Case Studies in Drowning Forensics

456 Pages·2014·10.7 MB·English

by  Kevin Gannon

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“Reality is indeed stranger than fiction. Case Studies in Drowning Forensics portrays
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cases that are more fascinating, mysterious, and intellectually stimulating than any
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CSI program. Gannon and Gilbertson’s extensive, skilled studies of bizarre, unresolved s
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deaths will keep you riveted from one case to another.

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The interaction of forensic scientists and homicide detectives, the keystone of death u
investigation, makes this book truly special.” d
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—Cyril H. Wecht, M.D., J.D., Forensic Pathologist - Attorney
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When a corpse is found in a body of water, authorities generally presume that the manner of death
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was either an accident or a suicide. They do not treat the recovery site as a potential crime scene
or homicide, so many cases remain unsolved. Case Studies in Drowning Forensics investigates the
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cases of 13 bodies recovered from water in similar circumstances and one survivor. The product of
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intensive field investigation and archival research, this is the first book that presents and explains
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forensic autopsy evidence associated with the “Smiley Face” murders.
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Each chapter begins with background information on the victim in the case and discusses when
and where the victim was last seen and how the body was recovered. This is followed by in-depth i
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analysis of the evidence found and the peculiarities of each case. Gannon and Gilbertson challenge
authorities’ determinations regarding cause and manner of death by critically examining autopsy, g
toxicology, and law enforcement reports and photographs. They also reveal evidence not previously

made public—including search efforts, cell phone records, GPS data, and additional drug tests. F
Building on each successive case study, they explain relationships among postmortem artifacts in a
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graphic format.
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Presenting the inside truth on the circumstances and the evidence, the book enables readers to
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determine for themselves whether the deaths of these young men were accidents or homicides.
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K13561_cover.indd 1 1/22/14 10:06 AM
Case Studies in
Drowning
Forensics

Case Studies in
Drowning
Forensics
by
Kevin Gannon
D. Lee Gilbertson
with Contributions by
Anthony Duarte
Boca Raton London New York
CRC Press is an imprint of the
Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300
Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742
© 2014 by Kevin Gannon
CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business
No claim to original U.S. Government works
Version Date: 20130809
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-1-4398-7665-7 (eBook - PDF)
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Dedication
First and foremost, this book is dedicated to a very special group of persons. It is
dedicated to those young men whose lives were erased from this earth and whose
deaths were not fully, or properly in some cases, investigated by those in authority.
This includes the men whose stories appear in this text as well as the hundreds
of others that we know about, and the untold number that we may not know.
Second, this book is dedicated to the parents of those young men. We extend
our most sincere and heartfelt understanding to the moms and dads. Losing
a loved one is difficult, but it does not compare to losing a child. We have seen
and heard mothers and fathers respond in different ways, silent withdrawal,
lashing out in anger, or releasing their pain with a gut-wrenching primeval
scream. There are many more families out there whom we personally know
who have been touched by mysterious drowning deaths than the few presented
herein. We pray for all of you throughout the year. We apologize if your
son’s story was not presented within the pages of this work. We could only
present a few of the cases without composing a document that could easily
become too large and unmanageable. In some cases, we did not have the
documentation that we would need to properly evaluate your son’s death.
Our hope is that this book will increase recognition of all of these young
men’s stories, fostering a greater interest among those persons in authority
to act upon them. We thank all of the mothers and fathers for believing in
our integrity, professionalism, compassion, and fairness. You knew that we
would continue to ethically and correctly work on your sons’ cases no matter
how long it took. We have tried to physically get to as many as possible, and
to provide each family with the same measure of care and investigatory skill.
But, there were only so many hours in a year. We thank you for understanding
how busy we were, especially when we didn’t call you back right away.
Finally, this book is dedicated to those men and women who have sworn to
serve and protect – the Thin Blue Line. It is our desire as authors, a detective
supervisor and a criminal justice professor, that this document will educate
those who perform death investigations and autopsies so they can do their
jobs even better in the interest of justice for victims and families.
Kevin Gannon
D. Lee Gilbertson

Contents
Foreword xv
Preface xvii
Acknowledgments xxiii
Authors xxix
1 Introduction 1
The Beginning 1
Intersecting Lives 2
Protocols and Models 4
You Decide 7
2 Patrick James McNeil 9
Background 9
Circumstances 10
Last Seen 10
Recovery 11
Analysis of Evidence 11
Recovery Location 11
Vehicle Plate Number 11
Clothing 12
Toxicology 13
Gastrointestinal System 13
Body Position and Lividity 15
Ligature Mark 16
Injuries 16
Flecks and Fibers 16
Burning and Charring 16
Fly Eggs 18
Respiratory System 19
Decomposition and Maceration 20
Conclusion 21
3 Lawrence Robert Andrews, Jr. 23
Background 23
Circumstances 24
Last Seen 24
Recovery 25
Analysis of Evidence 27
Recovery Location 27
vii
viii Contents
Clothing 27
Toxicology 28
Body Position and Lividity 29
Decomposition and Maceration 29
Empty Systems 33
Flecks and Fibers 33
Conclusion 33
4 Adam Michael Falcon 37
Background 37
Circumstances 38
Last Seen 38
Recovery 40
Analysis of Evidence 40
Recovery Location 40
Evidence Trails 40
Dog Searches 43
Water Searches 43
Shoe Tracks 43
Smokeless Tobacco Can 45
Clothing 46
Position Relationships 46
Witnesses 46
Hypothermia 47
Rigidity 48
Body Position and Lividity 49
Decomposition and Maceration 50
Facial Hair 51
Injuries 51
Neck Exam 52
Foreign Matter 52
Gastrointestinal System and Vomitus 53
Toxicology 54
A Father’s Story 54
Additional Autopsy Evaluations 55
Conclusion 55
5 Gerald Lee Smith 57
Background 57
Circumstances 58
Last Seen 58
Recovery 59
Analysis of Evidence 60
Search Efforts 60
Video Recordings 61
Dog Searches 62
Contents ix
Side Scan Sonar 63
Reported Sightings 63
Old Photographs 65
Other Important Incidents 66
Recovery Location 68
Recovered Property 71
External Assessment 73
Ocular Changes 73
Rigidity 73
Body Position and Lividity 74
Decomposition and Maceration 74
Gastrointestinal System 75
Toxicology 75
Smoking Gun 80
Cell Phone Records 82
Conclusion 83
6 Brian Richard Welzien 89
Background 89
Circumstances 90
Last Seen 90
Recovery 91
Analysis of Evidence 94
Recovery Location 94
Diatoms and Chemicals 96
Toxicology 99
Rigidity 100
Body Position and Lividity 100
Larynx and Sand 102
Different Contexts 103
Decomposition and Maceration 105
Documented Mistakes 106
Ocular Changes 107
Internal Assessment 107
Gastrointestinal System 108
Conclusion 109
7 Christopher Mark Jenkins 117
Background 117
Circumstances 119
Last Seen 119
Recovery 120
Analysis of Evidence 121
Dog Searches 121
Ground Searches 126
Video Recordings 126