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Watch theCBS Reportsdocumentary "Body Brokers" in the video player above. It streams live on the CBS News app at 8p, 11p and 2a ET on your mobile or streaming device.

Every year, an estimated 20,000 people donate their bodies to science for the purpose of medical research and education. But unlike organ donation, these body parts can be bought and sold for profit a market with very few federal regulations.

Special Agent Paul Micah Johnson, an investigator for the FBI's Detroit Division, has spent the last decade looking into what he called a "vast gray and black market of dead human bodies."

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The Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, a statute adopted by 47 states, is one of the few regulations governing the non-transplant tissue industry. It outlines the standards for body donation, and most significantly, it requires that donors, or their loved ones, must provide informed consent before donation takes place.

These consent agreements between donors and tissue banks typically stipulate that the body will be used for research and education but what that means in practice can vary.

"Medical research and education, particularly education, is a vague term and it is not clearly defined even in the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act," says Johnson. "The misleading of families across the industry is quite common."

While most donors consent to donation for research and education, legally, the agreements can include addendums that allow for donors to be used for "non-medical projects" that can include "crime scene investigation" and "vehicle safety."

Steve Hansen had always wanted to be an organ donor, but when he died in 2012 from cirrhosis of the liver, doctors said his organs were not healthy enough to be transplanted. Steve's wife Jill Hansen says hospice workers at the time suggested whole body donation as an alternative.

"What I envisioned was him being in some medical facility," Hansen says. "I just thought, what a great candidate for them to learn about the results of alcoholism and what it does to a body."

Steve's body was eventually sent to the Biological Resource Center in Phoenix, Arizona, which then sold his remains to the Department of Defense.

"They told me specifically that my husband had been used as a crash test dummy in a simulated Humvee explosion," Hansen says.

Hansen's husband's body was sold by Biological Resource Center founder Stephen Gore to the DOD without her consent. Court records showed that those donors were used in a variety of military and ballistics testing, with some resulting in "the complete mutilation and desecration of the donor's body."

"I was devastated," Hansen says. "I would've never done it if I had known. I just kept telling him I was sorry."

When the FBI raided Gore's warehouse in 2014, they found conditions of the donors' remains so abhorrent that agents "required trauma therapy due to the disturbing, graphic scene they encountered."

Gore pleaded guilty to Illegal Control of an Enterprise for violating donor consent agreements and was sentenced to four years probation and one year in jail. Because there are few laws defining ethical treatment of remains, no charges were filed relating to the warehouse conditions.

Disturbing evidence also emerged during Special Agent Johnson's investigation into body broker Arthur Rathburn, whose Detroit warehouse was later described by investigators as a "house of horrors."

"He cut up bodies with a chainsaw. He cut up bodies with a bandsaw," Johnson says. "He had a bucket filled with brown liquid that had fetuses and human brains floating in it."

As in the case with Gore, prosecutors had no way of charging Rathburn for how donors' bodies were treated. Rathburn was ultimately sentenced in 2018 to nine years in prison for falsifying his donor's medical information in order to fraudulently sell bodies infected with hepatitis and HIV.

"He had trash cans filled with human heads," Johnson says. "Just the disrespectful way of treating the remains. And yet we prosecuted him for fraud."

In 2009, Donor Referral Services owner Philip Guyett Jr., pleaded guilty to wire fraud for falsifying medical information in order to offload tissue designated for transplant with infectious or communicable diseases. He was sentenced to eight years in prison.

"As I told the judge, I had no business being in this business," Guyett says in an interview with CBS News. "A person with no medical experience, no funeral director's license, was able to open up a whole body donation program, take possession of a human body, dismember it, send it throughout the nation without any type of licensing oversight. It's harder to sell hot dogs on a cart than it is to get into this business."

Before opening his own tissue bank, Guyett got his start running a university's Willed Body Program, overseeing the donations of bodies for research education.

In the wake of industry controversies, some tissue bankers have been working to promote trust with potential donors.

Garland Shreves is the founder of Research For Life, a non-transplant tissue bank based in Phoenix that distributes body parts for use towards the advancement of science in lifesaving fields like first-responder training, medical device development and surgical practice.

"I don't think we can ever lose sight of the fact that these are human beings and they have so graciously donated their body to the advancement of medicine," Shreves says. "Whole body donation and my organization, through the wonderful gift of that donor, makes it possible for us to have the innovative medicine that we do today in this country."

Shreves says the best way to clean up the industry is transparency.

