Chicago morgue 'lost mother's body for 14 months' while stuffed beyond capacity

The family of a missing Chicago woman whose body took over a year for a morgue to admit identification is suing behind claims they lost her among a pile of bodies stuffed over capacity.

The body of Carmelita Johnson, 47, was recovered from a South Shore beach over 14 months ago but her family claim they were never notified by the Cook County medical examiner's office but instead tipped off by a police detective.

'It's devastating,' Ms Johnson's daughter Leslie Jackson told NBC Chicago this month.'A lot of things could have been prevented. We don't know the cause of death, but if the [Medical Examiner's] office had done their jobs, we could've had some type of closure,' she said.

The suit follows leaks by morgue staff of photos showing hundreds of bodies stacked, some rotting for over a year in the facility, while a cooler stored nearly 500 others despite a capacity of 300, according to an anonymous source speaking to the Chicago Tribune.

The county's chief Medical Examiner Dr Nancy Jones claims the figures to be too high while admitting struggle within their office to house the bodies.
'Our morgue population fluctuates every single day, and this particular incident was an anomaly that occurred because last summer the state cut public funding for indigent burials,' she told the Chicago Tribune last month.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's office has admitted their facility was over capacity prior to this year but they are working diligently to find proper locations for their hundreds of bodies

With this leaked photo by a morgue employee come reports of 400-500 bodies stacked inhumanly in the facility meant for a maximum of 300. That cut ruled that families who could not afford funeral services for their deceased would have those bodies automatically donated to science.

But until they could be buried or used at the state's intention, they reportedly stacked up, with Ms Johnson's body included, whose family says they never learned the cause of her death.
'I've been as disturbed and ... discouraged and disappointed by information that has come to my attention about the medical examiner’s office,' Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said at a news conference in January according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
'I expect people to lose their jobs,' she said.

Painful wait: The family of the missing woman say they were only tipped off of her body's location in the morgue by a police detective, having not known what happened to her for over a year

Among the office's physical stack of controversies to come to light was a 2011 report of mass burials taking place in a Cook county cemetery, including one case of 26 babies found in a single wooden box together with other unidentified limbs and bones.

The practice of mass burial for the unidentified is a standard one for Cook County however.
Sheriff Tom Dart said he's working to change that saying the practice impedes criminal investigations as the bodies simply disappear from record.
'There is no grid system. You couldn't find people if you wanted to find them,' Mr Dart said at a news conference early last year according to CBS.
'From a law enforcement we were disturbed,' Mr Dart said, 'from a human standpoint we were absolutely appalled.'

Prior to Ms Johnson's disappearance in January of 2010 she told family she was concerned for her safety after ending a rocky relationship.
'My mother was in a very abusive relationship,' her daughter told UPI. 'He would make threats that he was going to kill her.'
While working on the missing persons case for Ms Jackson's mother, Chicago Police Detective Pamela Childs took DNA samples from her family, including her dental records according to the family.

Mass burial: A photo of a wooden coffin holding the bodies of 26 babies was reported last February of 2011 leading to police arguments of mass burials of those without identification impeding criminal investigations

With cuts in state funds for indigent burials, the practice of mass graves is a standard practice but one that can easily mask a loved one's body, like Ms Johnson's, who was missing to the family for over a year

Police told the Chicago Tribune that in contrast they were told that dental records didn't exist for Ms Johnson, hindering the investigation and her body's identification.
Ultimately the detective's work was what informed the family of her body's recovery and not the medical examiners office.

'I’m very upset and angry that it took this long to identify my mother’s body,' Ms Jackson told the Tribune. 'Whether it was good or bad, I just wanted to know ... we have some closure, but we have unanswered questions,' she said.

The details of the family's suit have not been released while only saying they hope justice will be be served and the chief medical examiner, Dr Jones, will step down from her position.

5th February 2012

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2096759/Chicago-morgue-lost-mothers-body-14-months-stuffed-capacity.html#ixzz1lYNQQEZs

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DNA profiling centre to be launched at AFMC

Lt Gen H Kakaria,Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services, will launch the DNA profiling centre at the AFMC on February 8 on the sidelines of the four-day 60th armed forces medical conference, which will begin in the city on February 7.

Presently, the identity of dead armed forces personnel is established by examining personal belongings on the body, studying the identification marks, comparing photographs and others. However, these methods become futile when there is extensive mutilation, disfigurement and decomposition of the body, officers said.

