Suponification

Thursday, June 25, 2009
Last night Roni taught me how to unite lye, water and oil in a process that causes the lye to become neutralized called suponification. This is how to make what we commonly call soap. Most people know how to use soap but they don’t really know how soap cleans things. Historically, soap was discovered by the women of ancient times who found that when they did their laundry on the river banks below the areas where sacrifices occurred, they saw that their clothes became cleaner. This was because the ash and the fat from the sacrifies were falling down the hill and mixing with the water creating lye, which is one of the main ingredients in soap. Soap’s main function is to break through the outside membrane of water making it so that the molecules of water can get wetter.

The endeavor of ours to make soap is more of a chemical experiment then I ever would have believed, and I learned it is imperative that when working with these substances that you weigh everything carefully. Roni has done this before so I felt good about what we were doing. Roni had her little scale and boxes with Tupperware and tools that are only used for making soap. The lye was handled carefully and was weighed precisely. This was set to one side and we weighed the water in a separate container. (Did you know that 1 gallon of water weighs 8 lbs?)

The first step is to weight out the water and the lye or sodium hydroxide. Lye is a very dangerous substance. It can only be bought at certain locations. Roni told me that when she bought hers she had to sign a form stating that she wasn’t a terrorist. (So I wonder if they really believe that terrorists wouldn’t sign that form when asked?) There are lots of warnings about lye and it’s harmfulness to humans because it is positively charged. One little molecule on human skin can burn the skin leaving a hole. The way to counteract this burning sensation is to put something like olive oil on the skin to neutralize the lye.

When we mixed the water and the lye together we had to do it outside and I wore a chemical face mask because the gas from this chemical reaction can kill you. I stirred the solution of lye and cold water with a spatula and after just a few minutes the temperature rose 110 degrees; from 70 to 180 degrees! When we took the spatula out it was already showing signs of deterioration in that the tip of the spatula was falling off having been eaten away by the lye. We left the lye solution on the porch to cool down while we started the next step.

We began mixing the oil solution back inside the house. The first oil we added was olive oil and we used about 4 lbs of it. Olive oil is just good for your skin in general. The recipe then called for palm oil and coconut oil, neither of which are easy to get. Palm oil is a good detergent and coconut oil is good lather. Roni orders these two online and has to buy in them bulk so she keeps two big 5 gallon buckets that hold each oil. Palm oil is used because it causes lather and the coconut oil is good for skin softening. Roni used a big serving spoon to scoop clumps of these oils out of their respective buckets and into a container on the scale for measuring. Coconut oil and palm oil both have low melting points, around 80 degrees, so when Roni was scooping them out they were melting very quickly. All three oils, olive, palm and coconut, were put together in a big pot and heated on the stove.

Now the trick to making soap is to have your lye and water solution the same temperature as your oils so we kept moving back and forth between the solutions trying to find when they were both the same temperature. When they both got close to 130 degrees we mixed them together, along with some crushed oatmeal, honey and avocado. We used oatmeal because it has healing and soothing properties, contains vitamin E, and is an exfoliate. The honey was added because it is just good for you all around, and the avocado oil contains vitamin E which is good for your skin.
With the help of an electric mixer we got all of this mixed together, working quickly as it began to harden. We cleaned out some long deep trays and poured the liquid mixture into these molds so it could cool. It will take 24-36 hours for the substance to harden completely. Then we will cut the long blocks into smaller pieces that people more commonly associate with soap. See my pictures to see what I mean. The soap is cured or kept for about 4-6 weeks before it is ready to be used. Now it is still a bit strong.

Dubois Remains

Monday, June 22, 2009

On Sunday Dan Stratmoen, the deputy coroner that I rode with to my first autopsy, was out with his friend John Sharp, rock hunting. They had a very successful day because they found a long limb of petrified wood, although they couldn’t take it because it was heavy and fragile. But the part that makes this story interesting is that they ran across a human skull. Which is what filled our day’s activities.

Today I get to do my first assigned case. It started when Ed, Mark, and I drove on Highway 28 to East Fork Road. There we met with Paul, an FBI agent, Dan Nowlin, John Sharp, William Mathews, a Bureau of Indian Affairs agent (BIA), and Bobby St. Clair with the Tribal Fish and Game. (Game and Fish is with the state government and Fish and Game does the same thing on Indian reservations). Together we drove this road down into a valley, up and over hills, and past multiple properties that had green pastures, a stream flowing beside those in the valley, and trees surrounding each property. It was really pretty. There is a trial lawyers college hidden in the valley owned by Jerry Spence, a lawyer in Teton county that used to be the Fremont County Prosecuting Attorney. Actually, when we were driving out we passed a semi that was traveling on those winding dirt roads carrying food. It was our guess that he had delivered food to the college.

The remains were located in section of hills that were made up of sandstone. There some traces of trona, and samsonite, the round stones that are heated up for sweats. Sandstone is a very soft rock that doesn’t withstand the elements very well. In this area there were lots of water holes in this hill from the water weathering away the rock.
As you can see from this picture the cranium is partly buried in the dirt on the side of hill. We believe the skull was either buried in the location it is found or else fell down the hill when it was raining, causing it to fall to that spot. Either way the rain made it possible for John and Dan to find it.

From the weathering on the skull we all decided it was older, and probably that of a Native American, so we buried it again according to the wishes of Bobby and Will, who have authority to speak for the Reservation. Ed took these pictures of it first.
Then Ed started trying to move the skull so it could be reburied in a better location. However, the dirt around the cranium was hard to move, especially without damaging the skull. Ed stated that the dirt was similar to cement, so to protect the cranium he took dirt from the surrounding area and covered it and placed rocks on the uphill side to help keep the dirt in place for when it rained again.

While Ed was burying the cranium Mark, Bobby, Will, and I wandered around the site looking for other human remains. This was quite a task because there were a lot of animal bones in this area. We found some bones below the cranium on the hill but they were animal. All the rest of the bones we found were from antelope, although we did fine a few scattered cow bones on the other side of the hill. I took pictures of all of these just to document the site.

At the top of the hill I was told by Bobby that there weren't any other bones. After the remains were covered Ed made sure everyone came to see the spot. Bobby placed a lit cigarette on top of the mound. This was to make sure the spirit, which they believe has lost its human qualities after death, does not follow any of us.

This was a great experience because it allowed me to incorporate what I have learned from my physical anthropology classes into the field. My anthropology background has helped a lot in these situations and I find it useful to review my anthropology guides and procedures to identify bones as human and non-human, as well as sex, age, ancestry, and pathological conditions for a set of remains. Also, this field experience allows me to see and hear first hand experiences from Native Americans who have to balance their cultural beliefs with their job of working with remains.

Here is a copy of my report which is the main report. I thought this was pretty cool. I have omitted the location of this event because it is important that these remains stay in place.

Date of Call: Time: 0800 hrs Case #:

Scene Location: *********

Victim Information:
Name: unknown
Date of Birth: unknown

Manner of Death: undetermined

Scene Description:
East Fork Road just inside the Reservation Boundary. Please refer to M. Stratmoen’s report. The remains were located on the North side of the road between two hills within a sink. The hills had very little vegetation and the sinks were made from weather conditions. The position of the cranium made it difficult to determine as to whether the cranium fell down the hill or if it was buried in the condition it which it was discovered.

Call Description:
Sunday there was human cranium discovered by Dan Nowlin and his friend John Sharp while rock hunting. They called Coroner Ed McAuslan to let him know of the discovery and plans were made to meet the following day at 0900 hrs.

Monday at 0800 hrs Ed, Mark Stratmoen, and I drove to East Fork Road turn off of Highway 26 and met up with Paul Swenson (FBI), William Mathews (BIA), Bobby St. Clair (Tribal Fish and Game), John Sharp and Dan Nowlin. As a group we followed Dan and John to the site. At the site Mark took the GPS coordinates so that we could return if more information needs to be collected from the remains.

