Laundrie's Remains Confirmed

After the "partial human remains" were found in a Florida swamp yesterday, it didn't take long for the medical examiner to identify them as belonging to Brian Laundrie.

According to NBC New York:

The partial human remains recovered at the Florida environmental park where Brian Laundrie was last believed to have been a day ago were described as "skeletal," a North Port police spokesperson confirmed to News 4 Thursday.

Two senior law enforcement officials also tell NBC News that the apparent human remains discovered yesterday at the Carlton Reserve during the search for Laundrie include a portion of a human skull.

Apparently, there was enough of the skull to make a positive identification through dental records. The remains were in an area that was submerged until recently. 

I find it interesting that only a portion of a human skull was found, if the report is correct, since Laundrie would have been dead for a little over a month at most. One would think the skull would be intact, unless an animal, like an alligator, crunched it in its jaws. Alligators, snakes, coyotes and other wildlife is known to inhabit the area.

It will be interesting to see what the details are once they are released.

Coroner Says Petito Death Caused By Strangulation

.Above, Gabrielle Petito in Moab, Utah in August

The coroner's finding on the cause of death of Gabby Petito is strangulation.

There is no way in hell that boyfriend Brian Laundrie could claim that her death was accidental. He is the "person of interest" in this case. By continuing to be a fugitive and not turning himself in to authorities is an indication of guilt, even though he has not yet been charged in Petito's murder.

According to Yahoo! News:

The Wyoming medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Gabby Petito said Tuesday that the 22-year-old’s death was caused by strangulation.

Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue made the announcement during a virtual news conference.

“After a detailed investigation by our forensic pathologist, our anthropologist and local law enforcement, with assistance from the FBI, the Teton County Coroner Office is filing the following verdict: In the matter of the death of Gabrielle Venora Petito, we find the cause to be death by strangulation and manner is homicide,” he said.

Blue initially ruled Petito’s manner of death a homicide pending final autopsy results.

Above, Brian Laundrie, the person of interest. 

To read more, go here. 

L.A. County Hall of Justice Restoration

The Hall of Justice in the Los Angeles Civic Center is currently being renovated with completion scheduled for the end of this year.

Above, the dark Hall of Justice in a night shot from 2009. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The building had been sitting idle since the January 1994 Northridge Earthquake.

The interior of the 1925 building was gutted and sitting for years in preparation of restoration work. The main snag was funding the restoration. The ornate marble walls and other fixtures were stacked on pallets and stored in the basement (which, at one time housed the L.A. County Coroner's office).

Above, the marble walls were stacked in the basement in this photo from 2009. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Back in 2008-09, I worked for a security company who was contracted to provide security for the idle building. On a few occasions, I went inside the empty building and took some photos.

The interior shots were primarily taken in the basement of the Hall of Justice. It was eerie inside. It reminded me of Dracula's castle or Carfax Abbey in the 1931 Dracula that starred Bela Lugosi. The only thing missing to complete the picture in the basement were coffins.

Above, the basement of the Hall of Justice in 2009. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Funding was finally approved in and restoration began in 2012.

Clark Construction is currently renovating the Hall of Justice and a gigantic hole was dug for the construction of a new parking structure. The exterior of the Hall of Justice has been restored and currently the building of offices inside the building is taking place.

Above, fixtures and marble slabs in the basement in 2009. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Clark Construction has a website on the project: http://www.clarkhallofjustice.com/. It has detailed information on the project and many photographs of the renovation's progress. From the photos at the website, you can see that much has been accomplished since the work started two years ago.

L.A. County Sheriff Screwing Up Mitrice Richardson Investigation

by Armand Vaquer

The Los Angeles County Sheriff may have damaged the investigation into the disappearance and death of Mitrice Richardson by moving her skeletal remains without the County Coroner's permission.

The Los Angeles Times reports:

A Los Angeles County coroner's official criticized sheriff's deputies for removing the remains of Mitrice Richardson from a rugged ravine without permission, saying the deputies' actions may have violated the law and undermined the thoroughness of the coroner's investigation.

Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said he was "very clear" with sheriff's officials and could not think of another case in which a police agency had moved entire skeletal remains without coroner's approval.

A sheriff's spokesman acknowledged that deputies removed Richardson's body from the scene without the coroner's permission, but said they did so because detectives were concerned that it was getting dark and that animals might destroy the remains.

The 24-year-old Richardson drew national media attention in September 2009 when she disappeared after being released from the sheriff's Lost Hills/Malibu station about midnight, without her car, purse or cellphone. Nearly 11 months after her disappearance, her remains were spotted in a remote Malibu Canyon ravine.

