Gone Without a Case: Suspicious Elder Deaths Rarely Investigated
An investigation by ProPublica and PBS “Frontline” finds the system to examine unusual fatalities often fails seniors, leaving them vulnerable to neglect, abuse and even murder.
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The Hardest Cases: When Children Die, Justice Can Be Elusive
A joint investigation by ProPublica, PBS “Frontline” and NPR looks into nearly two dozen cases in which people were accused of killing children based on flawed forensic opinions and then later cleared.
More »
The Real ‘CSI’: How America’s Patchwork System of Death Investigations Puts the Living at Risk
An investigation by ProPublica, PBS FRONTLINE and NPR looks at the nation’s 2,300 coroner and medical examiner offices and finds a troubled system that literally buries its mistakes. More »
Autopsies in the U.S.A.
ProPublica, in partnership with PBS FRONTLINE and NPR, surveyed almost 70 of the largest coroner and medical examiner systems in the U.S. More »
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updates since last visitNo Forensic Background? No Problem
There are no national standards for forensic experts. This is how I, a journalism grad student, became certified by the American College of Forensic Examiners International, a leading provider of forensic credentials.
California Governor Commutes Sentence in Shaken Baby Case
California Gov. Jerry Brown today commuted the sentence of Shirley Ree Smith, a 51-year-old woman whose 1997 conviction for shaking her infant grandson to death has drawn national attention.
New Evidence in High Profile Shaken Baby Case
A doctor at the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office is challenging the forensic evidence at the center of a 1997 murder trial.
Free, But Not Cleared: Ernie Lopez Comes Home
The case of an Amarillo man, released from prison last week, reflects a larger controversy over the reliability of scientific evidence in child death cases.
Pioneering a Way to Distinguish Blood Disorders From Child Abuse
Child deaths are especially challenging for coroners and medical examiners because several diseases have symptoms that can mimic those of abuse. Dr. Michael Laposata and his colleagues have designed a series of blood tests to diagnose such disorders more accurately.
Ernie Lopez to Face Charges Again
Despite detailed challenges to the medical evidence, prosecutor says he sees no change in the facts of the case.
Texas Court Voids Conviction in Child Death Case
The court set side the conviction of Ernie Lopez, whose case we explored in our series on flawed death investigations.
A Far Cry From ‘CSI’
The fate of Shirley Ree Smith, convicted of shaking to death her 7-week-old grandson, is in the hands of California's governor. Child deaths can pose special problems for forensic pathologists. Unfortunately, many forensic pathologists aren't prepared to deal with the complexity of such cases.
Gone Without a Case: Suspicious Elder Deaths Rarely Investigated
An investigation by ProPublica and PBS "Frontline" finds the system to examine unusual fatalities often fails seniors, leaving them vulnerable to neglect, abuse and even murder.
Why Can’t Linda Carswell Get Her Husband’s Heart Back?
For almost eight years, Linda Carswell has been trying to find out how her husband died. Her quest has led to a fraud judgment against a hospital as well as autopsy reform in Texas. But she’s still seeking answers — and the return of his heart.
Without Autopsies, Hospitals Bury Their Mistakes
Hospital autopsies have become a rarity. As a result, experts say, diagnostic errors are missed, opportunities to improve medical treatment are lost, and health-care statistics are skewed.
Q & A: A Prominent Advocate Presses for Better Investigations of Child Deaths
Dr. Carole Jenny argues for putting federal resources toward tracking pediatric maltreatment and for medical societies to crackdown on irresponsible testimony by forensic experts.
Casey Anthony Trial Shows the Limits of Forensic Science in Proving How a Child Died
The Casey Anthony trial riveted America, with many TV experts and viewers near-certain of the young mother’s guilt. But with no eyewitnesses or confession, the case demonstrated how difficult it was to prove how 2-year-old Caylee died to a scientific certainty.
The Child Cases
As part of an ongoing look into the troubled state of death investigation, ProPublica, PBS "Frontline" and NPR identified nearly two dozen cases in the U.S. and Canada in which people have been accused of killing children based on flawed or biased work by forensic pathologists, then later cleared.
Document Timeline: The Case of Ernie Lopez
Explore the events leading up to and following the conviction of Ernie Lopez. All events are based on medical, law enforcement and court records.
The Hardest Cases: When Children Die, Justice Can Be Elusive
A joint investigation by ProPublica, PBS "Frontline" and NPR looks into nearly two dozen cases in which people were accused of killing children based on flawed forensic opinions and then later cleared.
NOPD Officers Convicted in Handyman’s Beating Death
A federal jury in New Orleans convicts two officers originally cleared of wrongdoing when a local forensic pathologist called Raymond Robair's beating death an accident.
NOPD Beating Death Trial Draws to a Close
A federal jury will hear closing arguments today against two officers originally cleared of wrongdoing when a local forensic pathologist called Raymond Robair’s death an accident.
County Prosecutors Withheld Evidence About Doctor’s Credibility
A defense attorney has requested a new trial in a shooting case because prosecutors did not turn over information about forensic pathologist Thomas Gill
California County Opens Review Into Autopsies by Doctor With Checkered Past
Our investigation describing the troubled career of forensic pathologist Thomas Gill prompts officials in Northern California to re-examine his work in more than two dozen homicide cases.
Autopsy Firm’s High Caseloads, Practices Lead to Errors
Forensic Medical Group has become a key cog in Northern California justice system, handling death investigations for more than a dozen counties.
Without Competition, Private Firm Reaps Millions in Autopsy Work
Forensic Medical Group finds an unusual niche in Northern California, building a practice that has little overhead and more than a dozen counties as customers.
How to Investigate Coroners and Medical Examiners
Take our recipe and look at those who handle death investigations in your community.
Second Chances Underscore Flaws in Death Investigations
Despite a lengthening trail of errors that have spanned more than a decade, Dr. Thomas Gill has continued to do thousands of autopsies and to serve as an expert witness in criminal cases.
The Real ‘CSI’: How America’s Patchwork System of Death Investigations Puts the Living at Risk
An investigation by ProPublica, PBS "Frontline" and NPR looks at the nation's 2,300 coroner and medical examiner offices and finds a troubled system that literally buries its mistakes.
In collaboration with the Investigative Reporting Program at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
Database Interactive: Autopsies in the U.S.A.
Check out how 69 of the busiest coroner and medical examiner systems in the U.S. compare when it comes to death investigation.
Watch FRONTLINE's segment produced in conjunction with our story.
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