Need Independent Forensic Medical Examiner

[jyl]

Hey guys. I have a strange and urgent request. I will post the backstory later.

Does anyone know a very, very qualified medical examiner to perform an independent examination of a corpse.

A young man recovered from the Willamette River. Trying to determine time and cause of death and anything else.

We have strong reason to believe the local police are not competent and wish to declare this one thing for public relations purposes. We have uncertainty about the medical examiner.

[sc_rufctr]

Yikes... Good luck with all of that. It goes without saying but you'll get lots of push back from the local police.

If you found an independent examiner would you even have access to the body?

Maybe contact a lawyer about this before looking for an examiner.

[craigster59]

Yes, call my friend Vidal at 1-800 Autopsy. Tell him you know Craig from Alpha. PM me if you want, he was Johnny Cochran's guy and worked with Thomas Noguchi.

He's a good dude, he'll take care of you.

https://www.1800autopsy.com

[pwd72s]

I've seen the tragedy of the missing PSU student on the local liberal views, er, news...didn't have a clue you were involved somehow. Very wise of you not to trust the officialdom of Multnoma county and the city of Portland. Hope Craig's lead works for you.

(edit) For the benefit of the rest of the board...a young Portland State student, male, was missing for days..quite a volunteer search effort. His body found in the Willamette 10 days after he vanished. About all I know from Portland TV coverage.

[TimBer]

Dr. Robert Bux. He was the Coroner in Colorado Springs and I've used him as an expert consultant and witness at trial.

[greglepore]

Cyril Wecht

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyril_Wecht

[Arizona_928]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Very wise of you not to trust the officialdom of Multnoma county and the city of Portland. Hope Craig's lead works for you.

+1

Hopefully something positive comes out of that situation.

[masraum]

Amazing place, where someone can ask for this sort of thing and get several answers.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by masraum

Amazing place, where someone can ask for this sort of thing and get several answers.

I wuz gonna suggest Quincy.

....everybody can't give good advice here .

[sammyg2]

I liked that show but it were a long time ago. 36 years ago, you ole fart.


This one replaced it as a favor-ite:

[fanaudical]

I don't have any advice to offer. I'm sorry you're in this spot. Anything us locals might be able to do to help?

[Crowbob]

Saul Goodman (Atty): 505-842-5662.

He'll hook you up.

[SCadaddle]

Originally Posted by KC911

I wuz gonna suggest Quincy.

....everybody can't give good advice here .

I remember the Quincy TV show, it was the same time we had "Quincy's Steakhouse" around here in the South. Never found the name too appetizing!

[jyl]

Guys, sorry I haven't thanked you for your referrals and ideas before now. Its been busy here.

I will give a bit of background, for those who are not local to Portland.

Request: for those who know the name of the young man who died, please do NOT POST IT HERE. I'd like this thread to not be easily picked up via Google search.

On the evening of Sunday 10/6, a freshman at a local university left his dorm and never returned. A security camera in the dorm showed he was wearing a light sweatshirt and a very small drawstring type pack. His roommates reported him missing that night. Parents contacted the police. The police exhibited - this is my view - indifference and incompetence. They determined his cellphone had ceased activity about an hour after he left the dorm, and that he'd visited an ATM and withdrawn a modest sum (apparently his normal withdrawal). They located a video from a municipal bus, reported the young man had been walking in a certain direction on a certain street, and issued a press release theorizing he'd jumped on a freight train and left the state. My understanding is the police did not meet with the family, examine the young man's computer, obtain his phone records, or institute a search. The family and friends began looking for the young man. By a few days after the disappearance, the parents and 100-200 volunteers were conducting organized searches of the city, starting in the direction identified by the police and eventually spreading to other areas, handing out flyers, asking businesses and homes to review security video, alerting the public and media. Around 10/18 the police released the bus video, and admitted they had misinterpreted it. The young man had been walking on a different street in a different direction. The police finally started investigating the disappearance in earnest, including finally visiting the family and requesting phone and other records. On Sunday 10/20 a body was recovered from the river and identified as the young man. There is uncertainty about exactly where the body was recovered, but it was in the direction he had actually been walking, not the incorrectly reported direction.

We are waiting for the medical examiner's report on date and circumstances of death. A certain conclusion will be most convenient to the authorities. Whether it is true or not.