Such accidents happen when personnel are employed in hazardous tasks like bomb disposal, flying fighter planes, research in explosive materials as well as troops deployed in militancy-infested areas. Following such catastrophes, DNA profiling of the available body parts is the only fool-proof scientific method of establishing identity.

This conclave is an unique feature in the calendar of events of the Armed Forces as it brings together officers from all specialties to discuss, deliberate and disseminate new ideas. As the AFMC enters into golden jubilee year of its undergraduate wing, the highlight of this years conference is the 50th meeting of the Armed Forces Medical Research Committee (AFMRC) — the apex body which guides research in the medical services of the Armed Forces.

Express News Service - 5 February 2012

http://m.indianexpress.com/news/dna-profiling-centre-to-be-launched-at-afmc/908410/

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NBI tags four more unidentified bodies of Typhoon Sendong victims

OZAMIZ CITY, Misamis Occidental, Feb. 5 (PIA) – At least four (4) additional unidentified dead bodies have been tagged by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Iligan City, last Feb. 1, this year.

This brings to 1,292, the total dead bodies of Typhoon Sendong victims, of which only 923 have been identified and accounted for by the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC), region 10, as of the period.

Regional Director Ana Caňeda of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), region 10 and Chairperson of the RDRRMC-10, said the total figure already include the dead bodies recovered from the following areas: Cagayan de Oro City (CDO), 657, Iligan City, 490, and Manticao and El Salvador towns of Misamis Oriental, 80, Bukidnon province, 45, Zambaonga area, 9, municipality of Lopez Jaena and Jimenez in Misamis Occidental and from the Misamis Oriental area, 5.

The suicide case involving a 33-year old male inside the evacuation center at the City Central School in Cagayan de Oro, last Jan. 6, was not included in the list of the dead since the death was by non-natural cause,

She said the number of injured was also noted at 1,977, that is: 1,799 from Iligan City, 168 from CDO, nine (9) from Bukidnon and one (1) from Misamis Oriental.

Latest data gathered by RDRRMC-10, also show that there are now 194 barangays in the entire region that were affected by Typhoon Sendong, the highest number of which is 115 from eight (8) towns in Misamis Oriental including CDO.

This was followed by Bukidnon, with 41 barangays from Valencia City and seven (7) towns of Bukidnon and Iligan City with 30 barangays.

Meanwhile, the Dead Victim Identification (DVI) Cluster of the Post Sendong Operations Center, headed by the NBI, reported that they have gathered a total of 947 DNA specimens, i.e., 521 from CDO and 426 from Iligan City, as of Jan. 25, this year.

It also gathered a total of 747 ante mortem data and processed and buried a total of 358 unidentified bodies, from CDO and Iligan Cities, as of the period. (PIA-10 Mis. Occ.)

Sunday 5th of February 2012

http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=1451328426836

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PNG ferry disaster victims ‘likely dead’

Port Moresby - Papua New Guinea authorities scaled back their search on Sunday for survivors from the sinking of a passenger ferry, saying none of the more than 100 people still missing were likely to be found alive.

The Pacific nation's National Maritime Safety Authority (NMSA) moved from search to recovery mode after scouring the waters for 56 hours without finding a survivor of Thursday's sinking of the MV Rabaul Queen near the city of Lae.

“Whilst rescue operations are likely to continue, weather permitting, for some more time, basically we are looking for bodies from now onwards,” said NMSA rescue coordinator Nurur Rahman.

A fifth body was found on Sunday but Rahman said the number of survivors remained the same at 246 and there was little hope, given the thoroughness of the search and amount of debris picked over, of finding any others.

“There is a high degree of confidence, that if there were any active survivors or persons inside life rafts or with lifejackets within the search area, that they would have been sighted and recovered by now,” he said.

The ferry went down after being hit by what its operator described as a freak wave in the early hours between the popular New Britain dive spot Kimbe and Lae, carrying 351 passengers and 12 crew.

It is believed to be among PNG's worst sea accidents.

Military and police observers flew over the scene in fixed-wing aircraft and the coastline was scoured by helicopter from south of Finschafen to north of Fortification Point without spotting a single survivor.

Strong winds forced the suspension of aerial surveillance on Sunday afternoon and Rahman said it was unlikely to resume unless there was “significant intelligence information”.

PNG disaster officials were meeting with the relatives of victims twice daily at Lae to keep them updated with developments, he added.

Canberra said an Australian military aircraft sent to help with the search returned home overnight after completing its mission.

