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By Leann Long, BS
A Tragedy Unfolds
On the morning of February 2, 2002, the parents of Danielle van Dam were forced to face their worst nightmare when they discovered the empty bed of their 7-year-old daughter. Danielle was last seen the night before when Damon van Dam put his beautiful blue-eyed daughter to bed. The distraught parents immediately reported Danielle as missing, and an extensive search involving hundreds of volunteers began. Authorities assumed that the innocent young child was abducted from her bed while she slept on the night of February 1, 2002.
The night Danielle was kidnapped, several witnesses reported seeing Brenda dancing closely with Westerfield at a local bar. The defense suggested that hairs, from both Danielle and the van Dam’s dog, could have been transferred onto Westerfield while they were dancing, consequently ending up in his home and RV.
Brenda also testified that she and Danielle had visited Westerfield’s house the week Danielle disappeared to sell Girl Scout cookies. During the trial, it was confirmed that Westerfield kept a pile of laundry near his front door. Westerfield’s defense argued that the blood on his coat and Danielle’s hairs that were found in his house could have been left during that visit.
Various neighbors also testified that the van Dam children were often left to play unsupervised and could have gotten into Westerfield’s RV. If Danielle had been playing in the RV, she easily could have deposited her hair, her fingerprints, her blood, dog hairs, and carpet fibers from her bedroom in the RV.
Despite all of the previously mentioned factors, the defense case mostly hinged on bugs.
Creepy-Crawly Contradictions
The prosecution claimed that Danielle was killed within the first few days after she was kidnapped, as it would not have been possible for Westerfield to kill and dump her body once he was under police surveillance, which began on February 5, 2002. However, the defense argued that the state of Danielle’s remains indicated that she was killed after Westerfield was under surveillance. Proving this in court would clear Westerfield’s name.
Initially, the defense brought to the stand forensic entomologist David Faulkner. Forensic entomologists study insects, and when a body has been decomposing for more than 48 hours forensic entomologists can give a more precise estimation of time of death than medical examiners. Entomologists are able to calculate an estimated time of death by determining when a body was colonized by bugs.
Dead bodies immediately start attracting thousands of flies and other insects. Flies are used most often to determine time of death. They feed on the corpse and lay eggs that quickly turn into maggots, which also feed on the decaying body. A fly’s lifespan, and consequently the speed of a body’s decomposition, is dependent on the temperature. Entomologists have to consider temperature when trying to determine how much time has elapsed since death.
Falkner testified that Danielle’s body was not outside and available to insects until February 16 through 18, weeks after Westerfield was placed under police surveillance. The defense brought in additional entomologists to offer their own expert testimonies. Entomologist Neal Haskell reported that Danielle’s body was infested with insects between February 12 and 21, and entomologist Robert Hall claimed her body was initially infested between February 12 and 23.
The prosecution then had entomologist Madison Lee Goff offer his expert testimony. He testified that insect infestation occurred between February 9 and February 14, but also claimed that other factors may have resulted in a delay in bug arrival. There were a few non-entomologist forensic experts whose proposed time frames included the first few days after Danielle’s disappearance—before Westerfield was under police surveillance—but each of the entomologists offered a time frame confirming the body was dumped after Westerfield was being monitored by police. However, the entomologists’ inconsistent timetables also depicted the unreliability of determining the time of insect infestation, and the prosecution was able to convince the jury that the field of entomology was inexact.
Reasonably Doubting the Death Penalty
Although the jury, with large support from the community, turned over a guilty verdict in the case based on the evidence presented, it cannot be known for sure whether or not Westerfield was truly guilty. After Westerfield’s sentence was given, some people felt the death penalty was too harsh with there being so much evidence to question—especially the evidence about the bugs.
It would have been invaluable if the testimonies and findings of the forensic experts had not varied so much. If the forensic entomologists would have been able to consistently and accurately pinpoint Danielle’s time of death, they would have been able to shred most of the doubt that accompanied the case.
