Office of Chiel Medical Examiner State House, Station #67 30 Hospital Sires! Augusta, ME 04333 (207) 624--7130 Investigative Report CASE 15-02315 DECEDENT: Geraldine Largny 0051 69 Years Female RESIDENCE: . Bremwoad. TN DATE TIME REPORTED BY Spun] Agzm Enn MI 10/14/2015 1 6 PM CALL INFO AGENCY: NCIS AGE NCY. POLICE INVESTIGATOR DATE DEATHI 10/14/2015 10:30 AM HOW DETERMINED Found Date 8: Time LOCATION Olhcr ADDRESS. 2100' Trill ME MEDICAL EXAMINER: Mnrcelln Sorg, FIID SCENE VISIT DATE I TIME. ME INVESTIGATOR: PLACE BODY EXAMINED: 0m" ofChiefME MEDICAL EXAMINER IF EXAM IN FH. WHICH DATE AUTOPSV PERFORMED I: DATE AUTOPSY PATHOLDGIST: CAUSE OF DEATH. Imam" Prulonged envimnmenm exposure DUE TO OTHER SIGNIFICANT CONDITIONS INJURV: Fauna 10/14/2015 10:30 AM Found AT WORK: MANNER: Accident PLACE Woods LOCATION. 2100' on Applachlan Trail, Rangeley. ME. HOW INJURY OCCURRED: Skeletonized remains recovered two years after being lost while hlking. TITLE Chief Medici] Examiner 4' OFFICE REVIEW av Mark FIomenhm-m. MD Investigative Report Page 2 15-02315 MEDICALJNFORMATION ATTENDING PHYSICIAN: PRIMARY ILLNESS: DRUG ABUSE I: ALCOHOL ABUSE SMOKING PRIOR SUICIDE ATTEMPT RISK FACTORS - . HYPERTENSION DIABETES SEIZURE DISORDER MEDICAL HISTORY: REPORTED CIRCUMSTANCES OF DEATH: An NCIS Special Agent noti?es OCME 0f the discovery of remains. It is reported that remains were discovered on federal land in Redington Township during a tree survey. The remains are located approximately two miles from the closest parking lot. Not much is known about the remains during the initial report except that a red jacket was identified at the scene. Dr. Flomenbaum is updated, and Maine State Police and the Maine Warden Service are contacted. ME 2015-2315-E Geraldine Largay Page 1 of3 FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY REPORT SUMMARY On 10/16/15 I performed apostmortem examination on remains identified by DNA as those of Geraldine Largay. described as Caucasoid female 57 years of age - - and approximately 5' 3" in stature. She was reporledly last contacted 7/22/13 while hiking the Appalachian Trail in Maine The nearly complete, skeletal remains were recovered on 10/15/15 under my supervision from the decedent '9 campsite in a very remote and heavily wooded area northeast of the Trail. The biological profile of the remains is consistent with the description of tlle decedent, and the condition of the remains is consistent with her postmortem interval Neither the radiographic studies nor the demiled macroscopic examination of the skeleton reveal any evidence of trauma, BACKGROUND AND CHAIN 0F CUSTODY On 10/14/15 I received a call from Maine State Police Detective Randy Keaton at about 10:30 PM requesting my involvement in the recovery of remains found just off of the Appalachian Trail on US. Navy land near Rangeley. The ranains were thought to be those oi AT hiker Geraldine Lsrgay, missing since 7/22/13. The remains were discovered by two Prentice and Carlisle Company surveyors passing Ihrough a section of federal land en mule from a job on private land. Representing the Maine (mice or Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), I traveled with my assistant Jamie Wren to recover the remains on 10/15/15. Mame State Police Evidence Response Team Leader Scott Bryant transported the remains to the OCME later that day. My examination of the remains occurred 10/16/15. SCENE INVESTIGATION The Search and recovery incident command was Lt Kevin Adam, Maine Warden Service (MWS). Personnel from the Maine Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), MWS. Maine State Police (MSP), MSP Evidence Response Team (ERT), and Naval Invesn'gative Service (NCIS) participated in the scene investigation, including recovery of artifacts and evidence. They performed shoulder-wshculder searches of the camp area. I supervised my assistant Mr. Jamie Wren via radio from the staging area in the recovery of the remains, due to safety coneems with the [Emmi Nearly all of the remains were in a rather concentrated area associated with the sleeping bag. which was located within about 19 - 20 feet from the zipped up lent. Decomposition stains were present within the tent and under the displaced sleeping bag. The tent had been mm by animals, and bones of the shoulders. arms. and patellae were missmg. Mr. Wren plneed the remains, including the sleeping hag, in a body bag, which was carried to the ERT Crime Van for transport to the OCME morgue; personal effects and artifacts were transported to the Crime Lab. In the days after the scene investigation, law enforcement Human Remains Detector K--9 teams returned to the sile to Search for the missing bones, but nothing furlher was found. ME Geraldine Largay Page 2 of 3 EXAMINATION OF THE BODY On 10/ 16/ 15 I traveled to the OCME morgue in Augusta to perform my examination, assisted by Mr. Wren. Besides OCME autopsy assistant Kyia Bryant, and Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Edward David, of?cials from all involved agencies were also present: ERT Detective John MWS of?cer Josh Bubier, NCIS death investigators Erin Michaels and Nate Craig, and both Det. Scott Gosselin and Michele leury from the MSP Crime Lab. Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Mark Flomenbaum had ordered initial photography and x-rays; the body bag was opened to begin this process just prior to our arrival. I examined the x-rays, performed an initial examination, and then supervised the cleaning of the skeletal remains. I selected three bone specimens for DNA testing (these were not cleaned). These specimens (midshaft right femur, right ?rst metatarsal, and right talus) were packaged by Ms Bryant and sent to the Crime Lab. Mr. Wren and I did a complete . inventory of bones and teeth, performed routine bone measurements, and I developed a biological pro?le, including a description of pathology. I examined each bone carefully to rule out trauma and document postmortem damage. TAPHONOMIC ASSESSMENT Remains present and condition. The skeletal remains are fairly complete. As is frequently seen in remains exposed in the Maine woods, bones of the shoulders, arms, hands, and patellae are missing bilaterally as a result of scavenger activity. All other bones and teeth are present and there is minimal scavenger damage to these. Major joints are still partially articulated with desiccated ligamentous tissue, and there is a small amount of adipocere. Small ?y pupa cases are abundant in the sleeping bag. The sternal ends of some ribs and the lateral processes of some of the vertebrae have been damaged by canid scavengers. Environmental context. The scene is a campsite in a small clearing within a heavily wooded area. The site is positioned on a knoll about midway up a southwest- facing slope, which rises fairly sharply away from a stream. The decedent had constructed a sleeping platform out of soil and pine needles. The surrounding trees are mixed second growth hardwood and evergreen, with an estimated 75% canopy cover over the campsite. Visibility of the campsite from the surrounding woods or from the air above would be very limited. The soil is thin, moist, and matted with roots and rootlets. Although moist, the soil is well drained due to an abundance of pine needles and the site?s position on the slope. Reconstructed taphonomic history and estimated postmortem interval. The decedent apparently died during summer while in the sleeping bag, which was then within a closed tent. The body was well protected by the relatively moisture resistant fabric of the sleeping bag and tent in the early weeks after death, limiting the transmission of detectable scent through the air to the searching K-9s. The sleeping bag still containing the remains was later removed from the tent by scavengers. The condition of the remains is consistent with a postmortem period of about two years when compared to similar cases exposed in a Maine woods setting. ME 2015-2315-E Geraldine Largay Page 3 of 3 BIOLOGICAL PROFILE AND INDIVIDUAL PATHOLOGY The biological pro?le of the remains is consistent with the description of the decedent as a Caucasian female, age 67, and about 5?3? in stature. The skeletal remains exhibit a minor amount of arthritis, as well as a unilaterally collapsed lumbar vertebra (L4), consistent with her medical history. INDIVIDUATION AND IDENTIFICATION The remains were positively identi?ed with nuclear DNA as those of Geraldine Largay, matching DNA from bone samples with a sample of her DNA from a personal artifact. TRAUMA I examined each bone carefully, and found no evidence of perimortem trauma or injury. All of the damage to the bones is clearly postmortem, due to animal scavengers. (Electronic signature) Marcella H. Sorg, D-ABFA Forensic Anthropologist December 22, 2014 STATE OF MAINE Maine State Police Crime Laboratory 26 Hospital Street 136 State House Station Augusta. Maine 04333-0133 Paul R. LePage Lt. William s. Harwood Governor A AhtioltallyAccredited Laboratory Director . October 23. 2015 To; Warden Joshua Bubier Maine Warden Service - Greenville LAB CASE L?s-000587 PO Box 551 I Wyman OFFENSE: Missing Person MSP ERT: No Involved Parties: Missing: Geraldine Largay TYPE OF EXAMINATION REQUESTED: General Forensic DNA Analysis Respectfully submitted. Wm Jennifer L. Sabean Forensic DNA Analyst October 23, 2015 L13-000587 EVIDENCE RECEIVED: The evidence listed below was received by the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory on July 30, 2013 from Warden Joshua Bubier of the Maine Warden Service - Greenville: Item 004: One manila envelope labeled "personal items of Geraldine Largay" The evidence listed below was received by the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory on October 16, 2015 from Medical Examiner Assistant Kyia Bryant of the Of?ce of the Chief Medical Examiner: Item 007: Paper bag: human remains, right femur Item 008: Paper bag: human remains, talus Item 009: Paper bag: human remains, right metatarsal The evidence listed below was received by the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory on October 22, 2015 from Captain Richard Hickey of the Brentwood Police Department: Item 010: Swab box, not taped sealed: Kerry Bauchiero Juan-#011: . . Swab box, not taped sealed: Kerry Bauchiero EVIDENCE ITEM INVENTORY: The following evidence was inventoried during the course of analysis and is reported as: Sub-item 004E: swab of lip balms Sub-item 007A: Portion of the femur from the remains RESULTS: Please see Forensic DNA Analysis report for Lab Case #Ll3-587 dated September 12, 2013, August 9, 2013 and August 5, 2013 for previous DNA test results. A portion of the extract from Item 7A was analyzed using the Profiler Plus and CO?ler STR kits. The ten locus female DNA pro?le obtained from the femur section (Item 7A) matches the DNA profile previously obtained from the lip balm said to be from Geraldine Largay (Item 413) at the overlapping loci. The estimated probability of randomly selecting an unrelated individual from the FBI Caucasian population database having a DNA pro?le matching Geraldine Largay's ten locus DNA pro?le is in 95.7 billion. Items 8, 9, 10 and 11 were not tested at this time. CONCLUSIONS: Geraldine Largay is INCLUDED as a potential donor for the DNA pro?le obtained from the femur (Item 7A). COMMENTS: Item 7A has been consumed. Items 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 will be returned. The remaining DNA extracts will be retained. END REPORT Page 2 of 2