A search of the area recovered numerous animal bones including two bovine acromion processes, one antelope thoracic vertebra, multiple bovine long bones, and a non-human rib. Bobby and William deemed that it would be best if the cranium was not moved. With the use of a shovel Ed tried to remove the cranium from the soil to place it in a better location for burial. However, when trying to dig it out he found a fractured rib, supporting the hypothesis that the individual was buried in that location found, and that it had not fallen down the hill. For fear that the skeletal remains would be harmed during relocation, it was decided that the cranium would be buried with dirt from the surrounding area.

Ed and Paul hauled the dirt and Ed placed rocks on top of the newly created mound on the uphill side to help keep the dirt in place during wet conditions. Ed and I took 56 pictures of the scene to help document the location and body for future reference. Call ended at approximately 1100 hrs.

Body Description:
There was an extreme amount of weathering present on the cranium with a small amount of separation between the left temporal and the left parietal and portions of the anterior parietal from the posterior parietal. This is a result of exposure to the environment for at least two decades, which indicates the remains could be prehistoric or archaic. The portion of the cranium that could be viewed supplied the following the information.
The size of the skull was smaller which is indicative of the individual being either female or a child. The only teeth present were an erupted 2nd left molar and an unerupted third molar which indicates that the individual was approximately around the age of 10-21 years. The sex of the individual if adult could be female because the supraorbital ridge is not prominent and the superior portion of the orbit is sharper. If the individual is a child then these characteristics are common in both sexes making the sex unknown.
The shape of the cranium was globular, which is indicative of Native American. It also has flaring malars which indicate Native American ancestry. There is medium prognathism which is seen mostly in Caucasoids and some evidence of Negroid ancestry (please refer to attachment from Dr. Weathermon).

REPORT COMPLETED BY: Lauren Westling Date:

How the Beaver got a flat tail

I decided some variety in writers would be good to incorporate in this blog so I asked Luke to write a few posts. Here is his first post entitled How the Beaver Got a Flat Tail.

Once very long ago when animals could talk together. Beaver and Otter lived very close to each other in a big river that flowed at the foot of a high rocky hill. Otter built a mud slide, into the river, a short slide, not far up for him to climb on his stubby legs. What fun he had struggling up, beside it, and then slipping down into the clear water. One day Beaver came paddling by, with a big stick in his mouth. " Hello there, Beaver my brother " called Otter," Why do you work so hard?. Build yourself a slide like mine and have a little fun " Beaver said nothing, as his mouth was carrying the stick but he thought about Otters suggestion.

The next mornig Beaver swam up the river, on his way to a big grove of Aspen where he did his logging. Otter spotted Beavers brown head as he glided smoothly through the water. " Hey there ", called Otter, " Still working?". " I certainly am. You might do better if you do a little yourself " Then Beaver continued up the river. Later carrying a huge Aspen stick in his mouth, he swam downstream. Otter watched as the industrious Beaver carried the stick to repair his dam. Otter called out again," Hello Brother Beaver, why don't you build a slide and have fun like I do?" Beaver ignored Otter. Otter called out once more," Bet you can't build a good slide like mine " Beaver dropped his stick. " Of course I can "he snapped, " but Beavers only build slides when they need them to pull logs into the water " " Work, work nothing but work" sniffed Otter, " You never do anything for fun " " Of course I do " said Beaver, " We Beavers have fun in the spring and early summer when we visit our relatives. But now its nearly winter, and we must repair our dams and build our houses so we can be snug and safe during the long cold time " " You sound so serious ", teased Otter, " No time to play, no time at all " Alright Brother Otter, I'll build a slide and show you what I can do. My slide will be longer and better than any other you have ever seen " So Beaver climbed out of the water and went up the stoney mountain. He slid down once. " Ouch!, those rocks hurt," he said " I know what I'll do " Up he climbed again, this time he sat on his big tail as he slid. That worked better, so he did it over and over again. Then he jumped back into the river. " Hows that for a slide Brother Otter ", he called " Perfect " replied Otter,, then he began to laugh. " Whats the matter?, don't you like my slide " " Yes, I said it was perfect, but look what you have done to your tail " Then Beaver looked over his shoulder. Alas his beautiful tail had no hair left on it, besides that it was flat like a paddle from so much sitting and sliding on it. To this very day, Beaver and all his children and grandchildren and greatgrandchildren have smooth flat tails.

So this story is a good introduction to the genre of legends. From the research that I have done, these legends are built to provide an explanation about the natural world. What they did with legends, we do with science. Although our explanations are a bit more rational, it does not make these legends any less valid. Heck, most of us learn more with stories than science anyway. This story in particular provides an explanation and a lesson. The explanation is pretty simple, how the beaver got a flat tail. The lesson is a little more tricky. It seems that as the beaver changes his lifestyle, his body changes to reflect that, cause and effect. Almost as if telling the reader to beware what he will do in the future or end up like the beaver, with a flat tail.
- Luke

The Property Room

The week of June 15, 2009

This week our main project was to go through the property vault, taking inventory of what was there and to dispose of those items that don’t need to be kept any longer. By law when an individual dies the coroner’s staff needs to collect all of their medications. This is to learn who their physician is, what type of medical problems the person may have experienced, and help determine cause of death (COD). Also by law the medications need to be taken so they aren’t sold or used by others. Later in the office all of these medications are gone through, in the same manner I described during my first week. The coroner’s staff also collects certain personal items of the deceased this can include wallets, backpacks, helmets, weapons, mail, journals, money, jewelry and other items. These are collected so they can be given to the closest of kin, in accordance with the law. Needless to say this can be a lot of property collected at each scene, especially if the person is older or has a lot of medical issues or keeps a lot of medications in the house, like we do.

With Ed these items are stored in the property room. This room is always locked and the key is never out of the sight of either himself or one of his deputy coroners. The items inside the property room are stored in big paper bags that are sealed shut. Each bags has an evidence tag attached to the outside which lists the item(s) inside, such as the medication inside. In addition to the contents of the bag, the evidence tag also indicates the case number, the name of the victim, and the date that person passed away. Then Ed's deputy coroner Erin, who is in charge of managing the property room, places these bags into boxes that again list all of the information on the outside of the box so the evidence can be found later. After 2 years the evidence in any case NOT determined to be a homicide can be removed from the room and disposed of. Although, before anything is disposed of, Ed personally double checks Erin’s notes to make sure nothing is accidentally disposed of that should not be. If the case was listed as a homicide, the items are kept in the room indefinitely.

Disposal is what Amy, Erin, and I are working on. To do this we first went through the bags looking for all of those that were older than 2008. Our next step was to go through these older bags and Erin’s list to see if they were homicides. If they were a homicide they were returned to a shelf in the property room. If the case was not listed as a homicide, we then removed all of the evidence bags with medications and, wearing gloves, we collected one pill from every package, even over-the-counter drugs like aspirin. A sample of each of these is then placed in a slotted sheet that holds the drug and has a line for the name of the drug. All of these sheets are then placed in a binder and will be kept indefinitely. It becomes really difficult when pills are loose or there are different pills in the same bottle because they can’t be identified unless we have a medication identification book. As you can see this can be a very long and tedious process and it took us most of the afternoon on Thursday to do just a quarter of the needed medication cataloguing. With the sample of each medication properly catalogued and labeled, the remainder of the pills or medication will then be disposed of by Erin, who has to make an appointment with the dump staff to watch them make a hole and bury the medications.

Now for all the other property that has been collected in each case. The evidence box is carefully gone through and each item considered. Personal letters are set aside for shredding, the driver’s license is placed in the case file, all money and jewelry that was not returned to the family immediately, is now given back to the family. If there is no family to give money back to, then it is put toward the indvidual's debts, or distributed to help with the deceased's funeral expenses. As a last resort, the money is given to the county general fund. I am told Ed has never given money back to the county, but has always been able to use on of the other alternatives.

Unfortunately, this is not always possible to give things back to the family and in these cases the items are treated according to law. Personal items such as jewelry are buried in the landfill, and property of lesser value that is in good condition can be donated to shelters or second hand stores. If it is worth over $50 then it is given to the sheriff’s office until their public auction where it is sold and the money is placed in the county general fund.