"Bad actors are bad for business. If the consumer is being harmed by a business that's not operating at a very high level of professionalism, everyone in the industry suffers," he says. "It is that transparency, the sunlight, the disinfectant, if you will. It's what we need to do as an industry and we haven't done enough of it."

Johnson says the whole body donation industry is necessary for the advancement of science, and that it is vital the industry works to restore the public's trust.

"It would be nice if there was one playbook for everyone. And so that would ideally be federal and it would cover everyone that deals with human body parts for-profit, nonprofit, all of them under one set of rules."

In September 2022, a body broker bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate which would impose federal regulations on the process of body donation, but no vote has been scheduled.

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Inside the largely unregulated market for bodies donated to science: "It's harder to sell hot dogs on a cart" - CBS News

FAIRFIELD The defense team of Fairfield teen Willard Noble Chaiden Miller has asked the government to pay for a slate of expert witnesses that it plans to call during Millers murder trial in April.

However, prosecutors in the case are resisting this attempt, arguing that hiring these witnesses at such a late stage in the process would require delaying the trial even further. Miller, 17, is being charged with the murder of Nohema Graber, 66, who was a Spanish teacher at Fairfield High School at the time of her death in November 2021.

District Court Judge Shawn Showers has agreed to a hearing on the recent motion by the defense, and has set a date of March 29 for the Jefferson County Courthouse. Miller is scheduled to stand trial starting April 21 in Council Bluffs.

Millers defense team, led by attorney Christine Branstad, has requested the state pay for expert witnesses such as: a crime scene analyst for up to $10,000; a digital forensic expert for $9,000; a social psychologist for $7,000; a clinical psychologist for $5,000; and an investigator for $3,500.

Branstad stated in her motion that her client was found indigent by the court, meaning he could not pay for his own expenses. She stated that a digital forensic expert was necessary since the state intends to offer into evidence cellphone information obtained from Miller and his co-defendant, Jeremy Everett Goodale, who is also charged with murder.

Branstad argued that a social psychologist was necessary to address questions about a persons memory and its limitations, and how it could be affected by alcohol or other substances.

In filing his resistance to Branstads motion, Jefferson County Attorney Chauncey Moulding argued that the court should deny the motion for its untimeliness, because the defense has had access to crime scene investigation and digital evidence from cellphones for more than a year. He said that was true for other pieces of evidence, too.

Both the social psychologist and clinical psychologist testimony, assuming it is allowed, would impact evidence that has been known to the defendant since the inception of the case, Moulding wrote. Based on their motion, it appears no work has been completed by the defenses requested witnesses.

Moulding also expressed his doubt that so many expert witnesses could be available on such short notice, since the trial is just a month away.

There is very little time to conduct the necessary review and depositions of the witnesses, Moulding wrote. The State intends to make every effort to complete discovery of the witnesses listed by the defense in order to be ready for trial on April 21, 2023.

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com

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Defense motions to hire expert witnesses in Fairfield murder case - Southeast Iowa Union

Credits

This is a 3-credit course.

A substantial amount of forensic evidence used in the prosecution of criminal cases is initially established at the crime scene. Recognizing, detecting, recovering, preserving and recording this evidence forms a critical function within forensic science and criminal investigation. This course explores the main aspects of crime scene investigation, including: crime scene processes, recognition of evidence, documentation of crime scenes, evidence detection and enhancement, maintaining evidence integrity and bloodstain pattern analysis. It also covers professional practices associated with evidence handling and case file management.

This course is taught by Western Sydney University as part of a collaborative venture between the University of Florida and Western Sydney University, Australia.

Please review our recommended course order.

Topics

At the end of this course, students should be able to:

Techniques of Crime Scene InvestigationFisher BAJ & Fisher DRCRC Press, Taylor and Francis9th edition, 2022ebook. ISBN 9780429272011

Additional helpful textbooks include:

Distance Education and UF Online Students enjoy the same library privileges as on-campus students.To utilize the University of Florida Library System, click here!

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PHA 6935 Crime Scene Investigation - University of Florida

If youre trying to decide whether to enroll in a criminal justice program, some of the first questions you should ask yourself are, What can you do with a criminal justice degree? and What jobs can you get with a criminal justice degree? Having these answers will help you decide whether a degree in this field is the right fit for you.

