Forensic Pathology News
Dr. Young will post links to news articles that interest him about
forensic pathology, medical examiners, coroners and death
investigation in this section.
Pathology in the News
- Medical Examiner identifies Mount Horeb jogger killed as ‘result of homicidal violence’
- Anyone in that area between 12:45 p.m. and 1:15 p.m. Wednesday is asked to call the Dane County Communications Center’s non-emergency line at 608-255-2345 or the tip line for the Dane County Sheriff’s Office at 608-284-6900. Callers can remain anonymous. [Why didn't the Dane County ME wait to find out what callers might claim before calling this a homicide?]
- Despite ‘Unsupportable’ Bloodstain Analysis, No Relief for Man Convicted of Murder
- Another story blaming a forensic science technique when it should be blaming the Sherlock Effect.
- Feral Cats Break Into Body Farm to Eat Decomposing Human Corpses
- This is what any cat (not just the "feral" type) does when it encounters remains. It is another part of the complex "natural processes" the scientists are trying to study.
- Ex-Northwest Florida medical examiner files lawsuit claiming gender discrimination over pay
- Dr. Andrea Minyard filed a lawsuit against three counties, alleging that the new medical examiner is receiving higher pay because he is a man.
- 'I want to clear my name’: Medical examiner worker sues county for wrongful termination
- CHARLOTTE — A Mecklenburg County medical examiner employee, who spent five years responding to tragic and violent crime scenes, is currently fighting the county in court. Eric Wheeler was fired over his posts on social media, and he told Channel 9 anchor Allison Latos he wants his job back. “I felt like I was an advocate for the deceased,” Wheeler said.
- Major increase in autopsies strains Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office
- AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office is violating the national standard on how many autopsies each of its pathologists can perform. The standard set by the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) limits the number of cases per pathologist to 250 autopsies. Travis County’s current caseload is 291 autopsies per pathologist.
- How Dubious Science Helped Put A New Jersey Woman In Prison For Killing A Baby In Her Care
- The state said Michelle Heale shook the baby to death, but some experts say her conviction was based on debunked science.
- Inside the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner’s Office
- “I’m not trying to prosecute anyone, and I’m not trying to get anyone off on charges. My job is to present the evidence as neutrally as possible. Does it fit with the multiple stories? … The body doesn’t lie. People do.”
- Coroner: Woman was dead before house set afire
- "Preliminary autopsy results from Coroner Cinda Edwards determined Neisler, 24, died as result of injuries inflicted by another person before the fire was set."
- Coroner: Crash victim died before car caught fire
- Wilmington State Patrol Post Commander Lt. Stan Jordan said, “From what we can tell so far, the car was northbound on 138 and went off the road and went through a front yard, then ramped and nosed in to the creek on the other side and burst into flames.” On Monday, Beery said that there was no soot in Newkirk’s airways, which indicated that he wasn’t alive when his car caught fire.
- Florida parents wrongly accused of child abuse by state experts is 'shocking,' says lawmaker
- TAMPA, Fla. — A Florida lawmaker believes the state’s medical experts on child abuse need more checks and balances after an I-team investigation revealed several pediatricians have made questionable calls against parents who appeared to have done everything right.
- The autopsy (part 1): What if justice got it wrong? - The Fifth Estate
- An autopsy tells the story of the dead, but can also determine the future of the living, especially in criminal cases. Concerns raised about autopsy findings in some cases in Alberta prompted the provincial justice department to commission an expert panel to conduct a review. The Fifth Estate has discovered that review led to questions about autopsy findings used in some murder cases, including whether there were even any murders at all.
- Woman Found Dead In Merrillville Hotel, Coroner Calls Her Death Homicide
- An unidentified woman was found dead at a Hampton Inn in Merrillville, Indiana Sunday, and authorities said her death was a homicide...The injuries she suffered have not been determined, but the Coroner’s office said her death was a homicide.
Pathology Links
- ACCPE means Affirming the Consequent for Complex Past Events. It is The Sherlock Effect.
- Whenever an expert states the past events that occurred on the basis of looking only at the physical evidence without reference to eyewitness statements, he or she is Affirming the Consequent for Complex Past Events. This is not only logically invalid and unsound, it never works in practice, Sherlock Holmes, CSI and Bones notwithstanding. Whenever ACCPE is listed in my comments to a news article, recognize one more tragic example of how this fallacy can destroy lives. ACCPE can also be understood as "backward reasoning,""effect-to-cause reasoning," or "abductive inference."
- American Academy of Forensic Sciences
- ForensicScienceDegree.org
- For further information on forensic science.
- National Association of Medical Examiners