Taking Chance

Friday, June 19, 2009

Last night I got a chance to watch the movie 'Taking Chance'. This movie has been suggested multiple times to me because it is based on a man from Dubois and takes place in Wyoming , although it was actually filmed in Montana in a location meant to represent Wyoming. The young man’s name was Chance Phelps. His mother still lives in Riverton and his dad is an artist in Dubois. In fact, last weekend Roni and I went through an art gallery and she pointed out some of his bronze sculptures to me. They were very nice pieces.

The storyline for the movie is that a colonel volunteers to escort the remains of a man killed in action, Chance Phelps, back to Wyoming, so that his family can bury him in their local cemetery. The way people reacted to the colonel and the remains was so powerful that the colonel had to write down what had occurred. This story is about what he wrote because it affected him so strongly. He wanted other enlisted men and civilians to know about the difficult chore he had to perform and how well he was treated when performing that difficult service. This movie is very powerful and I believe will have all of its viewers crying very quickly, especially if they are very patriotic. It is like the movie '8 Seconds' in that there are actual photos of Chance Phelps, and a video of interviews done with his family and the men that fought with him. I would recommend seeing it. It is still a new release at Blockbuster if you want to go and rent it.

My first decomp

Monday, June 15, 2009

This morning at 7:00 am I was picked up by Amy. Amy is one of Ed’s deputy coroners and my traveling partner for Loveland today. Now this was the first time for me to see and be around a decomposed body. When we picked it up from the morgue we did not remove it from the bag, or even open the bag for that matter, but the smell was a little pungent. That is not a great smell to have to endure for very long and the trip to Loveland, Colorado takes a good 5 hours each way. But, I found you really do get used to the smell after a while, especially with the help of air conditioning. Can't say the same for the people who walked by the van when we stopped to get gas or to take a bathroom break.

Only after we arrived at the autopsy lab did I get my first glimpse of the body out of the bag. All bodies decompose differently based upon the environment, length of time left to decompose, weather, etc. This body had been in a house with the heating on high for several days. The skin had blisters that had popped in some areas, and the diener told me that those blisters that were still present were under the skin and could be felt. The whole body was a greenish black color and the skin was peeling off. The first step the diener and the pathologist took was to peel off the rotting skin, which comes off in layers like a sunburn, but in much bigger pieces. Then they cleaned the body with the use of a handheld shower head.

Now a lot of people have a problem with the smell of these types of remains and I can understand why. When the pathologist made the Y incision the smell got stronger, much stronger! Amy told me that she was watching me at that time to make sure I would be OK. Its when you first get a whiff of that smell that most need to vomit. After that you just get used to it and go on. I can only describe the smell as that of liver, which I hate. I think over the years you just get used to it because the diener, Amy, and the pathologist didn’t seem to have a problem. Ed says that in this line of work you begin to teach yourself how to not “smell”, which helps you to not react strongly to the odors. I was again asked to take pictures of the body, write down the weights of each organ following the instructions of the pathologist, and to stand next to the pathologist as he took each inner organ and separated it from the others and cleaned it off. After the weights were taken the pathologist then took a knife and sliced through each organ looking for abnormalities. It was really amazing that I got to stand this close and watch exactly what he was doing , keeping in mind that it was also stinker near the organs because they are at the source of the built up gases. I also asked questions and he obligingly answered all of them. He and the dieners really are a nice group of guys.

After the autopsy my boyfriend Luke met us in Loveland and all three of us went to eat at the Cracker barrel. It was really nice to see Luke (I really have missed him) and to talk about his job and other topics of interest to all three of us. I ordered beef stew and a peach cobbler for dessert which were really good. After that meal the diener from the first autopsy, who is also a friend of Amy’s, came by with his daughter to do a “drive by hugging”. He stopped for a bit and even drove up next to Luke and I and teased Luke out loud on his truck's megaphone. This caught the attention of everyone around (which luckily there weren’t a lot of people). Luke took it well and even played around with him.

We then drove back to Laramie through very heavy rains and high winds. It was so bad that the truck drivers were pulling to the side of the road and stopping. We stopped in Laramie hoping to pick up the skeletal remains that Dr. Weathermon had analyzed for us, but we missed him by a half hour due to the high winds and rain. We then continued on to Lander. Once we had returned the body to the morgue I found that the air smelled fresher and nicer, and it made me wonder just how bad it (and I) must have smelled all day! I guess I had adapted to the smell but it did not stop me from appreciating the air when the cause of the odor was gone. I was later told that this set of remains was not as foul smelling as most decomps, which makes me wonder how really bad the smell can get.

My weekend at the cabin

Friday June 12, 2009

This afternoon Ed, Roni and I drive to Dubois to start the weekend at their cabin. It is located in Western Fremont County, approximately 20 miles Southwest of Dubois. It is on the Porcupine subdivision of Union Pass, just next to the Shoshone National Forest. Ed purchased the land 1990 on a great deal, and was one of the first individuals to purchase land in that area. They built the cabin themselves with the help of friends during a cabin raising weekend. Their adopted son, Shad Cooper, the man that helped me get this internship, did the cement work and other friends helped them to cut the wood and put it together. It is located in a beautiful area where the deer come to visit constantly, as well as a few moose every so often. The view from the cabin’s front door is stupendous as you can see in these two photos.

It is really awesome with the view changing throughout the day due to the positioning of the sun and the shadows. We stayed at the cabin all weekend relaxing, cutting down some trees that had been killed by the pine beetle problem, and shopping in town. On Saturday we went to two stores that I really liked. One was an antler, pottery, and bone store. They had an old cranium that we didn’t recognize so Ed took pictures of it and then asked Jake Korell (the man discussed earlier) if he recognized it. Jake said it was a young bear’s cranium. The teeth wear down as the animal ages, so that's how he knew it was young. The second store was a new antique shop that had "Wanted" posters around the walls of famous outlaws from when Wyoming was still a territory. One was for Cattle Kate’s murderer, and another was of a man thought to be one of the meanest men in the state and who had a ransom price of $18,000. To put this amount in perspective, the other wanted posters had ransoms between $1,000 and $5,000 dollars.

On Saturday night we went to a Swedish smorgasbord. The history behind this event is that in the mountains where Ed and Roni's cabin is located there used to be a lot of logging done. Many men from Sweden traveled to these mountains to work as tie hackers. Their job was to send the logs down the mountain using levies along the Wind River. It was common for them to have a feast of Swedish dishes at the end of the summer so they could come together and enjoy each other’s company before many returned to Sweden for the winter. Today, there are only 3 tie hackers still alive and living in the Dubois area. All of them were honored at the feast for their devotion to the city. Te hacking is what really brought the town of Dubois into existence because it brought so many people to the area. Each of the remaining men honored for their tie hacking background were around the age of 94.

The food was excellent at this feast and I was full after just one run through the buffet table. They had cabbage rolls, vegetables, meatballs, and rye bread with this cream colored jam that tasted like frosting. For dessert they had strawberry jam with cream and little Swedish cookies. The dessert and drinks were given out by kids from the community that were dressed in black pants with red vests over white shirts. All the girls had their hair in two breads with flowers. They were really cute and very professional. A couple times a man at our table from California tried to make the little girls smile, but I think they were told they needed to be very professional so they tried to remain serious. It was rather funny because he was trying so hard.

On Sunday we went to the Dubois museum where they had information about the Sheepeaters. This is the only tribe to live in Yellowstone, because all the others feared the geysers and the geology. Today for classification purposes the Sheepeaters have been incorporated into the Shoshone tribe. Outside this main room was a barn area with equipment that had been used for farming before modern inventions were created. In front of the museum were older buildings that had been relocated to the museum property. They had an old school house, a post office, a typical house, a two-seater outhouse, a building that showed pictures of the tie hackers, and a building that has wire all around it with a heater or a table in the middle that could have been a gazebo, or a chicken coop (we aren’t really sure, those are Roni and my guesses).

We had lunch with Vernon, who is the deputy coroner in Dubois, and then we left to return to Riverton. We got back in the afternoon and had time to harvest some spinach from Roni and Ed’s garden. We had that for dinner along with hamburgers and watched a movie. A good end to a very relaxing and historical weekend. That night I was informed of the next adventure I would be taking... driving to Loveland, Colorado in the morning for my first decomp autopsy.

