JA: I ask the court to recognize the witness in the area of forensic anthopology
HHJP: the witness is accepted as a expert
JA: what is the significance of the bone?
when trying to interpret the dispersal at the sceen and how long the skelton was at the sceen. they were under the leaf wall and that meant they had to have been there before the leaf wall. it was a swampy area, water south south east. it is possible when the area was flooded the actions were from the silt may have resulted and the bone was buried.
JA: how was it found?
close to a palmetto trunk. one of the lower areas, area F: if we look is the lowest area. when the whole trunk was brought in there it was depostied in that location. As water moves the process would have led to almost burying the bone.
JA: based on the evidence do you have an opinion on how long these remains were in that area?
we use multiple lines of evidence, trying to understand the dispersal. overall the bones were dry, not just soft tissue but the marrow. these bones were completely dry no decomp and some erosion on the bones which would take time. One bone was almost buried and that with root evidence, a period of six months would be possible.
JA: animals?
yes, animal activity. There was some animal chewing on a couple of the ribs. this area was processed well, there were missing bones they could have been chewed and nothing left of the bone after that.
HHJP: cross
CM: as a forensic anthropologist, you examine the bones yourself
correct
CM: you xray bones
they were xrayed
CM: you did it?
I do or ask it to be done
CM: no evidence of pre mortum trauma?
no
CM: meaning no prior broken bones?
anti mortum trauma?, you asked two questions
CM: I can't hear well anyway...you found no evidence of fractures?
no
CM: any twist or torking of bones?
no evidence
CM: any evidence that this child had traumatic injury after death?
Hey CM, wasn't what happened to her when she died bad enough?