Canadian forensic anthropologist Scott Fairgrieve joins Casey Anthony's defense

[fay]

Dr. Scott Fairgrieve has been a faculty member of Laurentian University (Sudbury, Ontario Canada) since 1991 and is currently the chair of the university’s department of forensic science. Dr. Fairgrieve serves as a forensic anthropology consultant to the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario, through the Northeastern Regional Forensic Pathology Unit. He is regularly sought out internationally to consult on cases of cremation homicides and has given expert witness testimony both in Canada and the United States for prosecution and defense.

Just another hired gun. I doubt he's any better than the Orlando ME, and he's sought out because he has made a career out of being a highly paid "expert".
Big deal that he wrote a book, lot's of people do, like Dr.Bill Bass, who started the "body farm", this guy will not find any new evidence he will only try to throw doubt. Spare me

 

[Bev]

That happens to be his expertise in his field of forensic anthropology. For example, when the Russian imperial family was murdered, two members of the family were cremated - a forensic anthropologist who specialized in cremation remains studied the bone fragments to assess the type of bone found, when it could have been cremated and how it might have been cremated. Since the bones had been buried since 1918, it took a forensic anthropologist who specialized in this to distinguish the damage done to the bones from that done by natural decomposition.

p.s. this doesn't mean cremation in the sense of body disposal by cremations done legally to reduce the body to ashes, this only means that the body was burned after death. Criminals think that by burning a body they are destroying evidence, but actual cremation takes hours at sustained temps higher than 1200 degrees.

 

[Lovejac]

Oh.....another 'expert' joins the defense team.....yawn

 

[SideKick]

http://www.forensicscience.laurentian.ca/BiographyScott.htm

Dr. Scott Fairgrieve received his Hons B.Sc. in Anthropology from the University of Toronto, an M.Phil. in Biological Anthropology from the University of Cambridge (England), and a Ph.D. in Anthropology (Human Skeletal Biology) from the University of Toronto. Dr. Fairgrieve has been a member of faculty at Laurentian Univeristy since 1991. In his time at Laurentian University, Dr. Fairgrieve has been a member of both the Departments of Biology and Anthropology, and has previously served two terms as Chair of Anthropology. Currently, Dr. Fairgrieve is Chair of the Department of Forensic Science and an active member of the faculty, teaching: FORS 2106 Introduction to Forensic Biology, FORS 2107 Introduction to Forensic Science, FORS 3036 Forensic Anatomy of the Human Skeleton, FORS 4106 Forensic Analysis of the Human Skeleton, and supervising undergraduate thesis students. As a practicing forensic scientist, Dr. Fairgrieve is a consultant to several police services across Ontario and is the consulting Forensic Anthropologist for the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario for Northern Ontario. In this role, Dr. Fairgrieve works closely with the newly formed Northeastern Regional Forensic Pathology Unit run by Forensic Pathologist, Martin Queen M.D., at the Laurentian Site of the Sudbury Regional Hospital. As an author of various books and research publications, Dr. Fairgrieve is often sought out by professional and public organizations to give presentations on forensic science and issues relating to the practice of forensic science in Canada.

Current Research Interests:

Dr. Fairgrieve's current research interests are on recovery, examination, and interpretation of human remains subjected to fire.


Caylee may NOT have been burned... Dr. Fairgrieve is currently specializing in that area...

 

[Truthwillsetufree]

If Caylee's body had been burned, wouldn't Dr. G have mentioned that? She said there was no trauma to the bones, and I would think burning would be included in that. Right?

She did. She did say that there was no antimortum trauma to the bones she examined, meaning, while Caylee was alive. When a reporter asked her about post mortum she replied she didn't want to get into that or something. That is if I am recalling all that correctly, will go back and look.
http://www.wftv.com/video/18318814/index.html

 

[Intermezzo]

Sounds like a new science. I suspect Caylee has been cremated. He may be a specialist in pulverization of bones ..who knows?