This is not the first case where the study of a decomposing body has offered critical information about a victim’s time of death, and unfortunately, nor will it be the last. It will be extremely valuable if in the future, forensic experts are able to narrow the time of death of a decomposing body to a smaller and more definite time frame. How can this be accomplished without studying decomposing bodies? It can’t, which is why the body farm was created.
Examining the Expired
In Knoxville, Tennessee, there is a three-acre wooded plot surrounded by razor wire and wooden fences where about 40 lifeless bodies are currently decomposing. One is lying out in the open where it can sunbathe each day, while another is refrigerated in darkness. A headless corpse might be decaying in the woods while a dismembered cadaver lies buried in mud. Of course, all of this is done in the name of science.
While teaching at the University of Tennessee, forensic anthropologist Bill Bass was repeatedly faced with the challenge of informing detectives how long a victim had been dead. After coming up short when consulting the literature, he realized the only way to be able to analyze the time of death of badly decayed bodies would be to study bodies as they decompose. In the early 1980s he was granted land to begin the University of Tennessee Forensic Anthropology Facility, or as it has been nicknamed, the body farm.
The meager beginnings of the body farm consisted of just one body, corpse 1-81, in a 16-square-foot chain-link enclosure. Experiencing temperatures in the 80s, Bass and his graduate students watched and carefully observed corpse 1-81 go through all four of the broad stages of decomposition—the fresh stage, the bloated stage, the decay stage, and the dry stage—in a matter of 2 weeks.
The time that each stage of decomposition lasts varies, as the stages are greatly affected by the environment and temperature. The fresh stage of decomposition begins immediately following death and continues until the corpse begins to bloat. The bloated stage is a result of bacteria consuming the stomach and intestines. Microbes release waste gases that cause the abdomen of a body to inflate. The decay stage begins once the abdomen collapses because it is no longer bloated with gases. During this third stage, the remains are comparatively dry. When only small bits of tissue remain on a body and it is little more than a skeleton, the body has entered into the dry and final stage of decomposition.
Corpse 1-81 gave observers a lot of information during the short amount of time they had to observe it, and the skeletal remains of the corpse were the first of many used by Bass to help teach students how to identify human bones by their size, shape, and texture. However, the studies done at the body farm have greatly advanced over the past 25 years.
Most of the initial research performed on Bass’s self-proclaimed “death acre” concentrated on observing and recording the basic succession and timing of decomposition. They were seeking the answers to basic questions that would help in investigations, such as the following:
• How long before limbs start to fall off?
• In what environment did the body decay?
• Was the body in shade or direct sunlight during decomposition?
• Was the body clothed during decomposition?
• Where was the body during decomposition (indoors, outdoors, car)?
• Did the body decompose in land or in water?
• From how far away can humans detect the odor of decomposition?
The answers to those questions are much less of a mystery today, but when it comes to decomposition and analyzing human remains, there is not a formula that works 100% of the time. For that reason, graduate students from the university continue to record and analyze each stage of decomposition, constantly adding to the information available to law enforcement officials, medical examiners, crime scene investigators, and other forensic experts.
As climate and insects are the two most influential factors on how quickly a body will decompose, the bodies that are studied are still put in a variety of situations. Hoping to encompass most conditions, the students study corpses in various settings—from being locked in the trunk of car to being submerged under water. The researchers analyze the soil as well as the bodies, as byproducts of decomposition seep into the ground and can provide valuable information about how long a body has been laying a particular spot. Data that has been taken from the body farm has helped solve many cases around the nation and continues to advance what is known about human decomposition.
Eager to enhance science, over 300 people have donated their bodies to be observed at the body farm. Each body is allowed to decompose for about a year before it is replaced with a new body to study.
Plentiful donors will be very beneficial for Tyler O’Brien if he receives the grant he is seeking in the amount of $400,000 to $500,000. If all goes as he hopes, the biological anthropology professor at University of Northern Iowa will start another body farm. Bodies in a body farm in Iowa would be exposed to many different types of weather, including wind, rain, sun, snow. There would also be different rodents, plants, and bugs than in Tennessee. O’Brian believes it is very important to study how bodies react in different environments. Although his request has been denied in the past, many in his community are in favor of the research.