If the sheriff detectives were so "concerned" that animals may destroy the remains, why didn't they just guard the site? Someone with the sheriff's department isn't very bright! Why would animals suddenly try to "destroy the remains" since they've been there for eleven months? This is a fishy excuse.

The L.A. County Sheriff screwed up the whole Mitrice Richardson matter from the start. First, they arrest her at Geoffrey's Restaurant in Malibu for not paying her tab. She was acting disoriented at the time and since when is not paying a tab a criminal matter (especially under those circumstances)? It was more of a civil matter between the restaurant and Richardson. They could have obtained her information and took her to small claims court.

Also, releasing Richardson in the dead of night in unfamiliar surroundings without her car, purse and cell phone was another blunder by the sheriff's department.

Now they fouled up the investigation of her death by moving her remains from the site without the coroner's permission. Hopefully, good photos of the remains as they were found were taken.

Is this stupidity or is this a possible cover-up by the Malibu sheriff's department? This is getting awfully suspicious. Is the Malibu sheriff's office purposely botching the investigation to cover-up foul play by one of their own? It seems possible, given how they've messed things up.

Now it is alleged that Richardson's family were taken to the wrong location of where her remains were found. What is going on with this?

According to the Malibu Surfside News:

On Saturday, the Malibu Surfside News learned that Latice Sutton, the mother of the dead woman; a close aunt, Lauren Sutton; and Richardson’s college mentor, psychologist Ronda Hampton, hiked in with the support of Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue crew members, headed by Sgt. Tui Wright, a veteran of difficult local mountain searches.

The three women were accompanied by the forensic anthropologist the mother has involved in the ever more complicated case, Clea Koff, who said she believes that “it is clear that where we were taken today is not the same location where the coroner’s crew recovered bones” on Aug. 25, two weeks after the initial finding of Richardson’s skull and separated remains.

Compounding the concerns about the accuracy of the location, Sutton found a small bone—Koff says it appears to be phalangeal—while preparing the dirt for an impromptu memorial of flowers, crosses, photos and other personal mementos.

Above, the bone found at the site.

If the bone is indeed Richardson's, then the sheriff botched up the gathering of her remains as well! Are there more missing body parts?

An independent investigation into the whole Mitrice Richardson case is needed.

To read the full L.A. Times story, go here.

UPDATE (11/9/10): The Los Angeles Times is reporting that an investigation into the handling of Mitrice Richardson's remains by the L.A. County Sheriff is to take place.

The Times reported:

Initially, sheriff's officials believed that only a skull and possibly a couple of other bones were there. Winter said that at that point, sheriff's officials were told they could move the bones only after coroner's officials reviewed photos of the scene and gave clearance. Sheriff's officials disagreed, saying permission was granted to remove partial remains.

But when the rest of her skeleton was found, sheriff's officials proceeded without clearance to move all the remains. Winter said he told sheriff's officials not to do so, but a sheriff's captain said that message never got to deputies on the scene.

Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said the goal of the inquiry is to "minimize such miscommunications … in the future."

The inquiry will be overseen by the Office of Independent Review, the sheriff's watchdog agency. "It'll be thorough but also expeditious," Whitmore said, adding that the goal is to make any findings public.

To read the full article, go here.

L.A. COUNTY HALL OF JUSTICE TO BE DEMOLISHED?

Above, the Hall of Justice sits next to the uncompleted Hollywood Freeway in the late 1940s.

L.A. COUNTY HALL OF JUSTICE TO BE DEMOLISHED?

by Armand Vaquer

The Los Angeles County Hall of Justice, an ornate building that has been sitting vacant in Downtown Los Angeles for fifteen years, is allegedly to be demolished.

The building once housed the county courts, jail, district attorney, sheriff's office and county coroner. Many celebrities were autopsied there including Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe and George Reeves. Charles Manson and his family of killers were housed there while on trial.

Tonight, workers with the Asplund company, contractors for the L.A. Department of Water and Power, told a co-worker and I that they were cutting off electricity to the L.A. County Hall of Justice in preparation for the building to be demolished by explosives. They did not specify when this is to take place.

This is contrary to recent reports that the Board of Supervisors ordered a study on restoring the building.

No lights were on inside the building, although we can hear the buzz from a generator somewhere.

The Hall of Justice was built in 1925 and it has sat unoccupied for earthquake retrofitting since the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. The interior is completely gutted and it has been slated to become the headquarters of the Los Angeles County Sheriff.

Millions have been spent so far on the building, so it seems peculiar that it would be set for demolition after these expenditures.

According a December 1 motion by the Board of Supervisors, the building is structurally sound. It was said that current lower construction costs could also reduce the price of the restoration project by about 20% or more. Also, low financing rates and available federal funds could make the project feasible, according to a Board spokesman.

