By Karen Middleton
karen@athensnews-courier.com
May 08, 2008 09:31 pm
—
The discovery of a human skeleton in a Huntsville-annexed portion of Limestone County is drawing national attention, including a lengthy discussion on CNN’s Nancy Grace Show Wednesday.
But Huntsville Police warned against speculation as to sex and manner of death until forensic scientists have had a chance to examine the bones.
The nearly complete skeleton, which reportedly included some badly decomposed flesh and tattered clothing, was discovered Tuesday by a survey crew working 200 yards off Old Highway 20, near the Interstate-65 5-mile marker.
Huntsville Police Spokesman Wendell Johnson asked in a Thursday press release that the public “please allow this investigation to continue without speculation from national and local news media.”
On Wednesday’s broadcast, talk show host Nancy Grace tapped the expertise of Vince Velazguez, homicide detective and hostage negotiator; Diane France, forensic anthropologist; Dr. Michael Bell, Palm Beach County chief medical examiner; Renee Rockwell, defense attorney, and Caryn Stark, psychologist.
Grace also sought comment from Huntsville Times reporter Niki Doyle.
Callers from across the nation posed questions and offered input. However, because Alabama Department of Forensic Science pathologists have not returned any preliminary findings on manner or time of death, the discussions were merely academic rather than specific to the Limestone case.
Discussions ranged from DNA evidence to the role of bone structure in determining sex and age, to how insects and weather conditions affect decomposition.
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