Analyzing burning questions

On Nov. 11, Las Vegas police discovered two charred bodies in a torched car in the area of state Route 160 and Hualapai Way.

The bodies were so severely burned that detectives initially couldn't determine their genders.

"They are burned to the point where they are just skeletons," Homicide Lt. Lew Roberts said.

Ten days later, Henderson police discovered a charred body off Las Vegas Boulevard at the southern end of the valley. Detectives in that case also couldn't determine at first glance the gender of their victim.

Discovering and then having to identify charred bodies is a rare occurrence in Southern Nevada, happening once or twice a year, according to Rick Jones, an investigator with the Clark County coroner's office.

Jones is one of many in a long line of forensic, medical and law enforcement personnel who are responsible for putting together puzzles that often are missing crucial pieces in an attempt to identify John or Jane Does.

Jones said identifying severely burned victims are the most difficult cases to solve, exceeding cases with only skeletal remains and those in which bodies are severely decomposed.

In his 10 years working with the coroner's office, Jones has seen instances in which clothes were melted to the bone and flames reached such scorching temperatures that a white residue appears on bones.

In those cases, investigators usually are greeted by a strong stench of decomposing bodies.

But Jones doesn't mind what some would consider the drawbacks of the job.

"It takes a great deal of dedication, empathy and pride in what we do," Jones said. "We're working for families and people who can't speak for themselves."

Many times, skin from the hands of burn victims melts off, making it impossible to draw fingerprints. Victims' faces are sometimes unrecognizable. Analyzing fingerprints and getting family members to identify the victims are two critical methods used in identifying bodies, he said.

By Thursday, the coroner's team of forensic experts had identified a woman in the first incident and identified the two other victims as males, naming one of them, 26-year-old Jeffrey Anderson Jr. He was found in a remote desert area south of the Henderson Executive Airport.

Both victims in the Metropolitan Police Department investigation were shot execution-style in the back of the head, Roberts said. They were boyfriend and girlfriend.

The man has not been identified by the coroner. The woman was identified as 26-year-old Kristin Roseanne Cicale.

Police haven't discovered a motive for the double-homicide, and they have no suspects, Roberts said.

Henderson police have not ruled out the possibility that the cases are related. Henderson's case also was being investigated as a homicide.

Although Jones wouldn't discuss any specifics pertaining to the two investigations, he said identifying victims with a minimal amount of human tissue remaining begins at the scene where they are found.

Various personnel such as a coroner's investigator, detectives, crime scene investigators and arson investigators can be summoned.

Evidence at the scene is collected by police, and investigators try to find any form of identification on the person, such as a driver's license or credit cards.

Jones said if no form of identification is found, the victim is labeled a John or Jane Doe.

Jones' office receives about 100 such cases each year, but 95 percent of all cases are identified within the first 48 hours, he said.

Although identification cards might give investigators a clue to who the victim is, Jones said his office only considers a case closed when it scientifically can identify a person through fingerprints, X-rays or DNA.

Investigators don't have to use those measures if a person's face is recognizable and a family member is able to identify the victim.

Jones described the process:

The bodies of severely burned victims are transported to the coroner's office, where a medical examiner and several forensic experts launch their medical investigation. Jones said an exam usually lasts between three and 10 hours, depending on the complexity of the case.

Bodies are fully X-rayed as they lie on top of gurneys. Body X-rays can tell investigators if a person was shot, or had a medical procedure done which could aid in identifying the victim.

The body is fully photographed, and investigators also pay close attention to unique indicators such as tattoos and scars.

An autopsy is always conducted on suspicious deaths to determine the cause and manner of death.

Even on severely burned victims, forensic anthropologists most often can tell a gender, age and race of a victim. If investigators aren't able to draw fingerprints, DNA is extracted from the body, most commonly in the form of blood. DNA also could be extracted from teeth, bones or organ tissues.

A DNA sample is then sent to a medical lab for testing.

Jones said those samples stay on file with his office even for those who have tests that are inconclusive.

"DNA might not be able to be extracted right away," Jones said. "But 10 years from now, it might be possible with the advancements in technology."

Dental records are checked when investigators have an idea who the victim might be.

The coroner's office also checks with law enforcement agencies and the military to determine if the victim has ever been incarcerated or has military identification. National databases for missing people are also combed.

Jones said on average his office only has about five or six cases a year in which it is unable to find a positive identification. About 170 unidentified bodies are filed with the office dating back to 1969, Jones said.

The coroner's office is a round-the-clock operation.

"We have calls even on Christmas Day, seven days a week, 24 hours a day," Jones said.

Jones said he and others in the office on Thursday continued efforts to identify the male victim in the charred car found near state Route 160.

"This is an ongoing process," Jones said. "None of us ever give up."

He said he's gratified when a severely burned victim is identified, but the satisfaction is short-lived.

"It's a hollow victory," Jones said. "In one sense, we're able to know who the person is. But then we have to tell the (victim's) family the dreaded news they were hoping not to hear."

Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638.