even when accelerants are used.
“The teeth really are there unless it was over 1,600 degrees for over 45 minutes,” Goldstein said. “The molars usually are in pretty good shape.”
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