Tracy Oost
Member
Hello to all,
For those who don't know me yet, I am one of the Forensic Anthropologists that was involved with the exhumation of three Titanic victims in Halifax this past May. I was directed to this site by a friend, due to the discussion that was taking place regarding 1912 death photos of victims being auctioned on Ebay. Having now spent a couple of very late nights going through most of the ET archives I realize that most people don't understand the technicalities of the exhumation project, and I would like to correct some erroneous assumptions, as well as provide as much info as I can.
First, someone referred to Mr. Alan Ruffman (a Halifax geomarine scientist and amateur Titanic Historian) as the project coordinator. This is incorrect. Mr. Ruffman was a local resource for information regarding the cemetary and specifically the Titanic graves. Lisa Stone mistakenly identifies him ( the man with the white beard, usually in a sweater) in some of her pictures on her web site of the exhumations as the provincial coroner or something to that effect. Dr. Ryan Parr from Lakehead University is the principal investigator of the DNA/exhumation project.
Second, there seems to be confusion as to who exactly instigated the exhumations. Let me explain a bit about the familial connections to the three graves in question. I always refer to there being three "families" involved, due to there being three individuals as subjects of this investigation. However, these three larger "families" are actually made up of several smaller immediate family groups, comprising about 35 people. All believe that they are descendants of one of the three subject individuals. All of these families have done years of research in order to try to determine on their own which victim in Halifax is their relative, if any. All have amassed a large amount of circumstantial evidence that lead to the pinpointing of a particular grave for exhumation. Thus, this was not happenstance, nor was anyone suggesting that other graves be dug up if DNA testing did not work in the first instance.
The first indication that any family wanted to try for a positive ID came approx. three years ago. One family approached the region of Halifax with their evidence and asked that a name be put on a gravestone. Halifax struck a committee to review the case, and they felt that even though the circumstantial evidence was strong, it wasn't quite good enough. Consequently, DNA testing was suggested as a way to settle the question. After much consultation between all three families, Halifax, and Dr. Parr, the families submitted official documentation to Halifax's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Strang, requesting the exhumations in order to obtain DNA samples. As one of the forensic scientists on the team I was very much involved in this process, and I can assure you that Dr. Strang did not make the decision to allow the exhumations to occur lightly. Many judicial hoops had to be jumped through first.
I had the pleasure of being the guest of one family in Britian during this project, and the dedication that the generations of that family exhibited regarding identification was incredible. I was told that the father of one of the victims never gave up trying to find out what exactly happened to his son. This cause has been taken up by his decendents, and they are just as fervent in their quest. As a matter of fact one family member stated that the father had alway said that he "would give up his right arm to have his son back", and therefore the family considered sampling for DNA to be entirely appropriate.
As you can see, this project was certainly not a whim, or publicity seeking ploy. The families asked to remain annonymous because they did not want members of the media hounding them for information. As a forensic scientist I always work for the victim, to be their voice, and do my utmost to protect their dignity. In all cases we use tents to keep the media from obtaining gratuitous pictures, whether it's a homicide, mass disaster, or exhumation.
In this case I was the one who ended up dealing with the press in Halifax, and we were inundated from the moment we got to our hotel. Unfortunately, we discovered that a local member of the team never met a microphone he didn't like, and had arranged interviews with the press at graveside. I spent the first six hours in Halifax on the phone, begging and pleading, and wheeling and dealing with reporters in order to persuade them that this type of coverage was not right. Thankfully, I only encountered one who was incredibly rude and uncaring. Fortunately, by the following morning, after steadfastly digging my heels in, her boss superceded her and we came to an arrangement. I have a policy with media: those that do not respect the rules of the investigation, and the dignity of the deceased are cut off, permanently. I will have nothing more to do with them, ever. It took a lot of effort, but I believe we did keep the project from becoming a three-ringed circus, as some of you were worried about.
As this posting has become very long, I will leave it there for now. I invite anyone that has a question to go ahead and ask. It is the only way to learn something new. I teach both college and university students, and another of my policies is that there are no such things as stupid questions.