Clay Rubano

In 2007 there was a man, by the name of Clay Rubano, who went missing in Fremont County while he was hiking in the Wind River Mountains. Clay was an employee for NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) and knew a lot about the outdoors. In the Fall of 2007 he went hiking one weekend and didn't return home. When he missed a meeting at work the following Monday NOLS employees got worried and sent out search teams to look for him. The team was not able to find Clay before the winter storms came in November. The winter months passed and in the Spring of 2008, when the weather got nice, a man hiking in the area ran across some human remains. The man took law enforcement individuals back to the site and the coroner’s office was called in to do an excavation. Around the remains they found personal effects that had belonged to Clay, but to be sure that these bones were Clay's the coroner's office sent the bones to a lab to compare DNA from the bones to that of Clay Rubano.

A little about the site that these remains were recovered from. The remains were found in a cave that had coyote scat. It is believed that Clay fell off a steep cliff above the cave and suffered fractures to both of his legs. He must have survived the fall as it appears he dragged himself into the cave for protection. It is unknown if he died due to the trauma of the fall or of hypothermia, but the manner of death was ruled an accident. The bones showed signs of larger animals having chewed on them, which explains why the bones were spread out around the cave and why other bones were never found.

The lab the Coroner's office sent the bones to for DNA comparison was located in Texas. This lab had received grant money to compare DNA of missing persons to those of found human remains. Ed told me that he sent the bones there but after 6 months of not hearing back from the clinic he called them and learned that they hadn’t even looked at the bones yet. So he had them send the remains back to him, and he paid another lab in Salt Lake City, called Sorenson Forensics, to do the analysis. This second clinic was very prompt and got him the information Monday, the 10th of June 2009. The remains were indeed those of Clay Rubano. The office was very happy because finally the family would get closure and another missing person case could be taken off the list. The family was informed this week, although it took a while as the wife was in a remote area that was hard to get the information to her. The local newspapers are running the story as a success story for the Coroner’s office.

Thermopolis hot springs trip

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Thermopolis Hot Springs Trip

What a relaxing afternoon we had today. Roni, Leslie Stratmoen, Mark's wife, and I drove to Thermopolis to go soak in the hot springs. This was really fun because Leslie took us to some neat shops to go look for antiques. Our first stop was a group of antique shops. Next, we went to a café to get some shakes. I got a cake batter drink that was fabulous! They made it special for me by putting whipping cream and sprinkles on top. It was like an ice cream shake but not as thick. It was really, really good! Last but definately not least was the hot springs.

The hot springs have a long and interesting history. I was surprised to learn it is the only state park in Wyoming that doesn’t have an entrance fee. This is because the land was given to the government by the Shoshone Nation under one condition, that the park always be free for people to enjoy the pools. If the government doesn't follow this rule then the land reverts back to the Shoshoni Tribe and the state would lose this amazing site with all its buildings and water parks. I am told that when they were setting up the fees for parks in Wyoming, decades after recieving the land, legislatures had forgotten about this agreement with the Shoshone tribe. Right before establishing the fee for the Hot Springs State Park, Mark O. Harris, one of Ed’s current deputy coroners, one of Willie’s adopted sons, a previous Green River resident, a past Wyoming state representative and senator for Sweetwater County, and a really nice guy that ran the only 5th round in the sweat lodge that I’ve gone through and thought I wouldn’t make it, stood up and informed the Wyoming legislature that they couldn’t do this unless they wanted the land to revert to the Shoshoni Tribe. So today it remains free for everyone, unless you want to go to the water parks which do charge useage fees.

A picture of a rock that is located in the middle of town.

Now back to our relaxing day. The water was very nice and warm when we first got into the mineral pool and even more so when we got out. It was extremely relaxing and I learned that those living in Thermopolis gather in this pool daily to talk to their neighbors and chat with friends- it is the local hang out for the older residents. But, as always, the good trip had to come to an end and Roni and I had (and wanted) to return to Riverton to assist Ed in meeting with Devon Energy Services.

That night we got back to Riverton (about 30 minutes late) to go to the Bull restaurant (one of the best restaurants in town) where Devon Energy Services was putting on a steak dinner for the county elected officials and their families. It was a very nice dinner and I met Stacie, a Devon representative that has kids playing on the Gillete traveling soccer team that knew of the Green River U-10 girls and how well they were playing that year. She was amazed at how intense the sport gets with the traveling team and we discussed how the families react at these games as being more supportive and competitive then she has seen before. Traveling soccer really is a different kind of way to play soccer – oh the memories. Roni and I didn’t know how hungry we were until we had finished the salad, prime rib, and potato without a problem. An excellent dinner and the perfect end to a relaxing day.

Interesting individuals I have met in Fremont County

June 10, 2009, Wednesday

Interesting People

From my second sweat I had met a couple that work as horse trainers. One day Ed and Mark took me out to their ranch to talk with their father, by the name of Darrell Winfield. During that first meeting our conversation centered on stories about Darrell's granddaughter and about foods that he used to eat but aren't as commonly consumed today. After the visit was when I learned that Darrell is pretty famous in the advertising world. How many of you would recognize the name and associate this man that lives on Two Valley Road, North of Riverton as the Marlboro Man?

When Marlboro was still allowed to do commericals they used to always have a rugged cowboy doing very manly activities, well 85 % of those pictures from the mid 1970s onward was Darrell. This got me interested in learning more about Darrell so here is some of the information I found. One of which is this pictures from an article from Sports Illustrated about his colorful cowboy's past at this website http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1091967/index.htm, where they describe that he was the typical cowboy from Oklahoma and made his way into Wyoming and settled down in Fremont County.

Ed has a picture of one of Darrell’s ads in his house that is of Darrell on his horse running across a field with his lasso high, about to rope a longhorn. Another article traced the Marlboro Man's history and stated the following about Darrell (AKA “D.W.” – the same initials as you dad :) )

D. W. Lights up Marlboro Country 1970’s.

Five or six times a year rancher Darrell Winfield would receive a telephone call that sent him to majestic "Marlboro Country." Pictured in the classic advertising campaign more often than any other Marlboro Man, Mr. Winfield’s bushy mustache, the fine crows feet around his eyes, plus a noble chin, made him a genuine 1970’s personality. Once he was invited to attend a Chicago party. Winfield had a good time, but he really didn’t care that much for city life. What the Marlboro Man did enjoy was shooting the bull with cronies while passing around a bottle of brandy. Yep, a tailgate party held in a dusty rodeo parking lot was truly Marlboro country. This real life cowboy owns a horse ranch in Wyoming, roped steers in rodeos, and modeled for Philip Morris.

Cowboy Marlboro NOW!

Both of these pictures and the article were taken from http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ . (The second picture we aren't sure if it is him or not).

At this website there is a page about the death of the “Marlboro Man”, however this is a misleading article because it states that the Marlboro Man died from lung cancer. Well as you can imagine people began calling Darrel's wife, Lennie, to express their condolences. Lennie said that the first call came from a sobbing woman telling her how sad she was to hear that Darrell had died . It was quite a while before Lennie could calm the sobbing woman enough to say that Darrell had not been killed and was, in fact, sitting next to her drinking coffee. What the article was striving to get across was that the first Marlboro Man, Wayne McLaren, had died from lung cancer and that Darrell is known for having been the Marlboro Man for a long time. http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/marlboro.asp.

What the article didn't mention was that Darrell was diagnosed with lung cancer a long time ago. Ed told me that the doctor's prognosis was that it was fatal and needed to be removed immediately. Instead, Darrel turned to tribal medicine and special medicinal sweats that helped him to overcome the cancer, and now he has a pretty clean bill of health. Another individual in Ed and Roni’s group of friends, affectionately called the “sweat hogs”, has cancer now and has been going through these medicinal sweats to overcome the cancer. I can’t really describe these sweats because I haven’t been to one but I am told that when she has her last medicinal sweat Ed, Roni, and I will try to make it.