There is still a lot to be learned about the rates at which dead bodies decompose, but the research collected at the body farm during the past 25 has provided crucial information in several murder investigations. If O’Brian’s grant is approved, even more will be learned about the rate at which human bodies decompose in various environments. Hopefully, in the future forensic experts will be able to accurately pinpoint the time of death of human remains so that in cases where a victim’s time of death is crucial to a verdict, justice can be served.
References
Bass, B., & Jefferson, J. (2003). Death’s acre. New York: G. P. Putman’s Sons.
Baum, M. D., & Tolley, T. (2000). Pastoral putrefaction down on the body farm. CNN.com. Retrieved November 30, 2005, from http://archives.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/ 10/31/body.farm/
Courttv.com. (2002). Danielle van Dam murder case. Retrieved November 20, 2005, from http://www.courttv.com/trials/ westerfield/timeline/time_of_death.html
Dvorak, T. (2005). Iowa scientist seeks funds for body farm. Associated Press. Retrieved November 30, 2005, from http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/11/28/body.farm.ap/
Epler, K. (2002). Defense begins case in Westerfield trial. North County Times. Retrieved November 30, 2005, from http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2002/07/03/ export13362.prt
Epler, K. (2002). Expert: Fingerprints are Danielle’s. North County Times. Retrieved November 30, 2005, from http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2002/03/13/ export4969.prt
Epler, K. (2002). Hair in Westerfield home similar to Danielle’s. North County Times. Retrieved November 30, 2005, from http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2002/06/25/ export12739.prt
Epler, K. (2002). Many in community support jury’s decision. North County Times. Retrieved November 30, 2005, from http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2002/08/22/ export16664.prt
Epler, K. (2002). Three DNA experts link blood, hair to Danielle. North County Times. Retrieved November 30, 2005, from http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2002/06/21/ export12485.prt
Epler, K. (2002). Westerfield’s defense worked to raise a reasonable doubt. North County Times. Retrieved November 30, 2005, from http://www.nctimes.com/articles/ 2002/08/09/export15808.prt
Ramsland, K. (2005). The body farm. The Crime Library. Retrieved November 20, 2005, from http://www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/forensics/bill_bass/4.html
Weiss, M. (n.d.) Forensic entomology. Retrieved January 9, 2006, from http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/enomology/topics/forensic.htm
Wikipedia.com. (2005). Body farm. Retrieved November 30, 2005, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_Farm
About the Author
Leann Long, BS, is the Assistant Editor of The Forensic Examiners and a staff writer and editor for the American College of Forensic Examiners.
What does the CFN program do for me?
The Certified Forensic Nurse (CFN) title can demonstrate to your colleagues, patients, clients, employers, and the healthcare community that you have extensive knowledge and education, personal experience, and that you are committed to furthering your education in the forensic nursing profession. CFN also helps to contribute to the weight and relevance of your testimony and how applicable the evidence is that you must present to a court of law.
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Membership. Some of The American College of Forensic Examiners’ well-known members and Board members include; Dr. Henry Lee, Dr. Greg Vecchi, Dr. Zhaoming Chen, Dr. Marc Rabinoff, Congressmen Billy Long and Steven King, and Governor Tom Ridge. These individuals, as well as many other not listed here, have helped mold and guide ACFEI to be the prestigious, online, interactive, multimedia publisher that it is today. They have contributed their knowledge and expertise to ACFEI’s online credentialing programs such as the Certified Forensic Physician®, CFP program; the Registered Investigator®, RI®, program; and the Certified Forensic Consultant, CFC® program; to name a few.
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I am proud to work with the courses and articles conceived and written by dedicated professionals who have made it their living to help heal, defend, serve, protect, and save their fellow citizens from terrorism, criminals, mental illness, disease, and so many other world problems and pandemics. I have reviewed dozens of resumes and curriculum vitae for my peer reviewers and course authors. Their degrees, credentials, and experience speak for themselves of the excellence embraced and exuded by the associations.
