BANGALORE: Little S Sandip died a horrible death, and no one yet knows how. While the postmortem report with the police confirmed the death was due to “multiple animal bites”, forensic experts in Florida have a different take.
Sandip’s body was found by the roadside outside a private hospital in Yelahanka New Town, where he and his father were sleeping, on July 1. Not convinced with the postmortem report, Dr Parviz Ahmed Piran, joint director, animal husbandry and veterinary services, challenged the police report and sent videos/pictures of the boy and spot of the incident to his friends and to Dr Ken Cohrn, forensic odontologist, for a second opinion.
These were analyzed by James Crosby, former police officer, fatal dog attack forensic investigator and canine aggression specialist, along with Cohrn. Their conclusion: the cause of Sandeep’s death was far more likely due to human action.
Sandip’s death caused by humans, not dogs
Cohrn sent a report to Piran, stating: “The amputation of the leg and loss of soft tissue is not consistent with dog attacks I am familiar with. There are many attributes that do not agree with the autopsy report.” The lack of blood at the scene shows it was not the primary scene of offence. The scalp could have been removed symmetrically without bite marks as shown by animals. There aren’t any arched teeth marks anywhere on the soft tissue.
With an attack of such severity, there would be some ante-mortem marks.”He is also a veterinary forensic science specialist, expert in bite analysis and professor in the department of pathology, immunology and laboratory medicine at the University of Florida’s School of Medicine.
Niyati Parikh / TNN