Showing posts with label forensic investigation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label forensic investigation. Show all posts

PostHeaderIcon Lack of forensic science logistics in the Maguindanao massacre probe

11/27/2009 | Posted by Anonymous | Edit Post




It is like what happened to the sinking of the passenger ship Princess of the Sea at the height of a typhoon which drowned 800 or more people on June 22, 2008. The Maguindanao political massacre is posing the same problem for the investigators. The basic lack of facilities to store 57 dead bodies has hampered the probe.

The government has not done anything new to prepare for instances of mass deaths. With the global outrage over the barbaric bloodbath, the Philippines is under pressure by the human rights groups and the United Nations (UN) to come out with a clean and fair pursuit of justice.

Dr. Ben Molino who works in the group CenterLaw Philippines said he feels sad for government doctors who have to face the lack of logistics to deal with the investigation of a massacre with so many fatalities. The working conditions of the probers are bad, endangeriing and probably compromising the integrity of the investigation results. Such helplessness and embarassment have obviously been ignored by the Philippine authorities.

The investigators quickly dug the bodies by a land-fill excavator and by hands without employing caution to preserve as much evidence. Gloves were hard to find. They employ the crude lime to retard the decomposition of the bodies, many wrapped in banana leaves in the absence of freezers.

“Dr. Molino lamented that there were no refrigerators to store the bodies, nor even just air-conditioning. In a CenterLaw Philippines report, he said: “They could have at least used lime to slow down the process of composition but I did not see any indication that they did that."”—GMAnews.Tv (November 21,/2009)

Obviously, the morale of the medico-legal investigators is low. It is reported that their autopsies have been “completed,” but the doctors refuse to be interviewed. Their initial findings point to gunshot wounds as the cause of the victim's death. But it is unsure whether they have identified the brutalized bodies for proper disposition.

I have occasions of working with Dr. Ben Molino in the 1980's in similar difficult probe situations. I feel there is nothing much which changed to improve the state of forensic science in the Philippines. It is an area that the government must urgently look into to bring justice and avoid embarrassing the country in the world.(Photo Credits: Erik de Castro/ Reuters x 2) =0=

RELATED BLOG: "The Ferry Tragedy: Lack Of Body Bags And The Dearth Of Forensic Expertise" Posted by mesiamd at 6/27/2008; Maguindanao Massacre: death toll climbs with 22 mediamen dead Posted by mesiamd at 11/25/2009; Maguindanao bloodbath blamed on Ampatuans Posted by mesiamd at 11/24/2009
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PostHeaderIcon Reconciling dental records and the identity of Ruby Rose Jimenez

8/03/2009 | Posted by Anonymous | Edit Post


In forensic investigations which involve dental records, usually, identification of human remains is not difficult. The landmarks of a person’s teeth and jawbone are unique that when x-rays are compared, the match or mismatch is easily evident. The dentition, the relation of the teeth to the bones, and presence of cavities, dental fillings and appliance are usually enough.

Apparently, this is not the case of a woman found in a steel drum on June 10, 2009. The conflicting report of the National Police and pathologists Dr. Raquel Fortun and Dr. Danilo Magtanong of the University of the Philippines on the identity of suspected murder victim Ruby Rose Barrameda Jimenez is marred by questions on the inconsistency of the dental findings. The controversy casts doubt on the competence of our investigators.

According to Magtanong, the dental charts failed to match because the body had ”a first molar and a missing third molar while Ruby Rose’s 1996 records indicated she had no first molar. “

That is not hard to understand. If such findings are true (barring tampering,) then that skull or jawbone is not that Ruby Rose. Surely, there are other unique features of the remains that may be used to help corroborate the conclusion. This is of paramount importance for any error can bring someone to answer a crime.

The unfortunate tug-of-war among forensic “experts’ has caused tremendous embarrassment and loss of credibility among our investigators. Those in the crime laboratory need not challenge the public about giving up their licenses if only to prove that they are correct in their findings. They must focus on the evidence using the tools of forensic science to arrive at the right conclusion. (Photo Credit: rontgen1) =0=

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PostHeaderIcon Mystery behind the death of Ted Failon’s wife

4/17/2009 | Posted by Anonymous | Edit Post


It must be a challenge for investigators to know the truth behind the death of 45-year old Trinidad Arteche Etong, the wife of Ted Failon, a news anchor of ABS-CBN TV Patrol. It has been suggested that the woman died in her home’s bathroom from an alleged self-inflicted gunshot head wound--- presumably a case of suicide. The broadcaster was said to be in the TV studio when the incident occurred.

