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 Technology News | November 2005 
Mexican Web Site Lends Help to LA Coroner
 Susan Abram - dailybulletin.com
| | A sign and mangled wire fence mark the border beween Mexico and the United States, May 10, 2004, in southern Arizona. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., and Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2005, laid out a plan for beefing up U.S. border protection and enforcement that calls for hiring hundreds more immigration judges and lawyers and providing money for fences, barriers and new technology. (AP/John Miller) |
Inside the Los Angeles County morgue, John Doe No. 132 plays a silent game of Who Am I? with the forensic investigators trying to identify him.
A ragged, heart-shaped tattoo around the word "Hi" marks his left calf. Stud earrings shine from his lobes. Scars run up his right leg to his hip. His white T-shirt reads: "Simply for Sports."
"He could have been a labor worker," said Gilda Tolbert, an investigator who works with her husband, Doyle Tolbert, and a partner, Daniel Machian, for the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner.
"He could have wanted to be in a gang. Those tattoos, they seem homemade, not done in prison."
Often with even fewer clues to guide them, the investigating trio embarks on an arduous search for the names - and then the survivors - of about 30 corpses each year whose identities stump authorities.
Now, the Internet is making their job a little easier. Inspired by a similar Web site run by Mexican authorities in Tijuana, the county coroner last year set up a virtual morgue, complete with photos of the deceased and a description of when, where and how they were found.
So far, the macabre site - found at coroner.co.la.ca.us - has been credited with identifying two bodies and leading family and friends to claim the remains of 10 others.
That may not sound like a huge accomplishment, if you consider the county - home to one of the nation's busiest morgues - has had some 3,000 unclaimed remains since the early 1990s.
But the three investigators are confident it will lead to more identifications and claims.
"We're going back a lot more, putting in older cases," Machian said. "We've had a couple of hits on it. We expect to get more hits as people become more aware of it."
Carrying a warning that the contents could be disturbing to viewers, the site includes a collection of photographs and sketches of thousands of unidentified corpses. Their expressions vary from peaceful to tormented, depending on their manner of death.
Descriptions of race, approximate age, scars, tattoos, clothing and other remains are also noted.
"They all leave behind a tale," Machian said, referring to the scars, the tattoos, the moles and the gold or silver dental fillings. "You just have to know how to uncover it. You have to determine what they are trying to tell you."
Thousands of people flock to Los Angeles each year in search of fame or fortune or simply to start a new life.
Many, such as migrant workers, die in anonymity, far from loved ones in Central America and Mexico. In recent years, the number of Latino corpses has increased, making the job tougher for Machian and the Tolberts.
"I think a lot of the difficulties (in identifying) in the last years are those that are coming over the border and are here illegally," Gilda Tolbert said. "There are times they could be here under a different name."
"Some of the difficulties we have is loved ones are not coming forward. A lot of them don't even know where to start looking for someone."
But even if a body is identified, the job is not finished. In fact, that is when Doyle Tolbert begins searching for the deceased's next of kin.
He searches the Internet, credit reports and criminal records. He may have to contact former neighbors of the dead in Oklahoma or find a translator to help him call Iran.
But some identified bodies are never claimed or families' members never found.
"They could have lost touch with the family," Machian said. "Family members get into disagreements. Sometimes people leave because of a lifestyle they lead, and they don't want their family to know. There are a lot of reasons."
Sometimes, a family member will emerge 20 years later.
"I just had one mom in here who hadn't seen her son since 1982," Doyle Tolbert said. "It can be like a kick in the stomach to have to tell a loved one the final news."
"But a lot of people fear the worst. They imagine their son or daughter out on the streets, exposed, exploited, but for some reason, even though the death is hard, it is easier to take."
During the past year, the coroner's office has worked to get its Web site linked to more databases across the nation and around the world, which has cut down on some of the legwork in getting clues. And any help is welcome.
Each year, about 400 nameless dead come through the Los Angeles County coroner's office.
Most cases are relatively easy to solve: They're listed as a missing person, have fingerprints with a police department or have children or a spouse searching for them.
But about 30 arrive without wallets or driver's licenses or even a piece of paper with a friend's telephone number.
John Doe No. 132, who had the poorly drawn tattoo on his calf, was found Aug. 15 on a sidewalk in the 100 block of West 45th Street in Los Angeles.
A Latino, believed to be in his 20s, and who was known around the neighborhood of Chakali, he was killed in a gang-related shooting. Based on police interviews, he is believed to have come from Van Nuys.
After three months, Machian said, there are no missing person's reports on a man fitting No. 132's description, and his prints do not match with those in the police database. If Machian believes a lead is coming, John Doe No. 132 will stay in the morgue a bit longer, maybe up to a year.
But if no one comes forward to help identify him, No. 132 will be X-rayed and photographed from head to toe, then cremated. His possessions will be placed in a box and his remains will be held for three years.
After that, his ashes will be deposited into a common grave at the Los Angeles County Cemetery.
"The last thing we want to do is have (the Does) cremated by the county," Machian said. "You feel bad, because you kind of failed."
THE UNNAMED AND UNCLAIMED Here is a sample list of unidentified and identified bodies that have arrived at the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner this year. Details are at coroner.co.la.ca.us.
Case No. 2005-02391, John Doe No. 47: Black male, 11-17, whose remains were found March 29 inside the chimney of a vacant building at 101 W. 89th St. His body may have been there for about two years. Case No. 2005-04696, John Doe No. 95: Black male, roughly 40, found near a homeless shelter on May 5, suffering from head injuries. He died June 21. Documents found on him indicate his name may be George Pollard, born in 1955 in Harrisburg, Pa. Case No. 2005-06226, John Doe No. 132: Latino man, roughly 25, shot Aug. 15 while standing with others in the 100 block of West 45th St. Possible names include Fernando Higuera, or the nickname "Chakali." He may have family or friends in Van Nuys. Case No. 2005-05467: Randy Davon Simpson, born Sept. 30, 1959, died July 20, 2005 in Long Beach. Records show he was married and has a 15-year-old daughter. His wife is believed to live in Hollywood. Case No. 2005-05951: Jimmy Raymond Michaels, born Feb. 16, 1949, died Aug. 5, 2005 in downtown Los Angeles. Friends say he was an "Army brat" and had no known family. He may have used the name James Kitchens in New York City in 1968. Case No. 2005-06149: Howard Ward Jr., born Nov. 24, 1945, died Aug. 12, 2005 in downtown Los Angeles. Friends say he was from a military family, had married and had a daughter, but no information on the family has been found. Case No. 2005-05983: Blasdmir Alvarenga Pacheco, born Jan. 29, 1939, in El Salvador, died Aug. 6, 2005 in Pasadena. His body was found in a church parking lot. He has lived in Echo Park and Glendale. |
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