While there are a number of different routes you can take with this type of degree, one of the interesting career paths is to become a crime scene investigator. Criminal justice degree jobs like crime scene investigators (CSIs) -- sometimes referred to as crime scene specialists, forensic science technicians, and crime laboratory analysts -- use critical thinking and analytical skills to collect physical evidence, such as hair, bodily fluids, and footprints, from crime scenes. They are responsible for processing and preserving evidence, as well as sharing written documentation and reports about their collections.

CSIs use their expertise to testify at criminal trials and help shed light onto the events that occurred during criminal activity. They work independently and collaboratively with diverse groups of people. A variety of organizations hire crime scene investigators, including government agencies, police departments, coroner's offices, and crime laboratories.

The median annual wage for forensic science technicians was $60,590 as of 2019, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects employment growth in this field of about 14% between 2018 and 2028. Detectives and criminal investigators, on the other hand, earn, on average, about $89,300 per year, and the job growth in this field is expected to increase by about 5% from 2018 to 2028.

If youre interested in this degree or career path, this guide covers how you can become a crime scene investigator and gives you an overview of other similar criminal justice jobs.

Find a program that meets your affordability, flexibility, and education needs through an accredited, online school.

Crime scene investigators use specialized equipment and procedures to visually and physically examine crime scenes, such as traffic accidents, burglaries, and homicides. They may collect evidence and materials to help solve crimes, such as hair, biological fluids, gunshot residue, and footwear impressions.

CSIs use various scientific methods and preservation techniques to store and secure collected evidence. They use chemical and dusting techniques to develop and compare fingerprints and forensic photography to take pictures of victims, suspects, and key documents. Some CSIs possess expertise in blood spatter pattern analysis, while others possess specialized training in bullet trajectory paths.

CSIs must be flexible and capable of working in stressful and unpleasant environments, including environments with deceased individuals in various stages of decomposition. Many CSIs work closely with pathologists to collect evidence from cadavers during autopsies and postmortem examinations.

CSIs are responsible for taking thorough notes, completing forms, and preparing written reports to document important evidence and share key findings with others. As forensic evidence experts, CSIs often work closely with attorneys to provide comprehensive testimonies at criminal trials about the evidence collected at crime scenes. The results of their analysis may help solve crimes, prosecute offenders, and release the wrongly accused.

Ever wonder how to become a crime scene investigator? Many people think that all CSIs are police officers, but many CSIs come from other backgrounds, such as science or criminology.

CSI candidates must meet the minimum requirements of the agency to which they are applying. CSIs typically need a bachelors degree in either a natural or forensic science, such as chemistry or biology, or in a field such as criminal justice, crime scene technology, or criminology.

Some CSI positions do not require a baccalaureate degree, instead requiring specific college courses. For instance, some jobs may be a fit if you have completed lab-based chemistry courses from an accredited college or university. Most agencies require at least a high school diploma or GED and a valid drivers license. Some positions require you to be between the ages of 21 and 37 years old.

Depending on the role, CSIs may need one or more years of work experience in a related role, such as law enforcement officer or fingerprint technician.

Crime scene investigators and forensic science technicians typically receive on-the-job training. Many law enforcement agencies require new CSIs to complete extensive training programs before they take on cases independently. Newly hired crime scene investigators may work under experienced investigators for up to one year. Training typically explores proper procedures for collecting and documenting evidence, photography, fingerprint processing, death scene processing, and blood spatter analysis.

Additionally, investigators and technicians must keep up with continuing education throughout their careers to stay on top of the current trends and advancements in science and technology. As scientists continue to invent new methods and equipment for evidence collection, CSIs may need to pass regular proficiency exams to demonstrate their understanding of the latest tools and techniques.

Standards and credentials for investigators vary widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, so there are no common licensure requirements to become a CSI. However, professional organizations such as theInternational Association for Identificationand theAmerican Academy of Forensic Sciencesoffer various courses and certifications that can help CSIs advance their careers. These courses may cover topics like bloodstain pattern analysis, firearm identification, and latent fingerprinting.

In addition to a strong background in science and criminal justice, you will need several soft skills, such as attention to detail, which helps them search for and find key evidence at various crime scenes. You will also need critical thinking skills and superior judgment in order to recognize which materials may assist in solving crimes.

Additionally, youll need strong written and verbal communication skills to prepare documentation and share key findings with others. Since CSIs are responsible for testifying at trials, they must be able to draw conclusions and render opinions with a strong degree of professionalism.

As a CSI, you must also be flexible and willing to work variable hours in potentially stressful or unpleasant conditions. As CSIs are often considered on call, they may be expected to have 24-hour availability to respond to crime scenes. They must also possess technical skills and the ability to operate various tools, equipment, and technology, such as computers, telephones, two-way radios, and other electronic devices.