Jake Korell
Today we went to the Wind River Heritage Center which was pretty neat because it houses over 50 animals native to Wyoming, each stuffed and displayed in a manner that would be similar to how you would see them in real life for educational purposes. Here I met two individuals: Lou, who walked around and explained all the exhibits and answered all my questions, and a 94 year old man by the name of Jake Korell. Jake is an interesting fellow because he is one of the last true mountain men. Still to this day Jake goes out trapping. When I first met him he was telling Ed and Mark about how he had trapped 16 beaver three weeks prior to our visit. When Mark learned this he asked if he could get the caster glands (the scent glands) to prepare a medicine for the upcoming Native American Sundance. Jake readily agreed, although I heard later that Mark's wife, Leslie, was not as thrilled as Mark over this acquisition. Leslie did not take to the idea of having Beaver caster glands hanging around their house!

Jake has a very interesting background starting with his family living in Germany near the Russian border. Before Jake was born his father was conscripted into the Russian army. While serving he found a way to get his family out of Germany and into the United States. So one night the whole family got on a ship and left for the states. Just by bad luck they got onto the wrong ship and ended up in South America. Over a few years they slowly made their way through South America to the United States and settled in the Lingle, Wyoming area.

Jake was born in Wyoming and attended a school in a one room schoolhouse. He had a lot of problems with school due to attendance issues because he started trapping at the age of 7 years. He said that before school he had to check his traps and a lot of the time he would get sprayed by skunks. He would show up to school after being sprayed, which is worse in the winter, when the heat was turned on. The teacher had to throw him out of school often due to his fowl stench. Back at his parents' house his odor was so overwhelming that his parents made him sleep in the bunkhouse with the hired hands. According to Jake, this is where he learned dirty stories and how to cuss. Back at school he started to get thrown out not just for his smell, but also for repeating these cuss words, telling dirty stories and fighting with the kids that called him a “dirty Russian”. His teacher helped him pass the 6th grade but then he quit, and as he puts it, "was done with school forever."

There is a whole book written about Jake and his adventures. Some of what it entails is his marriage to Martha, his wife of over 60 years; Martha passed away a few years ago from natural causes. Other stories in the book are still told by Jake today, but it is difficult to hear one twice because Jake has so many it will take a while a to hear them all. Mark tells me that one day at rendezvous he ran into Jake and was asked to join him, Jake, for a beer. As Mark puts it "if Jake asks you for a beer you never say no". Mark sat talking and drinking with Jake from around 9am to 5pm, a great experience as he puts it.

Ed told me that one day Jake was leaving a store when a group of teenage boys attacked him with a baseball bat yelling for him to give them his money. This 94 year old man took the bats from the boys and had all of them restrained by the time the police arrived to take them into custody. The only mark Jake had was the first hit he got from the bat that gave him a black eye for a week or two.

Everytime I saw Jake around town he greeted me with a smile, a couple stories, and a song or two. He isn't hard to find as his welcoming personality and intriguing background has made him a celebrity in Riverton where he can usually be found wearing his mountain man regalia atop a float in a parade, throwing axes at a rendezvous, or even hiking in the mountains where his age doesn't hinder him from still doing what he loves ...hunting, fishing, and trapping.

My day with Donor Alliance

June 9, 2009

My Day with Donor Alliance

Now instead of talking about each day in a week I am going to jump to just talking about interesting things that I do. Today was one of those GREAT days! This morning I was filling out the information for a death certificate when Ed came and told me that we had been called out. Ed, Mark, and I jumped in the vehicle and drove to Lander. It was a fun ride over to Lander because it was a car crash we had our lights and siren going so we could get to the scene quickly. Mark ran the siren so that it only went off when we were in town or near other cars. This is because the noise can become incredibly annoying to houses that we pass, businesses, and us.

It was neat to see how many people actually know or obey the Wyoming laws about what to do when an emergency vehicle is running lights and siren. Lots of people pulled over- kudos to any of you if you are reading this. As for the rest of the population please remember to pull over when you see or hear sirens. When traveling on a two lane highway both lanes of travel are required, by law, to pull to the side of the road. When traveling on a four lane highway the two middle lanes need to be clear. Best advice I can give is to pull over every time and remember to check that it is safe before you begin to pull over.

So we drove very fast into Lander and out to the crash. There is not a lot to say about this incident except everyone should always wear a helmet when riding their bike and those who drive semi-trucks need to check their surroundings before pulling out into an intersection. Bicyclists and pedestrians do not do well when hit by a semi. As for everyone else please be careful on the road because anyone can be effected whether you are a state champion bike rider or a mother out to ride bikes with her children. When you die those who loved you have to endure the pain, not you.

Anyway, so we arrived at the scene to learn that the individual was Dead on Arrival. What we also learned was that this woman was adamant about having her organs donated. For that reason the family insisted that we call Donor Alliance so they could come and receive her organs to donate to others. Donor Alliance said that they would be in that day to do a recovery and made a time to meet with me at the Lander morgue. This will be the first time that I get to watch a team of doctors recover organs from a donor and I’m very excited to see how the procedure is done and talk to the individuals about their jobs and the process of organ removal.

So I drove over to the Morgue and met the Donor Alliance team. This opportunity was incredible. It is so neat to think that these people get flown around on planes to travel all over the mountain west to save people’s lives. It is a very honorable job and the group that I worked with was great and very attentive.

Since they weren't collecting organs, the team was able to do their recovery in our morgue. Their first step was to make the room, by their standards, sterile. They did this by taking blue sheets and taping them over vents and other objects near the center table. They also put some at the foot of doors to prevent air from entering the room, which made the room warm and by the end the men were sweating profusely and had to leave at times to get some air. They got dressed into blue scrubs, hair covers, gloves and the typical face masks that cover the mouth and nose. Because I was in the room with them the whole time they gave me a hair cover to wear and a face mask.

The body was removed from the cooler and taken into their newly made surgery room. The body was analyzed as to what areas had cuts or other damage which could have allowed in bacteria so as to contaminate the body parts. Coming to a consensus they decided only one leg was in good enough condition to recover donations from.

They began by having two of their group clean the leg with brushes and squeegees. Then they used other squeegees soaked in a strong alcohol solution to sterilize the leg. One of the members held the leg while another helped the two other doctors get sterilized so they could perform the extraction procedure. To sterilize themselves these two doctors washed their hands and arms, and then, with a well learned technique, they put on their operating gowns. Not letting their hands leave their sleeves they put on one pair of disposable gloves and then a second heavier, pair on top of that. The assisting person buttoned their robes in the back and with the use of a tab on the strings helped them wrap the string belt around their waist. It was interesting to watch the techniques they use to get dressed. Finally, they opened their tools in a similar manner to insure they too stayed sterilized.

They turned their attention to the leg itself, placing sheets that were cut and had sticky tabs on the back around the leg. By the time the sheets were placed the individual holding up the leg was getting tired and was asking them to move a little faster. After the sheets were in place the two individuals that were sterile started their tasks. One was to perform the surgery. She was the only female and the newest person to join the team, which meant that she was constantly being questioned and given advice by the other doctors. This was good for me because the whole procedure was explained to me through their questions and her answers. This was an intensive anatomy review. The second individual that was sterile was in charge of the making sure the tools remained sterilized and available for the operating surgeon. He was also in charge of packaging the recovered parts. When the operating surgeon removed a muscle or bone she took it to this second person and he would package the organ up and label it for transport. At times he was asked by the other two men, to help the operating surgeon.

I was allowed to stand next to the woman doing the extractions and watch the whole procedure. The men how were not sterilized were beside me and helped by instructing the operating surgeon. At times they would explain things to me, probably because I looked so fascinated. I was told that from the leg they would be removing the fibularis brevis, fibularis longus, tibialis anterior, a portion of the soleus, calcaneal tendon, semimembraneous, semitendinosus, gracilis, tensor fasciae latae, and part of the rectus femoris. They did move the Sartorius but just to move it out of the way so they could reach the deeper muscles. They told me that they are currently doing research into what the sartorius could be used for and then they will begin removing that as well.

They also took connective tissue because they now have a procedure where doctors can remove the cells from the connective tissue and then, through surgery, place that connective tissue into patients that have had abdominal surgery, cleft palates, etc. This is interesting because the tissue doesn’t have the donor’s cells so the recipient’s body doesn’t reject the foreign tissue. Instead the recipient’s body does what it always does when connective tissue is being made; it puts its own cells into the connective tissue helping that area to heal in a very natural and safe manner. There are a variety of different surgeries that benefit from this procedure in helping patients heal. It is amazing what the medical community keeps coming up with to help patients.