The family live in my neighborhood and are supported by a close-knit community of neighbors, friends, parishioners, work colleagues, and strangers who joined the search effort. Many of my friends were involved. There was a gathering of the search leaders on Monday. The young man's parents attended. I don't know that I've ever seen such grace and strength as theirs. I didn't know the young man, but I've learned some things about him, and now I can't stop seeing him. He looked like my son, who is also a freshman at university this year, and I think they knew some of the same kids.

[KFC911]

Best to you (and everyone else) in finding the truth and some answers John.

Good luck!

[GH85Carrera]

Really sorry for your loss, and the loss for your friends.

We all want to think the police are like we see on the TV shows, very competent professionals. We all want Columbo as the detective working the case. Unfortunately they are often just working for a paycheck and want to do as little work as possible.

My wife loved the Investigation shows on ID channel. They profile some older cases and show some colossal bad police work, often criminally bad.

Good luck in the search for the truth. It will never change the death of a young man, but maybe find a bad guy and some justice.

[Tobra]

This is a few years old, this happens more than it seems like it should. This young man you are talking about does not sound like he would be suicidal
https://www.wweek.com/news/2017/09/13/nearly-every-week-a-body-is-found-in-a-portland-river-this-is-not-normal/

[Chocaholic]

Looks like you’ve got some good leads. My only comment is....this BBS is amazing. When I read your OP I thought...no way. Then, several good recommendations and contacts followed.

Heartbreaking story for many reasons. Hoping for your success in getting to the facts. Kudos to you for pitching in to help.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by jyl

Guys, sorry I haven't thanked you for your referrals and ideas before now. Its been busy here.

I will give a bit of background, for those who are not local to Portland.

Request: for those who know the name of the young man who died, please do NOT POST IT HERE. I'd like this thread to not be easily picked up via Google search.

On the evening of Sunday 10/6, a freshman at a local university left his dorm and never returned. A security camera in the dorm showed he was wearing a light sweatshirt and a very small drawstring type pack. His roommates reported him missing that night. Parents contacted the police. The police exhibited - this is my view - indifference and incompetence. They determined his cellphone had ceased activity about an hour after he left the dorm, and that he'd visited an ATM and withdrawn a modest sum (apparently his normal withdrawal). They located a video from a municipal bus, reported the young man had been walking in a certain direction on a certain street, and issued a press release theorizing he'd jumped on a freight train and left the state. My understanding is the police did not meet with the family, examine the young man's computer, obtain his phone records, or institute a search. The family and friends began looking for the young man. By a few days after the disappearance, the parents and 100-200 volunteers were conducting organized searches of the city, starting in the direction identified by the police and eventually spreading to other areas, handing out flyers, asking businesses and homes to review security video, alerting the public and media. Around 10/18 the police released the bus video, and admitted they had misinterpreted it. The young man had been walking on a different street in a different direction. The police finally started investigating the disappearance in earnest, including finally visiting the family and requesting phone and other records. On Sunday 10/20 a body was recovered from the river and identified as the young man. There is uncertainty about exactly where the body was recovered, but it was in the direction he had actually been walking, not the incorrectly reported direction.

We are waiting for the medical examiner's report on date and circumstances of death. A certain conclusion will be most convenient to the authorities. Whether it is true or not.

The family live in my neighborhood and are supported by a close-knit community of neighbors, friends, parishioners, work colleagues, and strangers who joined the search effort. Many of my friends were involved. There was a gathering of the search leaders on Monday. The young man's parents attended. I don't know that I've ever seen such grace and strength as theirs. I didn't know the young man, but I've learned some things about him, and now I can't stop seeing him. He looked like my son, who is also a freshman at university this year, and I think they knew some of the same kids.

After the initial post I did some research, I could not believe that they latched onto a movie he watched a long time ago and suggested he was hopping freight trains and took off to live in the wild in Alaska or some such. Yet he didn't take any of cold-weather clothing or supplies with him.

The family will be in our prayers tonight.

[pwd72s]

Since you mentioned it, when I heard of the ATM use, I suspected foul play. Yes, it was a modest amount to you & I, but to a druggie desperate for more heroin? Every area has it's badasses, but Portland has more than it's share.

I also believe the authorities prefer to have this easily swept away as soon as possible. Instead of solving problems that might be bad publicity for the area, they do their best to minimize them.

Gawd, can't help thinking about his parents. My heart aches for them.