As a physically demanding job, work as a crime scene investigator also requires a degree of visual and muscular dexterity. CSIs must be able to move their hands and arms above their shoulders; bend, stoop, and pick up materials; and distinguish the full range of the color spectrum.

Criminal justice careers can offer a solid, if not lucrative, wage. According to data from the BLS, crime scene investigators and forensic science technicians earn a median yearly salary of $60,590, with the top 10% of earners making more than $100,910. The BLS projects demand for forensic science technicians to grow by 14% between 2019 and 2029, resulting in approximately 2,400 new jobs over the next several years.

There are plenty of other options for careers in criminal justice as well. Detectives and criminal investigators who work for local governments earn an average annual wage of $77,120, while those who work for the federal executive branch of the government earn $111,880 per year, on average.

Salary varies by factors like training, work experience, education, and geography. Salary also depends heavily on a professional's agency. For example, CSIs who are employed by state and local government agencies typically earn higher wages than technicians who work at testing laboratories and medical and diagnostic laboratories.

CSIs with police academy backgrounds often earn higher annual salaries than those without experience as a police officer. Individuals with advanced degrees and certifications often benefit from higher wages than those with fewer credentials. Due to cost of living adjustments, professionals who work in metropolitan cities tend to earn more money than those who work in rural areas.

Find a program that meets your affordability, flexibility, and education needs through an accredited, online school.

Crime scene investigators and technicians typically work full-time 40-hour work weeks plus overtime hours. You may work a variety of shifts, including during daytime, evening, and night shifts on both weekdays and weekends. CSIs may be required to work on holidays and special occasions. As a CSI, you are often expected to be available 24/7 in order to respond to crimes that happen outside of normal business hours.

CSIs play a crucial role in helping police officers and detectives determine the events that took place during a crime. You must be credible and trustworthy. You must possess the ability to draw key conclusions, render strong opinions, and communicate effectively. CSIs must also remain calm and collected in stressful, and otherwise unpleasant, work environments.

CSIs work with diverse people at each stage of a crime scene investigation. Youll have to work with police officers, detectives, and other law enforcement personnel at active crime scenes. Youll work collaboratively with other investigators and technicians at laboratories. You will also work closely with lawyers and other experts during criminal trials. Additionally, you will have to cooperate with medical examiners, pathologists, and coroners during autopsies and postmortem examinations.

According to the BLS, crime scene investigators earn, on average, about $60,590 annually. Those in the top 10% of the earnings range make more than $100,910 annually.

No, you do not need to become a police officer in order to become a crime scene investigator. Many crime scene investigators come from diverse backgrounds. A crime scene investigator typically needs to have a degree in a natural or forensic science field, like chemistry or biology, or a degree related to the study of crime, such as criminology or criminal justice.

In order to become a detective, you must first become a police officer. However, crime scene investigators do not have to be police officers prior to becoming crime scene investigators. Detectives gather evidence from the scene of the crime. This evidence is then processed by crime scene investigators, who analyze it in order to reach a scientific conclusion regarding that piece of evidence.

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Crime Scene Investigator: Career Guide - Criminal Justice Degree Schools

Breadcrumb Trail Links

Paul Kelly has been demoted to constable after a disciplinary hearing found he overlooked a body while searching the basement of a rooming house that was the scene of two homicides

Published Feb 12, 2023 5 minute read

An Edmonton police detective who failed to find a body while searching a homicide scene then tried to pin blame on other officers has narrowly avoided being fired.

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Paul Kelly, a one-time detective with the Edmonton Police Service crime scene investigation unit, has been demoted to constable after a disciplinary hearing found he overlooked the body of Blayne Burnstick while searching the basement of a notorious rooming house that was the scene of two homicides.

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More significantly, Kelly filed what the hearings presiding officer described as conspiracy-like complaints against two fellow officers who Kelly believed played a role in the investigations failings.

The disciplinary case is interwoven with three homicide trials, as well as explosive allegations brought by another former police detective who claimed senior EPS officers tried to insulate notorious landlord Abdullah Shah from prosecution.

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Burnstick was shot to death in the basement of 11119 94 St., a rooming house owned by an associate of Shah. Also known as CarmenPervez, Shah once owned a large number of rental properties in inner city Edmonton and served jail time for mortgage fraud. He was facing drug trafficking charges when he was shot todeath outside his home last March in a homicide that remains unsolved.