“Failon’s wife Trinidad Arteche Etong, 45, was declared dead by doctors of the New Era General Hospital at 8:50 last night. She had been in a coma and declared brain-dead after she sustained a bullet wound in her left temple after the shooting incident at 10:30 a.m. inside their house on 27 General Aquino street, Tierra Pura Subdivision in Tandang Sora, Quezon City.”--- Philstar (04/17/09, Padua, R)

It was reported that Etong and her husband had failed financial investments. Failon admitted having quarreled with her on money matters the night before.

It will take some time to reconcile the accounts of witnesses and forensic evidence, but early on, possibilities other than suicide are being considered by investigators.

There was a race to remove spattered blood in the bathroom where Trinidad was found before investigators could come to examine. In an act to tamper evidence, house helpers also cleaned the vehicle used to bring the bloodied lady to the hospital. Evaluation of the bullet trajectory posed questions as to whether the head wound was indeed self-inflicted.

Failon reportedly touched the gun thought to be used in the shooting. At one point, his family refused to allow investigators to see the scene of the incident. Though presumed innocent, the well-known broadcaster had been under close scrutiny.

Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) chief Persida Rueda-Acosta who temporarily acted as Failon’s lawyer said there was no direct evidence linking the TV anchor to the fatal shooting. However, Justice Secretary Gonzalez tasked the Bureau of Immigration to put Failon under its watch list in order to prevent him from leaving the country.

Shortly after Trinidad passed away in the hospital, obstruction of justice charges were filed versus Failon and his sister-in-law Pamela Arteche, and house helpers Pacifico Apacible, Carlota Morbos, Wilfreda Bolliser, and Glen Palan at the Quezon City prosecutor’s office. The bases of the accusation were Failon's failure to report the incident to the police and tampering of evidence by house helpers.

The way the shooting incident was handled by the Failon family suggested either gross ignorance in reporting a potential crime scene or an attempt at cover-up for reasons yet to be known. Initial investigation suggested less of the former and more of the latter.

It is less likely that those accused of obstruction of justice don't know the basics of handling this bloody incident. On the other hand, it's the duty of the police and investigators to come up with a truthful and credible account of what happened so that the case can rest with fair closure. (Photo Credit: Nyki_M) =0=

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PostHeaderIcon "Robbery” in Paranaque subdivision leaves 17 dead

12/06/2008 | Posted by Anonymous | Edit Post
One can’t help but be scared with the news that 17 people died in a shoot-out between police officers and alleged robbery gangs of Waray-Waray and Ozamis Group on December 5, 2008.

In the blood bath inside a residential area---the United Paranaque Subdivision, five (5) civilians, eleven (11) suspected thieves and one (1) policeman were killed. Among the dead was Alfonso de Vera, 53 and his 7 year old daughter Avanna.

According to witnesses, they were caught by gun fires from members of the police team as they pursued the suspected robbers. De Vera’s wife theorized that the police might have mistaken their van as one of the getaway vehicles.---PDI (12/05/08, Ramos, M.)

Pending thorough investigation no one for sure knew what went wrong, but the deaths of civilians in this setting raised doubts on the manner the police conducted its operation. There were others who suffered injuries in this incident.

In the past, many innocent people suspiciously died or sustained injuries in similar circumstances. Alarmed people ask if this is another case of “shoot first, investigate later” ---a frightening possiblity civilians and police officers find hard to deal with. =0=
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PostHeaderIcon The Ferry Tragedy: Lack Of Body Bags And The Dearth Of Forensic Expertise

6/27/2008 | Posted by Anonymous | Edit Post
The advice of UP pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun that "there must be a detailed external examination of all remains recovered while the soft tissues are still intact for documentation and proper identification" seems to be what we know from a pathology textbook. But for those who are aware of how forensic science is practiced in the Philippines, this recommendation is a pipe dream, especially for those who lost loved ones in the Princess of the Stars tragedy.

