Just clarifying a few things:
There will be no "time of death" in any report form the ME. SOP=The time of death is the moment the Forensic investigator first touches the body (Source=In depth study of the ME office for other reasons) The ME can testify at trial that, in his opinion, Time of Death is consistent with the time stated by police of between 9:30 am and Noon, or something similar.
Odds are: 25:1 that the autopsy was conducted by the Cobb ME - who has SERIOUS problems with credibility and qualifications. There will be a vote by the Cobb Board of Commissioners in July/August to fire him. (One commissioner will vote to keep him, one is leaning toward voting to keep him, three are undecided, and will likely follow the advice of the County Manager.) So, the ME could be testifying after having been fired, and will likely be strongly challenged by defense attorney. Odds that he was on vacation, and the autopsy was done by a qualified ME - 1:25.
more:
cobbme.com
Odds that the "Forensic Investigator" was trained and qualified - zero (Source- personal research including viewing personnel files, County audit)
Mike Bowman and Dana Pierce-
Both are "Public Information Officers" and neither has any legal reason to know more about the case than any beat cop before getting in front the press. It sometimes helps if they DONT know about the case they are talking about. They are spokesmen, not detectives.(at least when they are acting in that role)
What did Harris do after he was booked and placed in jail:
He did not speak at all. He laid down, with his face turned to the wall, and slept fitfully. He was lethargic and disoriented. (Source a friend of mine that works in the sheriff's office who only saw him for the first 4 hours he was there.)
What exactly was in the preliminary ME report?
There is no report. The Cause and Manner of death were never released and will not be until toxicology is back. The POLICE released a statement saying that they had spoken to the ME, and that he said that the cause was hyperthermia, and that the manner was consistent with homicide. The only statement from the OCME was that the autopsy was complete and that the autopsy report will be released when it is completed after toxicology is returned. Time frame: 10 weeks if they sent it the GBI, 3 weeks if the ME paid extra to have a private lab do the work.
Quality of work from the Cobb County CAP:
Homicide unit - Mixed bag. There are some that are experienced and good, there are others that have no attention to detail.
At their best: 4 suspects with one victim and they successfully got statements and evidence to charge all 4 (This happened twice!)
At their worst: Child dies after abuse and they "forget" to interview the father. They sit on the case, and 8 weeks later the child's brother is also murdered by his parents
Crime Analysis, and High Tech squad: Well above average, very qualified.
Crime Scene Unit: Poor, sloppy and outdated tactics
Crimes against Children: Below average
(Source - personal review of personnel files, budgets and news articles)