“The Australian government greatly regrets the loss of life following the sinking of the MV Rabaul Queen and will offer any assistance we can to Papua New Guinea,” said parliamentary defence secretary David Feeney. - Sapa-AFP

February 5 2012 at 12:10pm

http://www.iol.co.za/news/world/png-ferry-disaster-victims-likely-dead-1.1227395

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Raising the dead: The grim quest for bodies on board the capsized Costa Concordia

After the tragedy has come the quiet heroism of the Italian rescue teams. Live was given exclusive access to the divers and sappers who are searching for bodies in a half-submerged hulk they know could slip into the depths at any moment – with unthinkable consequences

A briefing with Italian Navy special forces divers at dawn at Giglio Porto, a restaurant by the harbour that has been turned into an operations room. The commander, Captain Roberto Monzani, is pointing to a rear section of the Concordia where the divers will place explosive charges to blow open entry points into the ship for the coastguard divers

The shrill sound of his mobile phone ringing at 1.30am shook coastguard diver Umberto Carrieri from his bed. To receive a call at that time in the morning could only mean trouble.
He picked up the handset. His boss was on the line.

‘You need to be ready to move in half an hour. A cruise liner is sinking and there are people trapped.’
Carrieri asked him to elaborate.
‘It’s a liner called Concordia,’ he was told.
‘She has run aground off the island of Giglio. There are more than 4,000 passengers and crew on board and the captain has given the order to abandon ship.’
Carrieri packed his mask, flippers and warm clothing, and 14 minutes later was outside his barracks and in a truck ready for the 200-mile drive to Porto Santo Stefano and the ferry to Giglio.

Divers make their way past debris littering one of the bars on Concordia. Conditions inside the ship are atrocious and getting worse
Six hours later he caught his first sight of the 950ft-long Costa Concordia lying on her side, the red of her hull exposed to the sky, stranded at the foot of the rocks known as Seagull Point.

The image has been etched in our minds ever since. Day after day divers look for survivors. They also made their way into the cabin of Captain Francesco Schettino, just below the bridge, to retrieve his suitcases, safe and personal papers, acting on the orders of prosecutors.
But their job quickly changed into a gruesome search for victims’ bodies.
Now, Live has been granted access to the operations centre for the divers, where they co-ordinate this increasingly complex and perilous undertaking. Conditions inside the ship are atrocious and getting worse.

A team of special forces and coastguard divers head towards the stricken vessel. Their route into the ship is through a series of holes blown into the Concordia's submerged hull by the navy divers

Visibility below the water is at best just 2ft and at worst a few inches.
Even with powerful torches, the divers – who are drawn from the coastguard, navy and fire brigade – have trouble illuminating the bowels of the vessel, which lies in around 70ft of water. Because the ship has tilted almost 90 degrees, floors and ceilings have become walls.

Dive crews have to swim through all manner of debris, from tablecloths and curtains to chairs and food. They mark their route through Concordia using an ‘Ariadne’s thread’, a line that shows the way they’ve come and, if necessary, the way out if the ship starts to move from the rocky shelf on which it’s dangerously balanced. The term derives from the story of Theseus entering the Labyrinth to kill the Minotaur – Ariadne gave him a ball of thread to mark his route back.‘It’s a lifeline for the divers,’ says Rodolfo Raiteri, head of the coastguard dive team.
‘It’s their link from inside the ship to the outside world, and they can’t lose sight of it. They run their hands along it at all times so they know where they are and how to get out if there’s an emergency.’

A coastguard diver is sprayed with disinfectant after returning from a mission in the polluted water inside Concordia, where food and flesh are now rotting

Compressed-air tanks give them a breathing time of 50 minutes, although most dives last around 40 minutes – the extra air is in case of emergency. So they can pick their way through the darkness, the divers have two torches positioned on their helmets, and they also carry spare batteries in their pockets.

The water temperature is at best 10°C, so they wear thermal long johns and T-shirts beneath their thick anti-tear Kevlar suits.

Getting ready for a dive takes around 20 minutes, and before getting into the water they’re checked by a doctor to ensure sure they’re fit enough for the arduous task ahead.
At the pre-dive briefings – one of which Live is permitted to attend – divers are told which section of the ship to focus on. Large maps are pinned to the walls of the operations room, and targets are marked on laminated diagrams they then take into the water.

A close-up of the map of Concordia at the dive briefing. Because the ship has tilted almost 90 degrees, floors and ceilings have become walls
Their route into the ship is through a series of holes blown into the Concordia’s submerged hull by the navy divers.

The holes also provide an escape route should she slip from her resting place and plunge to the sea floor, 300ft down.