In spite of advanced forensic technology currently in use today, our investigators are mostly operating on antiquated scientific grounds, very much like the outdated travel guidelines Sulpicio Lines followed which led to the ill-fated ship to its seabed grave. Our forensic doctors may well be 50 years behind in what modern science normally does to deal with deaths of this magnitude.

We don’t have enough freezers and body bags to keep our cadavers. There is no central repository of bodies that’s needed to secure material evidence and specimens for testing. We lack the manpower and logistics to deal with such a catastrophe which upsets all of us. With no time to put up a coordinated team, pressure to bury decomposing bodies builds up. The public is afraid of potential contamination and outbreak of diseases.

Since I left UP-PGH in the 1980’s, little had changed in our way of medico-legal investigation. In those days, as member of the Department of Pathology, I volunteered to help examine remains---a thankless job I did for free, because few pathologists in the academe were willing to do it. I believed it was a calling which I must sustain for those who sought justice. I joined the National Bureau Investigation (NBI,) Commission on Human Rights (CHR,) and some cause-oriented groups perform autopsies and identifications, mostly for victims of violence and killings during Marcos’s time.

The reasons for the dearth of interest in forensic science are largely predictable. For years, the systemic lack of budget has spawned a culture of waiting, inaction, and helplessness on the part of the government. Gruesome and messy as necropsies may be, forensic science is a tedious job. Few doctors go into the specialty for lack of appreciation of its contribution to our society. It appears a sizeable number of medico-legal doctors stick to their jobs as their source of livelihood, not because they gain professional satisfaction in caring for the dead and in seeking the truth behind a person’s passing.

Many medico-legal doctors in the Philippines are trained on the routine crime scene investigation, identification of bodies and autopsy, but they sorely lack support. As basic as a steady supply of gloves, sharp scalpels, or a good morgue assistant, pathologists don’t have standard modern autopsy facilities. Besides, they have only a few credible laboratories with state-of-the-art capabilities which can help put their cases to rest.

The routine death investigations do not usually pose problems. It is the sensational demise, those that hug the news and cause public controversy and pain that bring embarrassment to our medico-legal capabilities. In our ranks, we have forensic workers who are slowed by the endemic problems of the profession: job-overload, lack of facilities, inadequate budgetary support, turf wars, and a dearth in trained manpower.

There are times when we don’t believe what our medico-legal investigators say. Questionable results of past cases make them appear untrustworthy. The question of competence and honesty often crop up, making them cynical and defensive. Burdened by their deficiencies, they end up as apologists and defenders of an institution that needs total overhaul.

Body retrieval and identification disturb us. In mass deaths, our instinct is to ask help from forensic experts abroad, believing that it’s the only way a reliable medico-legal investigation can be carried out. Our unending dependence on foreign assistance makes us lose our drive to learn, work hard, and trust in ourselves.

Who then will do the examination, documentation, procurement of tissue samples that may aid in identifying the dead? Who will provide the freezers that Dr. Fortun asks for (Inguirer, 06/27/08, Uy, J.)---so that the NBI and medico-legal experts like her could do their job to the satisfaction of the grieving public? When will we get the central repository of remains and tissue samples of unidentified victims?

The main purpose of postmortem examination in the tragedy is to recognize the dead as quickly as possible so that their relatives can give them decent burial. Body retrieval and identification will help bring closure to the grief of loved ones. Necropsy is important in the prosecution of case(s) against the culpable. It's vital in pursuing justice for the victims.

At this time, it is less important to know the victim’s circumstance and manner of dying, for without the ship’s sinking, all the passengers could be presumed alive to reach their destination. Most of those who perished probably drowned.

More than 20 years after I left UP-PGH, I doubt if precise identification could be done on many victims of Sulpicio Lines. An overwhelming number of decomposing bodies, in various stages of decay, at different sites in the islands, some drifting from the shipwreck have been found floating or washed to shore. It appears the manpower and forensic expertise to do a credible job on these bodies, are meager and inadequate. =0=
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