throughout much of the afternoon. They combed the area where the body was found for clues, gradually working their way outward to include much, if not all, of the field that had been cordoned off. Nearby open fields were also searched by police officers.
By 5:00 P.M. , the body in the field still had not been positively identified. It had been partitioned off and shielded from the public’s view with black draperies as the authorities prepared for its removal and transport to the Washoe County Morgue, located only a few miles away. By the end of the day, investigators speculated that the body had been at the location where it was found for at least a week, possibly a great deal longer. It was difficult for anyone at the scene to tell for certain, partly because the area had previously been covered in snow. If not for the recent snow, the investigators believed that the body, in all likelihood, would have been discovered sooner.
Dr. Ellen Clark, a forensic pathologist and chief medical examiner (ME) for Washoe County, had first viewed the body at the site of its discovery. When she arrived, the scene had been cordoned off. She was taken to the side of the field where the body had been discovered. The body was lying in a culvert or ravine, and there were several sticks and evergreen tree debris fragments over the top of the body, which was nude except for the orange socks. Dr. Clark noted the two pairs of panties under Brianna’s right thigh, and she saw there had been fairly conspicuous scavenger or carnivore activity to the face and upper right side of the shoulder.
Some animals had consumed part of the fleshy portions of the face and the front of the body, Dr. Clark reported.
After Brianna’s body was transported to the coroner’s office, Dr. Clark performed her initial examination. The body was described in her report as that of a petite, young Caucasian woman, approximately five-two in height and weighing 107 pounds. Several evidence swabs were taken from the body and were given to Marci Magritier, a WCSO forensic investigator. According to Dr. Clark, there was an obvious neck injury in the form of a ligature groove or furrow encircling or extending over the front of the neck.
Lieutenant Robert McDonald also showed up at the crime scene that afternoon, and he could see in Jenkins’s face and in the faces of the other investigators that the hope everyone had held out for so long was finally beginning to fade away. After looking over the crime scene, McDonald was now almost certain that the body that had been found in the field spelled bad news for Brianna’s family. He and another detective drove to the home of Brianna’s mother and, as gently as they could, brought her up to speed on everything that was occurring. This was an attempt not only to inform her of the events, but also possibly to prepare her for the worst news that she would likely ever receive.
McDonald told Bridgette that the body was most likely going to prove to be Brianna’s. She asked them about Brianna’s nose piercing and the small stone it held, and whether the ears on the body they found were pierced or not—Brianna’s ears were not pierced—and whether they had observed the scar on her ankle. McDonald could only tell her that they were unable to determine those identifying distinctions because of the elements and that they would have to wait until the autopsy and DNA analysis to determine whether the body was Brianna’s.
Meanwhile, detectives noted that the area where the body was dumped was within a minute or two of the freeway, causing them to wonder whether the location was familiar to her killer because it was on his way either to or from home to work. They also considered that it might have been familiar to him because of having to drop off a child at school or day care, or perhaps picking up a child before going home. There probably had to be some element of familiarity that brought him to that area to dispose of the
By 5:00 P.M. , the body in the field still had not been positively identified. It had been partitioned off and shielded from the public’s view with black draperies as the authorities prepared for its removal and transport to the Washoe County Morgue, located only a few miles away. By the end of the day, investigators speculated that the body had been at the location where it was found for at least a week, possibly a great deal longer. It was difficult for anyone at the scene to tell for certain, partly because the area had previously been covered in snow. If not for the recent snow, the investigators believed that the body, in all likelihood, would have been discovered sooner.
Dr. Ellen Clark, a forensic pathologist and chief medical examiner (ME) for Washoe County, had first viewed the body at the site of its discovery. When she arrived, the scene had been cordoned off. She was taken to the side of the field where the body had been discovered. The body was lying in a culvert or ravine, and there were several sticks and evergreen tree debris fragments over the top of the body, which was nude except for the orange socks. Dr. Clark noted the two pairs of panties under Brianna’s right thigh, and she saw there had been fairly conspicuous scavenger or carnivore activity to the face and upper right side of the shoulder.
Some animals had consumed part of the fleshy portions of the face and the front of the body, Dr. Clark reported.
After Brianna’s body was transported to the coroner’s office, Dr. Clark performed her initial examination. The body was described in her report as that of a petite, young Caucasian woman, approximately five-two in height and weighing 107 pounds. Several evidence swabs were taken from the body and were given to Marci Magritier, a WCSO forensic investigator. According to Dr. Clark, there was an obvious neck injury in the form of a ligature groove or furrow encircling or extending over the front of the neck.
Lieutenant Robert McDonald also showed up at the crime scene that afternoon, and he could see in Jenkins’s face and in the faces of the other investigators that the hope everyone had held out for so long was finally beginning to fade away. After looking over the crime scene, McDonald was now almost certain that the body that had been found in the field spelled bad news for Brianna’s family. He and another detective drove to the home of Brianna’s mother and, as gently as they could, brought her up to speed on everything that was occurring. This was an attempt not only to inform her of the events, but also possibly to prepare her for the worst news that she would likely ever receive.
McDonald told Bridgette that the body was most likely going to prove to be Brianna’s. She asked them about Brianna’s nose piercing and the small stone it held, and whether the ears on the body they found were pierced or not—Brianna’s ears were not pierced—and whether they had observed the scar on her ankle. McDonald could only tell her that they were unable to determine those identifying distinctions because of the elements and that they would have to wait until the autopsy and DNA analysis to determine whether the body was Brianna’s.
Meanwhile, detectives noted that the area where the body was dumped was within a minute or two of the freeway, causing them to wonder whether the location was familiar to her killer because it was on his way either to or from home to work. They also considered that it might have been familiar to him because of having to drop off a child at school or day care, or perhaps picking up a child before going home. There probably had to be some element of familiarity that brought him to that area to dispose of the
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