I think I saw on the Discovery Channel, something about a new procedure being used by some experts where they pulverize the bones and then extract DNA(?) or get other information form that procedure.
Geeeeez, I hate it when I can't recall soemthing I watched on tv LOL
Will be off searching for it, if nothing else for my own verification LOL

I think I'm wrong on the pulverization, it could be freezing the bones before being pulverized....
okay I am rambling and will now stop LOL

 

[Bev]

I doubt that Caylee was burned, but this is a very important, probably landmark case in evidence discovery - this is one of the first cases where completely new forensic techniques of testing and evidence recovery have been used. This is one of the first cases, that I am aware of, where the field of forensic taphonomy has been employed since the beginning of the body recovery. Orange County Sheriff's Dept. did a very great service to that field by calling in the FBI and their team of forensic taphonomists to examine the body dumping site.

ps. bone pulverization to recover DNA has been around for quite some time - that science was pioneered by the U.S. armed services in body identification of personnel. They were the first to recover DNA from the very damaged bones of the Russian imp. family, thus settling forever the question of their deaths.

 

[gillian]

Could he be reviewing Dr. G's work?

 

[Shaymus at The Rock]

"My role in the case is basically peer review," Fairgrieve told the Orlando Sentinel. "I will be reviewing reports on the evidence. So far everything I've done has been remotely."

Snipped and bolded by me

He will review only the reports - not the evidence itself ? That's not much of a review.

Interesting that a new out-of-US expert turns up days after Baez is given copies of the crime scene photos and x-rays. I sure hope they haven't been transmitted to him.

 

[sweetmop]

Dr. Scott Fairgrieve has been a faculty member of Laurentian University (Sudbury, Ontario Canada) since 1991 and is currently the chair of the university’s department of forensic science. Dr. Fairgrieve serves as a forensic anthropology consultant to the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario, through the Northeastern Regional Forensic Pathology Unit. He is regularly sought out internationally to consult on cases of cremation homicides and has given expert witness testimony both in Canada and the United States for prosecution and defense.

Good find, cajun. Interesting. Thank you.

 

[gillian]

"My role in the case is basically peer review," Fairgrieve told the Orlando Sentinel. "I will be reviewing reports on the evidence. So far everything I've done has been remotely."

Snipped and bolded by me

He will review only the reports - not the evidence itself ? That's not much of a review.

Interesting that a new out-of-US turns up days after Baez is given copies of the crime scene photos and x-rays. I sure hope they haven't been transmitted to him.

Thanks Shaymus, I should have read more thoroughly before asking my question. I would think they have been transmitted.

 

[Shaymus at The Rock]

Thanks Shaymus, I should have read more thoroughly before asking my question. I would think they have been transmitted.

Me, too. So what about the "super secure database" promised in court ?

 

[Bev]

Maybe he's talking about the preliminary reports.

 

[bailee]

My niece goes to LU totally forgot, I'll have to shoot her an email I guess and see what I can dig up on this chap. I will also watch the local news in that area to see if it's even reported tonight. My guess is that DR. R asked him to do her the favour, for reasons unknown. The two universities are quite close, and I'm sure they know each other, being in the same field.

MOO

 

[i.b.nora]

Actually, the article says: ""When I was first contacted by Mr. Baez, I had no idea about the case," Fairgrieve said. "But it is an interesting case. The allegations are disturbing and the discovery of the remains should be disturbing to all involved."
Fairgrieve, who is also a consultant for the northeastern regional forensic pathology unit in Sudbury, Ontario, had helped Baez in October regarding the use of cadaver dogs."

 

[Paintr]

I think this is gonna turn out to be a biggie, folks! The defense is not collecting experts for fun. They have a purpose!

 

[gillian]

Me, too. So what about the "super secure database" promised in court ?

Exactly, he obviously has been onboard prior to the media report today. If he's working remotely he already has reports, pictures etc.

This is interesting too, he helped Baez in October with cadaver dogs. He's been around for a while hhmm.

"Fairgrieve, who is also a consultant for the northeastern regional forensic pathology unit in Sudbury, Ontario, had helped Baez in October regarding the use of cadaver dogs."

 

[Nosey Parker]

Well I'm from Ontario and I've never heard of him .............

But then we don't televise our trials either lol

Me neither! :waitasec:

I'm thinking the dropped experts have not been saying what JB wants to hear. It's always a good sign for the prosecution when experts disappear into thin air.

 

[LLH]

"Interesting that a new out-of-US turns up days after Baez is given copies of the crime scene photos and x-rays. I sure hope they haven't been transmitted to him."

Has Baez found a way to circumvent the US court order on crime scene photos? This new development emits a reptilian odor.

 

[bailee]

NP! Hi neighbour!
Funny that he has been working with them since OCT. I wonder why all the secrets?

NON of his cases sounded familar to me at all.