The Chief Executive Officer of L.A. County is to report back to the Board within 45 days on the cost of the project along with a cost-comparison to detail the savings of transferring departments back to the building.

Further investigation will be conducted. Someone is either misinformed or maybe a decision has already been reached by the Board.

The Hall of Justice is a great building that deserves to be restored to its original splendor.

Inside The Hall of Justice

Above, the dark catacombs of the L.A. County Hall of Justice basement.

Inside The Hall of Justice

Text and photos by Armand Vaquer

Years ago, before the Los Angeles County Coroner was relocated to its present facility on north Mission Road (hence the name of the show Chuck Harter appeared in on a George Reeves segment), the Coroner's facilities were located in the basement of the Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles.

Due to the 1993 Northridge Earthquake, the Hall of Justice was closed down for retrofitting. It has been a slow process and it has pretty much stopped due to funding issues. Eventually, it is said, the building (built in 1925) will house the headquarters of the Los Angeles County Sheriff. Why let a good building go to waste?

As the building's interior has been gutted, and the county doesn't seem to have the money to fund the retrofit project to completion, the company I work for has been contracted to secure the location. This week, I went down to the basement of the Hall of Justice, with camera in hand, after hearing that the autopsy tables were still inside. Unfortunately, they weren't. But it is interesting to go into the basement to see where the Coroner conducted the autopsies of such celebrities as George Reeves, Marilyn Monroe, Robert F. Kennedy and others.

The way the interior looks now, it reminded me of either Castle Dracula or Carfax Abbey in the 1931 Dracula. The only thing missing was a coffin with the Dracula Crest on the lid. The only lighting in the basement was from my flashlight and the flash of my camera. It was almost pitch black in the basement. Pretty spooky! And I've heard stories of hauntings at the building.

Above, the basement of the Hall of Justice. Could this slab be where an autopsy table was mounted?

Above, another slab. Was an autopsy table here?

Above, crates of marble slabs and bricks are sitting in the basement, waiting to be installed in the Hall of Justice when the retrofit project is completed.

Jackson Death Ruled "Homicide"

Above, the Los Angeles County Coroner's facilities on North Mission Road.

An official with the Los Angeles County Coroner's office told the Associated Press that the coroner's finding of the cause of Michael Jackson's death is homicide.

Forensic tests found the powerful anesthetic propofol acted together with at least two sedatives to cause Jackson's death, the official said.

Dr. Conrad Murray, a cardiologist from Las Vegas, who became Jackson's person physician only weeks before his death, may be charged with manslaughter.

I knew something was up today, as I was driving to one of my company's accounts, when I saw many television trucks parked outside of the Los Angeles County Coroner's facilities on North Mission Road in Los Angeles. Some were still there an hour ago when I passed by it again (below).



It appears that LaToya Jackson was right!

Lily Burk Crime Scene

Above, a news cameraman is preparing to shoot the flowers left at the location where Lily Burk was found last Saturday morning.

Lily Burk Crime Scene

Text and Photos by Armand Vaquer

The following photos show the crime scene of where 17-year-old Lily Burk was found murdered in her Volvo at 458 Alameda Street in Los Angeles.

Above, this photo shows the approximate location of where Burk's car containing her body was parked. Flowers were left at the location.

Above, same view but further back.

The news media were arriving at the location while I was there (approximately 1430 hrs.).

Above, the KCBS-Channel 2 news van.

Above, this is a view of the loading docks of the building where Lily Burk was found. Another television station's mobile news van is turning onto 5th Street from Alameda Street.

Above, the office of the L.A. County Coroner, where Lily Burk's body was taken for autopsy.

UPDATE: The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the L.A. County Coroner's office found that Lily Burk's neck had been slashed, but it is unclear whether the slash wounds were the main cause of her death.

Thus far, the LAPD has put together this timeline of events based upon what has been learned so far:

3 p.m Friday: Samuel allegedly approached Burk at her car, which was parked near the law school on Wilshire Place, north of 7th Street. Samuel abducted Burk.

3:35 p.m.: Samuel attempted to withdraw money from at least one location in downtown L.A. using Burk's credit card. But the credit car was not set up to be used at an ATM.

3:35 to 4 p.m. Burk called both her mother and father, asking how to withdraw money using her credit card. She did not say she was in distress, police said.

4:52 p.m.: Samuel exited the driver's-side door of Burk's Volvo at 458 S. Alameda St. in downtown L.A.

5:25 p.m.: LAPD officers saw Samuel on 3rd Street drinking beer and in possession of a crack pipe. He was arrested.

Friday evening: Burk's parents reported her missing. A missing persons report was filed and detectives began searching for her.

6:15 a.m. Saturday: Burk's body was found by local workers inside her car at 458 S. Alameda St. They called 911, and police arrived.