Under the umbrella of the American College of Forensic Examiners International, I have reviewed and edited articles that discuss cutting-edge research written with government agents I interviewed in person at Quantico; I have met forensic legends Dr. Cyril Wecht and Dr. Henry Lee (both long-time ACFEI members); and I get to see to completion the modules and coursework that are born of the passion of many prominent individuals from an array of important fields. I know for a fact that the continuing education curricula individuals like these and others help create are forged from impeccable research, training, and consultation. These people are far too intelligent, prestigious, and philanthropic to waste their time with lesser organizations; Dr. Robert O’Block’s ACFEI stands only for legitimacy and professionalism.
What is it that draws so many—nurses, physicians, soldiers, investigators, government employees, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and a sheer multitude of other honorable professions—into the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute fold? Decide for yourself, as thousands wisely did before you:
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The American College of Forensic Examiners Institute began in 1992; it is still here. Most membership associations rise and fall in less than a decade, but the passion of ACFEI’s founder, Dr. Robert O’Block, and the thousands of reputable people his associations help each year, has fueled continued growth since ACFEI’s inception nearly two decades ago.
As we continually improve our continuing education coursework, Web presence, and printed publications, that growth is bound to continue. The fields in which our members work, study, and fight—homeland security, all areas of forensics, integrative medicine, and psychotherapy—are not going anywhere anytime soon, and are dynamic and ever evolving. When you join the American Board for Certification in Homeland Security, the American Association for Integrative Medicine, the American Psychotherapy Association, or the tried-and-true American College of Forensic Examiners Institute, you will see that we rise above the competition in offering continuing education excellence. Dr. Robert O’Block has created a unique opportunity for you to meet like-minded professionals to network, learn, and teach one another and the world at large.
To learn more about each of these associations, please come see us:
The American College of Forensic Examiners: www.acfei.com
The American Board for Certification in Homeland Security: www.abchs.com
The American Association of Integrative Medicine: www.aaim.com
The American Psychotherapy Association: www.americanpsychotherapy.com
The American College of Forensic Examiners International began in 1992; it is still here. Most membership associations rise and fall in less than a decade, but the passion of ACFEI’s founder, Dr. Robert O’Block, and the thousands of reputable people his associations help each year, has fueled continued growth since ACFEI’s inception nearly two decades ago.
As we continually improve our continuing education coursework, Web presence, and printed publications, that growth is bound to continue. The fields in which our members work, study, and fight are not going anywhere anytime soon, and are dynamic and ever evolving. When you join the American Board for Certification in Homeland Security, the American Association for Integrative Medicine, the American Psychotherapy Association, or the tried-and-true American College of Forensic Examiners Institute, you will see that we rise above the competition in offering continuing education excellence. Dr. Robert O’Block has created a unique opportunity for you to meet like-minded professionals to network, learn, and teach one another and the world at large.
To learn more, please visit www.acfei.com.
What is it that draws so many—nurses, physicians, soldiers, investigators, government employees, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, forensic examiners, and a sheer multitude of other honorable professions—into the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute fold? Let me share with you just a few of the numerous reasons so you can better decide for yourself, as thousands wisely did before you:
Accreditation. The American College of Forensic Examiners Institute is an approved provider of continuing education by the following:
Continuing education alignments. In addition to the several accreditations above, we are also proud to inform you that:
To learn more, visit www.acfei.com
By Leann Long, BS
A Tragedy Unfolds
On the morning of February 2, 2002, the parents of Danielle van Dam were forced to face their worst nightmare when they discovered the empty bed of their 7-year-old daughter. Danielle was last seen the night before when Damon van Dam put his beautiful blue-eyed daughter to bed. The distraught parents immediately reported Danielle as missing, and an extensive search involving hundreds of volunteers began. Authorities assumed that the innocent young child was abducted from her bed while she slept on the night of February 1, 2002.
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