Burnstick, a 25-year-old from Alexander First Nation, was visiting the94 Street house onSept. 12, 2017, with two friends who intended to buy drugs from the tenant, 76-year-old Nexhmi Nuhi.

During the deal, a man allegedly burst into the suite and began beating Burnsticks friends with a pistol. The friends ran off, leaving Burnstick, Nuhi and a woman named Nicole Loewen alone with the attacker, who allegedly shot Burnstick in the head after he commented on the violence.

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The man accused of firing the shot, Edward Piche, was cleared of charges in 2021 after thetrial against him fell apart over issues with Loewens memory of the shooting.

Burnsticks friends believed they had been set up by Nuhi and plotted revenge. They returned to the rooming house the next day and shot Nuhi through the basement door with a sawed-off shotgun.Jared Bird and Cecil Tompkins later pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the killing and were sentenced tofive-and-a-halfand six years inprison, respectively.

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Kelly and his two-member CSI unit were called to the scene on Sept. 13, 2017, and spent two hours processing the basement. Despite being an experienced officer with 4,500 CSI files under his belt, Kelly failed to find Burnsticks body, which had been duct-taped and stuffed in a trash bag a few feet from where Nuhi fell. The body remained there until Sept. 18, 2017, when the landlord returned to the property.

Chief Dale McFee later charged Kelly with 14 counts of misconduct under the Police Act, including counts of neglect of duty, deceit and discreditable conduct.

During his hearing, Kelly admitted he did not follow standard procedures for the search, but rather tailored his methods based on what he was typically asked about in court. He said he had concerns about violating the terms of the warrant, as well as the privacy of the houses surviving residents.

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Kelly added the suite was filled with garbage bags and asked if he opened one, where would he stop?

Fred Kamins, the retired RCMP officer who presided over the hearing, replied, The answer to his rhetorical question to my mind would be when you were done.

After realizing he had missed Burnsticks body, Kelly tried to pin some of the blame on two members of the homicide team, who he claimed failed to pass along important information. He filed formal complaints against them in 2018.

Kamins said those complaints were unfounded and dangerously close to outright fabrication. He convicted Kelly of 10 of the 14 counts last November. Kelly has since been suspended without pay.

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Prior to the Police Act charges being laid, Kelly worked with then-detective Dan Behiels on a joint EPS/Canada Revenue Agency investigation into Shah. While Shah and several associates were identified as persons of interest, prosecutors ultimately opted not to pursue charges, leading Shahs lawyer to accuse Behiels of conducting a witch hunt.

Behiels later leaked investigative details of the aborted probe to CBC. He admitted his misconduct in a letter to McFee dated Jan. 24, 2021, claiming senior members of the EPS engaged in corrupt acts that effectively insulated Shah from investigation and prosecution.

In the same letter, Behiels speculated about the failure of the EPS/CRA investigation, claiming the process used to lay the Police Act charges against Kelly was unusual and suggesting the probe failed because the Crown did not want to proceed with charges given Kellys disciplinary issues.

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The Calgary police anti-corruption unit investigated Behiels claims and found no criminality or evidence of corruption by the EPS and its members, an EPS spokesperson said in 2021. Behiels has since been suspended.

Behiels allegations were addressed briefly during Kellys hearing, with EPS lawyer Megan Hankewich dismissing them as having no evidentiary support.

Hankewich urged Kamins to fire Kelly, arguing the deceit convictions restrict his ability to give evidence in court.

She noted a false accusation from a police officer can quickly lead to a wrongful conviction, and noted the difficulty of rehabilitating someone who knew what they were to do but chose not to do it.

Kellys lawyer, Dan Scott, argued for a significant demotion, noting Kelly has shown remorse and intends to apologize to the officers he accused. Since his transfer from CSI, Kelly has become a valued part of an investigative response team, given evidence in court and earned a commendation for his work on a complex sexual assault file, Scott said.

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Scott also submitted more than a dozen letters of support from fellow officers indicating their willingness to work with Kelly.

Kamins agreed demotion was the proper punishment, reducing Kelly from detective to constable and prohibiting him from promotion for five years. Kelly will miss out on about $100,000 in pay during that period, and more if he is not promoted.

Scott declined to comment pending discussions with his client. Edmonton Police Association president Curtis Hoople also declined comment, as did Loretta Burnstick, Blayne Burnsticks mother.

jwakefield@postmedia.com

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Edmonton police detective who missed body at double homicide scene ...