The first cut was made at the foot and then made vertically up to near the hip. Then, using a scalpel, she cut at the fascia to separate the skin and the muscles. At this point all of the doctors commented on how athletic the deceased must have been because the muscles were so well defined. The extracting doctor had to know a certain set of steps as to which muscle to extract first and how. It was neat so see how she had to move around the different muscles looking for the target muscle she was looking for.

I watched as all of the muscles were cut at certain areas and how the tendons were followed to find the muscle's place of insertion. Then the muscle was carefully cut at that area and removed. Sometimes it was hard to find the muscles because the individual was so muscular, and at other times the other doctors had to give the operating surgeon tips on how to get to the insertion point of a muscle by cutting certain fascia that was holding it in place. This procedure is not easy to perform due to how compact the body is and how easy it can be to cut or hurt one of the muscles you want to extract while cutting fascia to get another muscle out. They told me that it is hard to get all the muscles that are donated out in good condition. In fact the company keeps a running total of how successful a doctor is at retrieving certain body parts and keeping them in a condition conducive to transplantation. All of their doctors have to have a 90% success rate to continue performing this kind of work. This could be incredibly difficult in light of the fact they told me that they commonly put in over 70 hours a week during certain times of the year.

Some of the muscles had their insertion points on the bone that was going to be removed. These muscles were not removed from the bone but instead stayed attached. The femur, the fibular, and the tibia were recovered. After all the muscles and bones were removed everyone was cheering about the new surgeon’s accomplishment.

The last step with the body was to make it presentable. To do this they took a long wooden rod and placed it in the leg cavity. Then they took out small sterile sheets and began wading those around the rod and filling the leg cavity as they moved from the hip to the foot stitching the skin back together. This process, they explained, was done as a courtesy to the family so that their loved one wasn’t just a big mess when they saw them again. I was told that this is done every time, even if the family would not be seeing the body ever again. They commented that this leg was easy for them to make presentable. Sometimes when they have recovered organs from all parts of the body they have to take these rods and crumpled sheeting to the whole body because the only parts that aren’t taken are some of the abdomen, feet, hands, and some of the head. Then they have to “rebuild” the whole body again, but it all depends on what the family is willing to give and how death occurred.

The last step was to clean up the morgue. They washed off all the counters, sinks and gurneys, placed all their trash into the dumpster outside the door . They took some last minute photos of themselves inside the jail cells and then gave me a survey to give to the funeral home to evaluate how their job was.

A pretty neat experience overall and I was lucky for having a boss who goes out of his way to allow me to experience all that I can, while staying within in ability and interest zone. When an opportunity arises, I am allowed to decide how much is too much. I have begun to realize that my job is to learn as much as possible- which makes my job pretty amazing. What makes it better is that I am learning from a man that I am repeatedly told, “is one of the best men to learn from” because he is patient, constantly looking out for others, encouraging of questions, has knowledge in law enforcement and EMS, and is a genuinely nice and gentle man. I really am blessed to have Ed as he is such a great mentor and boss.

My Third week

May 31 to June 6, 2009

My Third Week

My third week was not as filled with activities, at least not ones that I can talk about. What I can say about my third week is that I wrote a lot of reports about what I did on certain cases. Everything that you do for each case is documented and placed within a file. What is interesting is that all of these files are saved forever. In Ed’s office there are files dating to when Wyoming was still a territory in 1889! Mark Stratmoen, the Chief Deputy Coroner, and the only other full time staff member besides Ed, is currently working his way through the files writing their contents into a computer program to make searching for information easier. This has taken a long time because he only does it when he has spare time in the office- which doesn’t happen a lot.

One day we went to the County Commissioners office in Lander. During my first week Ed went to the county commissioners to present a proposal to increase the amount of money paid for indigent burials to 1800 dollars instead of 1000 dollars. This is necessary due to the increase in costs to bury remains now. He talked to the cemetery personnel and learned that the cemetery would give them land for indigent burials and recommended that the remains be cremated so they could fit more in that area, which would require more money as well. This second visit to the County Commissioners was to listen to an architect give an estimate on how much it would cost for them to build a new county building that housed all the different county offices.

That same day we met with a hospital pathologist and discussed the possibility of her using the coroner’s morgue in the county courthouse for her hospital autopsies. I guess they don’t do very many, but when they do have one they need a morgue and since she is new in town, and doesn’t really prefer the hospital’s, she was looking for an alternative. During this time period I was able to explore the basement of the old courthouse which used to be the jail. The morgue used to be the kitchen and was perfect for a morgue. The rest of the rooms that used to house inmates are now used for storage. Some rooms still have the big heavy doors with plastic windows covered by heavy metal flap that can be lifted to look into the room from the hall. The other rooms are traditional jail cells with heavy metal bars for walls. Each of the locks on these doors are neat because they can only be opened with a key that is twice the size of a normal key and each door requires a different key. It was fun to wonder through this area.

Here are two pictures of the Lander Coroner Morgue. The first was taken before the table was put in. The door leads to the rest of the old jail and is usually closed. Can you see how it was an old kitchen?

This second picture is of it when the table was put in.
During the last part of this day we made a visit to the FBI office to talk to the agents about a case that is classified and may become public later but you won’t hear about it from me. Suffice it to say, I found it really neat to be in this office listening to the conversations between the agents and the coroner.

The rest of the week I worked on improving my supplementals (which are reports that describe what I do for every case), and going through old case files. It was exhausting to go through these because of the amount of information they contained. When I was done I was asked by Mark and Ed as to what I found interesting about each case. Ed says that it is nice to hear a new perspective, and I like how this teaches me about what needs to be collected for cases, but I don't like how tired I feel afterward.

The last day of the week Roni, Ed and I watched the weather channel which was talking about the V2 program now used to document tornadoes. The first tornado they were able to document from start to finish was in Goshen County, Wyoming. All of the national stations are excited about this information and we love that it happened in Wyoming, a place that has very few tornados. We also went to my second sweat which was at a different house and conducted by a man by the name of Fred. That night it was a special sweat to honor and pray for a pastor and his wife who are moving to Colorado. The sweat was good and so was the feast afterward where I sat outside with some new friends and admired the view that Fred and his wife have of the mountains and the valley.

After we got back from the sweat and were just crawling into our beds there was a call for Ed and I. It was a long call, lasting around 2 hours. Ed was tired when we got back to the house. I had had a nap on the way so I was ok.

That weekend...

Saturday was a memorial walk and feast for the BC3 (Beaver Creek 3). This was a death of three teenage girls that occurred 1 year ago last Wednesday. Their families put on this 2.5 mile walk from a gas station near their homes to the St. Stephen’s cemetery where the girls are buried. There were balloons given out with the girls’ pictures on them and t-shirts with their pictures arranged into the shape of a heart. We joined approximately 100 other people in walking this 2.5 stretch behind a group carrying flags of the Arapahoe nation aas well as the Eagle Staff to the cemetery. The Eagle Staff is a staff decorated with red fabric and eagle feathers. It is only used for honoring events.

When we arrived at the cemetery they had Burton Hutchinson, one of the 5 Arapahoe elders, give a prayer, and 4 men pound on a drum and sing first a memorial song and then an honoring song for the girls. During the honoring song a grandmother lead others in dancing around the singers in a very traditional manner. Then all of us let go of our balloons and watched them fly away. At the St. Stephen’s field everyone gathered for a feast of hamburgers and hot dogs. Roni and I left to go to the bathroom in the Catholic Church which was neat. It had a lot of murals depicting catholic and Arapahoe beliefs combined. For example, at the stations of the cross the people’s halos were of eagles wrapped around their heads as the eagle is sacred to the Arapahoe.

We left this feast to go to a BBQ with En Cana, an oil business that Ed likes to stay in close contact with because they excavate a lot of land and have been known to find remains and call the coroner’s office to inform them of the discovery. Needless to say all three of us were full after these two BBQs.