Leonardo Cherici, 34, from Civitavecchia, the very port from which Concordia set sail, was one of the first divers into the ship, smashing his way into the restaurant on deck four with an iron bar in what was initially a frantic hunt for survivors, but which turned into the sombre task of recovering bodies.

Those they recovered had to be carefully removed and taken to the surface in a delicate operation, as after days in the water any sharp movement could have led to damaged body parts breaking away in their hands.

Speaking from the briefing tent of the coastguard diving team, he explains his route through Concordia on a series of maps showing the decks of the liner.

‘The thing I remember seeing first was a mountain of chairs, dozens and dozens all piled onto one side in the restaurant.
'You really had to be careful, as the visibility was so poor. We could see barely anything in front of us and our vision was being blocked constantly by the debris that we were swimming through.
‘That ship carried 4,000 people. It was a floating village. It had just set sail, so there was enough food and provisions to last a week, and we were swimming through most of it.
'As you went deeper inside the ship the visibility dropped away completely – the water changed colour because of all the debris that was floating around.
‘I was swimming through carpets, curtains and tablecloths.
'One thing I remember is that half-empty wine bottles would every now and then come shooting towards us from below. They’d been trapped under chairs or other debris, and as they became dislodged they would shoot to the surface like missiles.’

Divers leaving for a dawn operation. Even with powerful torches, they have trouble illuminating the bowels of the vessel, which lies in around 70ft of water.
The dive teams had to make their way through the confined spaces of the ship, squeezing into narrow passageways as they carried out the grim task of looking for bodies in more than 1,500 cabins.

Cherici was the first diver to find victims from the disaster – two elderly men who were both wearing life jackets.
‘They were next to each other by a muster station,’ he says.
‘And that’s what really hit me – they were so close to the lifeboats and so close to being saved. One of them was holding a woman’s handbag, which I later found out belonged to his wife.
‘The first thing we had to do was cut the life jackets off. If we don’t do that it’s like trying to carry a balloon underwater. You try not to get emotional, but it’s very difficult. We are not robots; we have feelings and emotions like everyone else.

A coastguard diver writes notes with a waterproof pad and pencil that he can take with him into the ship

‘When you see the victims wearing life jackets and so close to the lifeboats, you start asking yourself questions. Why didn’t they make it into a lifeboat? Why didn’t they jump into the water? You can only hope they were knocked out by the impact as the ship turned, otherwise if they were still alive they would have been in the dark and helpless, terrified as they were engulfed by a mountain of water.‘That’s when you start to reflect on things,’ he adds.
‘These people were on a holiday and supposed to be enjoying themselves – they were all dressed very elegantly as if they were going to a party. The bodies I’ve recovered before from drownings have been in swimming costumes, not evening wear.’

Raiteri says of his team, ‘They can only spend 50 minutes at a time below the water at the most.

A coastguard briefing, led by commander Rodolfo Raiteri, before a search-and-rescue mission
'They dive in pairs and are always connected so they can rely on one another if they hit trouble. Communication is via gestures – there’s no way of speaking with the surface boat. If they don’t return after the allotted time then we go down to find them.
‘The other problem we’re facing is that food and flesh are starting to rot down there and the water is getting very polluted.
'One of the guys told me that some of the water went into his mask and the stench was unbearable. 'That’s why after the last few dives we’ve had to disinfect the divers and the suits with sprays and detergents to make sure they’re not exposing themselves to any bacteriological risks. They’re being washed in units that are designed for germ warfare.’

Divers undertake meticulous preparations for a dive. Before getting into the water they're checked by a doctor to ensure sure they're fit enough for the arduous task ahead
Outside the briefing tent, Carrieri is preparing for his final dive before returning to his base after almost two weeks on site.

Pulling on his suit he says, ‘On the way here I truly didn’t imagine I would see a tragedy of this dimension. The ship reminds me of a beached whale, just lying there helpless. It’s so surreal. Then you go below the water and things get even more surreal.
'The first time I went into the restaurant you could tell the disaster happened just as dinner was being served – the room is full of plates, cutlery and glasses. Everything was ready for a pleasant evening.

‘When you see the size of the hole in the hull and the size of the rock that’s embedded in there, then you can really sense the horror and scale of what happened.
'The power of the sea and nature and the foolishness of man all rolled into one.’

4th February 2012

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-2094871/Costa-Concordia-Grim-quest-bodies-board-capsized-cruise-ship.html#ixzz1lY9bGNT2

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