Regards,
Tracy Oost
Curator, Forensic Osteology Laboratory
Laurentian University
Sudbury, Ontario, Canada P3E 2C6
For those who don't know me yet, I am one of the Forensic Anthropologists that was involved with the exhumation of three Titanic victims in Halifax this past May. I was directed to this site by a friend, due to the discussion that was taking place regarding 1912 death photos of victims being auctioned on Ebay. Having now spent a couple of very late nights going through most of the ET archives I realize that most people don't understand the technicalities of the exhumation project, and I would like to correct some erroneous assumptions, as well as provide as much info as I can.
First, someone referred to Mr. Alan Ruffman (a Halifax geomarine scientist and amateur Titanic Historian) as the project coordinator. This is incorrect. Mr. Ruffman was a local resource for information regarding the cemetary and specifically the Titanic graves. Lisa Stone mistakenly identifies him ( the man with the white beard, usually in a sweater) in some of her pictures on her web site of the exhumations as the provincial coroner or something to that effect. Dr. Ryan Parr from Lakehead University is the principal investigator of the DNA/exhumation project.
Second, there seems to be confusion as to who exactly instigated the exhumations. Let me explain a bit about the familial connections to the three graves in question. I always refer to there being three "families" involved, due to there being three individuals as subjects of this investigation. However, these three larger "families" are actually made up of several smaller immediate family groups, comprising about 35 people. All believe that they are descendants of one of the three subject individuals. All of these families have done years of research in order to try to determine on their own which victim in Halifax is their relative, if any. All have amassed a large amount of circumstantial evidence that lead to the pinpointing of a particular grave for exhumation. Thus, this was not happenstance, nor was anyone suggesting that other graves be dug up if DNA testing did not work in the first instance.
The first indication that any family wanted to try for a positive ID came approx. three years ago. One family approached the region of Halifax with their evidence and asked that a name be put on a gravestone. Halifax struck a committee to review the case, and they felt that even though the circumstantial evidence was strong, it wasn't quite good enough. Consequently, DNA testing was suggested as a way to settle the question. After much consultation between all three families, Halifax, and Dr. Parr, the families submitted official documentation to Halifax's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Strang, requesting the exhumations in order to obtain DNA samples. As one of the forensic scientists on the team I was very much involved in this process, and I can assure you that Dr. Strang did not make the decision to allow the exhumations to occur lightly. Many judicial hoops had to be jumped through first.
I had the pleasure of being the guest of one family in Britian during this project, and the dedication that the generations of that family exhibited regarding identification was incredible. I was told that the father of one of the victims never gave up trying to find out what exactly happened to his son. This cause has been taken up by his decendents, and they are just as fervent in their quest. As a matter of fact one family member stated that the father had alway said that he "would give up his right arm to have his son back", and therefore the family considered sampling for DNA to be entirely appropriate.
As you can see, this project was certainly not a whim, or publicity seeking ploy. The families asked to remain annonymous because they did not want members of the media hounding them for information. As a forensic scientist I always work for the victim, to be their voice, and do my utmost to protect their dignity. In all cases we use tents to keep the media from obtaining gratuitous pictures, whether it's a homicide, mass disaster, or exhumation.
In this case I was the one who ended up dealing with the press in Halifax, and we were inundated from the moment we got to our hotel. Unfortunately, we discovered that a local member of the team never met a microphone he didn't like, and had arranged interviews with the press at graveside. I spent the first six hours in Halifax on the phone, begging and pleading, and wheeling and dealing with reporters in order to persuade them that this type of coverage was not right. Thankfully, I only encountered one who was incredibly rude and uncaring. Fortunately, by the following morning, after steadfastly digging my heels in, her boss superceded her and we came to an arrangement. I have a policy with media: those that do not respect the rules of the investigation, and the dignity of the deceased are cut off, permanently. I will have nothing more to do with them, ever. It took a lot of effort, but I believe we did keep the project from becoming a three-ringed circus, as some of you were worried about.
As this posting has become very long, I will leave it there for now. I invite anyone that has a question to go ahead and ask. It is the only way to learn something new. I teach both college and university students, and another of my policies is that there are no such things as stupid questions.
Regards,
Tracy Oost
Curator, Forensic Osteology Laboratory
Laurentian University
Sudbury, Ontario, Canada P3E 2C6