Sunday I was allowed to go on my first autopsy. I was a little nervous because you always hear about those people who go into an autopsy and have to run out of the room and puke, but for me it was actually really interesting to watch. The pathologist and his assistant were very nice and allowed me to stand near them and watch the proceedings and ask lots of questions. I did have to be careful about not getting too close when they were cutting bones or before they drained the blood for safety reasons. I found it interesting how easy it was to differentiate between the different layers of epidermis, and how thick the layer of fat can be on a human body, which varies for each individual. I found myself amazed at how the organs looked in real life, and began reviewing information I had learned in my anatomy class about the lungs, kidneys, intestines, liver, and brain as they were removed and dissected by the forensic pathologist.

I was put in charge of taking pictures during the autopsy and at key areas the assistant would turn to me and say that I needed the camera. He showed me how to take pictures at a 90 degree angle and also straight on. At one point I had to stand on a small step ladder and as I leaned over the body to get a picture at the correct angle, both the assistant and other deputy coroner held me up. I was glad they held me up or I would have fallen on top of the deceased, which would have been bad for everyone!

The drive to and from the pathologist’s office was around 5 hours each way. This is because Wyoming doesn’t have a forensic pathologist, so we have to drive to Colorado to have an autopsy done. This is a common problem in the United States because there are only 500 forensic pathologists in the United States. Some of these individuals are older and would like to retire, but there aren’t enough people coming into the field to relieve these doctors. Forensic Pathologists are well paid and in high demand, however not a lot of people go into it because the clientele arrive in many different states of decomposition and it requires a lot of training.

To be trained as a forensic pathologist one has to first get a bachelor’s degree. The next step is to get accepted and go through 4 years of med school, followed directly by 4 years of residency. After that they need to specialize in pathology and go through another year of a forensic pathology fellowship. This amounts to 13 years of schooling after high school, but they aren’t finished yet because they have to take a forensic pathology board examination which I am told has a 40-50% fail rate! In total this is 13 years of school after high school and takes an incredible amount of dedication and money. A very tough profession, both for the schooling and tests that are required for one to be certified, which explains why there are so few.

My second week of work

May 24-30, 2009

My Second Week

My second week of work was based upon one set of remains in particular. Monday I was told that over the weekend a set of skeletal remains had been recovered of an ancient native American (or at least that’s what the coroner’s office believed). I was given the privilege to go through the artifacts recovered consisting of fabric fragments, beads, non-human crania, rocks, dirt, and bones. This was good for me because this is what my degree in anthropology had prepared me for. I have previously done this at the University of Wyoming in my bioarchaeology class only 1 month earlier. So I set down with my reference book and inventoried all the contents and organized them into bags.

Tuesday, Ed and I drove to Laramie, Wyoming to meet with Danny Walker and Rick Weathermon. These individuals are experts in the field of human and non-human faunal remains. We were told by Danny (within two seconds) that the non-human cranium was that of a rabbit. Rick took control of the human remains and promised to go through them in more detail when he had time later that week. He was a bit tired from an investigation he had been out on all day. So we agreed to leave all the artifacts in his care. We then returned to our hotel and I went swimming and hot tubing.

Wednesday we had breakfast with Tom Ferguson, Albany County Coroner (which is the county Laramie is in). This was exciting because I had not gotten to meet this man before but I had heard a lot about him from my anthropology professors.

After the WACO (Wyoming Association of County Officials) meeting (Ed is the 1st Vice President and will be the President of this organization next year.) Ed and I set out for Rawlins by leaving Laramie on Highway 30. This route is a little bit longer, but more entertaining because Ed knows a lot of history about the area. He pointed out that Highway 30 is a national historic site. Also a set of cliffs that we passed by was where the Union Pacific Railroad stagecoaches used to get to the west. Billy Carlisle, a notorious stagecoach robber, robbed a Union Pacific Railroad stagecoach in this area in 1905. This was the last stagecoach robbery in Wyoming. Carlisle is said to have been caught, but the money he stole was never recovered. So lots of people go to this area searching for the “treasure”, but it has never been found and few still know about the story.
We also stopped by a cabin that is made totally of dinosaur bones. It is near Como Bluff, "Dinosaur Graveyard", an area that has a plethora of dinosaur bones and is owned by a private individual.

Our last stop was in Medicine Bow at their famous hotel called the Virginian. This hotel and saloon was built in the early 1900s. We stopped for lunch and were allowed to go up the stairs and look at the rooms which are decorated as they would have been back in the 1900s. People still stay in those rooms; it’s like staying in a castle in Europe. No showers but a few suites had claw foot bathtubs.

It is always an experience driving with Ed due to his knowledge of Wyoming and the stories that come to his mind when we are driving in certain areas makes the ride interesting.

My busy first week

June 8, 2009, Monday

My Busy First Week

Day 1

I am so excited but a little nervous. I didn’t sleep well because of the excitement and I was right to be excited. After making the drive to Lander I met up with my boss, Ed McAuslan at 9:45am. My first meeting was at the FBI office at 10am. Lander has an FBI office because it is required for the reservation, since the reservation is by law its own sovereign nation. In this they have their own police department called the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs). This is similar to non-reservation local police departments. However, the next level of law enforcement is that of the FBI, unlike non reservation police departments that increase in size from local to county to state then to federal. The only form of law enforcement that works both non reservation and reservation in this county is the coroner’s office. It has had jurisdiction both on and off the reservation since the 1920s. This is nice in this area because jurisdictions are hard to accurately identify at times.

Map of Fremont County Reservation land.

I have digressed, let me return to my first day. So my first day I went to the FBI office for a meeting about the upcoming Native American Conference. Then another meeting in the county court house with a grieving family. Neither of which I am allowed to discuss further.

Now for this internship to be beneficial I have to be available for calls, and have a rapid response time. The best way to do this is to live your boss, and his wife, which is exactly what I am doing. Ed and his wife Roni, out of the kindness of their hearts have offered to provide a room and meals for me for the whole summer. This is the perfect living situation for me to learn about the area and experience all that Fremont has to offer.

Day 2

For breakfast that morning Roni made me a cup of juice made from beets, carrots, kale and spinach. I was amazed that these ingredients (none of which I would have put together for a drink) were really good together. I have learned that juicing machines take the nutrients of a vegetable or fruit and get rid of the fiber part retaining all the vitamins and minerals. Roni explained that there is a lot of vegetables and fruits that go into a drink and the only way that they can be consumed in that quantity is if the fiber (the part that makes you feel full when you have eaten a vegetable or fruit) is taken out. Fiber is present in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains so those that "juice" need to be aware of this and make sure they get fiber daily from a different source.

Today Ed felt it was important for me to become acquainted with the area that I would be working. He gave me a tour of part of the county (it is big!) During this tour I was introduced to communities of Fort Washakie, Arapahoe, Saint Stephen’s Mission, Riverton and Ethete. At Fort Washakie I met a man that is famous for his hand-crafted fly poles, Mark Lambert. In fact, when we got there he was working on a set of four poles for the National Geographic fly fishermen. Also in that area I visited the cemetery of Chief Washakie and Sacajewea. Sacajewea’s grave was amazing because it is has a statue of the celebrity and the graves of her two sons. Did you know that Sacajewea was pregnant when she began with Lewis and Clark on their famous expedition and during it she gave birth to her first son? Later, she adopted a son and now all three are buried together in the Sacajewea Cemetery. Today, the statue and the graves of these individuals are decorated with flowers, coins, and other gifts given by those paying respect to the remains of those who played such a significant role in the history of our nation.

Day 3

We drove to Dubois, Wyoming. This is a beautiful valley situated between snow capped mountains. Many have cabins in this area which help them escape the city life and enjoy quieter days (Roni and Ed do). While in Dubois we met with Dan Nowlin the Supervising Deputy Coroner of Dubois and the surrounding area. Let me explain, because Fremont County is so big it isn’t possible for the coroner’s office to be very efficient unless they have deputy coroners in the three larger (and very spread out) cities; Riverton, Dubois, and Lander. Here is a table of the hierarchy of the Fremont County Coroner's office:

Edward R. McAuslan
Fremont County Coroner

Professional Specialties Administrative Assistant

Dentist S&R / Recovery Pathologist

Contract Archaeologist
Chief Deputy

Operations Deputy Intern Program

Property Clerk

Dubois Supervisor Lander Supervisor Riverton Supervisor
Deputies Deputies Deputies

Note: Chief Deputy is the Supervisor of their community of residence

Dubois Deputy Coroners Riverton Deputy Coroners Lander Deputy Coroners

In Dubois we went to the Suicide Prevention Task Force meeting. This is one job that most don’t know the coroner does, or at least a good coroner does. This task force was created to discuss ways to help prevent suicides from occurring in the county. One person from the Public Health services works with the volunteers to write grants, to teach classes on how to identify when someone is contemplating suicide, and how to talk with potential victims. Currently, the task force has created a set of billboards and pamphlets to spread information on what signs to look for, and who to call when someone is depressed or contemplating suicide. Their new poster has actual members of the community that span the nationalities, sexes, and different age groups which they hope will be a stronger message.

I am trying to not eat a lot of food today because I am going to a sweat lodge tonight. I'm nervous that if I eat a lot the sweat will be harder to get through. I was informed that for my first one it may be better if I don’t go with a lot of food in my stomach. I am so excited to experience this Indian tradition that I can’t sit still on the ride back to Riverton from Dubois. The sweat that I will be going to tonight is conducted by a Shoshoni elder named Willie LeClair. Willie travels the state performing sweats for certain institutions with his job as a chaplain. He has even gone to the Vatican to perform Shoshoni spiritual traditions in front of the Pope! This adds stress to me for my first sweat but it also means that I will be experiencing a true sweat with an expert.

The background for sweat lodges and the procedures: I can’t describe the exact method used to construct a lodge because that is not my place to describe as I am not Native American. Additionally, I don't have enough experience in that area of their culture. A basic description is that the land the lodge is constructed on has been blessed by an elder. Then the lodge itself is constructed in a certain manner so that it is both airtight and weather proof. It isn't finished until all the prayers have been said and the east facing doorway is cleared.

What I can explain about a sweat lodge is what occurs when I personally go to a sweat, because it isn’t right for me to explain other people’s experiences. That is disrespectful as a sweat is a very spiritual event and what is said in the lodge stays in the lodge. So what I have learned about a sweat lodge is that they always have certain elements:

1) People are friendly and supportive. By the end of a sweat everyone is considered family and while you may meet everyone with handshakes in the beginning, by the end everyone hugs because they are now family.

2) The area around all sweat lodges are similar with the doorway to the lodge facing the east and a pit in the middle for the hot rocks to be placed. A few feet east from the opening is the mound with a decorated buffalo skull and four different colored flags facing the four directions. A few feet further east is the fire pit where the rocks are heated.

3)The sweat lodge is where the participants go to pray and sweat.

4) There are songs and prayers said within the lodge to honor all living creatures.

5) The sweats consist of four rounds, with the possibility of a fifth round which is optional.

6) There is an individual who sits in the place of respect. They say the prayers and direct the activities of the sweat.

7) Water is given out before each round and if someone decides to drink (or use) their cup of water than they are committed to staying that whole round. Before you use your water you give some to Great Grandfather by pouring it on the hot rocks in the middle of the lodge. The key to giving this to Great Grandfather is that if you pour the water directly on the rocks that’s a sign to the person running the lodge that you want the round to be hotter.

Everything else needs to be experienced firsthand because it is hard to explain how this manner of praying can be different from others. For myself I have found the sweats make me feel calm. It is for this reason that I find after a sweat I sleep very well.

One very funny experience was that right before my first sweat everyone was changing into their sweat clothes (you wear workout clothes or swimsuits in the lodge and have others to change into because you are soaked afterwards). While everyone was changing (I was already in my sweat clothes) Ed came up to me pointed at my upper body and whispered in my ear, “You should probably take that off”. Embarrassed I looked up at Ed and asked, “Are you asking me to take off my shirt?” He stopped and started laughing and then said, “NO, NO, I was talking about your necklace”. Which made both of us laugh and of course everyone else had to hear about it and laugh too.

For my first sweat I went through all four rounds. I exited the lodge after every round (which is not required) and enjoyed the cool breeze that helped to cool my body before the next round began. After the 4th round I was asked if I wanted to do the bonus round. Feeling strong because I had made it through the first four rounds I decided a fifth round couldn’t hurt. So I agreed to do the fifth round and it was by far the hottest of them all. At one point it felt so hot I couldn’t believe I wasn’t passing out. It took a lot of mental control to stay sitting up and breathing and not make an escape attempt. By the time that door opened I was moving toward it, right behind the water. The water is always moved out of the lodge before anyone can leave. I looked back into the lodge and realized I was the only that sat through the whole round and still had the energy to exit. Everyone else had laid down and didn't leave until later. We agreed it was a hard round.

Day 4

I learned how to do a medical request today. This is done when the coroner is investigating a case and needs a person’s medical records. So they give the individual’s doctor a letter requesting a copy of the records. By law doctors can release a patient’s medical records to a coroner, but just in case a doctor is not familiar with this law, all of the medical requests that we write have a copy of the statute in the body of the letter. I wrote the one that we delivered on this day prior to our visit to the doctor.

After this visit we, Ed and I, drove to the courthouse and then got called by the office letting us know that we had been called out to my first scene. I was so excited because I would finally get to know what happened at a scene. I was nervous because this is the first time I got to see a dead person and I had heard the horror stories. I maintained a positive attitude and after taking pictures of the scene, and the body, I found that all I could think of was the family and how to take care of the deceased. The fact that this was my first body was not scary. I do have to admit that after we had cleaned the body and moved it to an area so that the family could say goodbye, I found that I was continually looking at the body waiting for it to breathe or sit up.

Being around a body wasn’t the only lesson I learned. I also learned the role of the coroner and his staff when working a scene. Every case is different so it is hard to explain exactly how each is or will be worked. The main responsibilities of the coroner and his deputies (and me) when at the scene are to learn what happened, gather medical information, watch over the body of the deceased and assist the family, following their wishes to the best of our abilities. This is because the role of the coroner can be described as the individual elected to communicate between law enforcement, medical professionals, and the family. To do this the coroner’s staff gathers all of the medications at a scene, takes statements, and takes pictures to document the state of the body and the area around the body. By taking these factors into account the coroner is able to make a decision at the scene as to whether this information is enough to conclusively determine the manner and cause of death. If there is still any uncertainty then the coroner's staff needs to do research by requesting medical records for the deceased and sending the body in for an autopsy performed by a forensic pathologist.

Now is a great time to describe how important it is for a coroner to have an understanding of traditions and beliefs of their constituents. For example, some cultures believe that one should not touch a dead body. For that reason they shy away from working in professions that perform this duty and don’t prefer to touch their loved one before the body is taken by the coroner to a morgue. Others believe that certain ceremonial practices should be done on a body to help release the spirit and cleanse those who are around the remains. There are a variety of different traditions and an understanding of these traditions helps the coroner to know what questions are important to ask when working with the family so as to make the experience less difficult for them.

Introduction

Monday June 8, 2009

Introduction

This blog is going to be different from my Spain blog due to three reasons: 1) there is a lot of information that needs to be kept confidential and can’t be discussed due to the type of work that we do. 2) I will be able to write when I have time which varies as life is comfortably busy with the community and the family that I live with. 3) I want this to be an open blog so anyone that has questions or wants me to address anything in particular can just let me know by commenting- and comment a lot, good or bad comments are acceptable.

I was so excited to be accepted for this internship because it is one of a kind, due to the area that it is in and the responsibilities I have been given. Few get a chance to work in the forensic field as an intern, especially as a deputy coroner. The second amazing part of the internship is that it is in Fremont County, Wyoming. This county is made up of a large reservation for the Eastern Shoshoni and the Northern Arapahoe tribes, as well as, areas that are considered non reservation. For this reason the inhabitants of Fremont County have a variety of different traditions and beliefs. This is important in our field because an understanding and respect for these beliefs help us comfort them and work with them while still performing our job. This is a unique area to learn about coroner responsibilities and these two tribes' traditions.

Enjoy!