WHY are Southern Coroners being SILENT...? THOSE ARE OUR DEAD..OURS, GIVE THEM TO US YOU FUCKERS.. TELL US THE AWFUL TRUTH!! HOW MANY SO FAR?

Sparrow pathologist helps

identify hurricane's dead


By Tracy Burton
Lansing State Journal
Link Here

GULFPORT, MISS. - Joyce DeJong's day begins at 5 a.m., when she tackles one of the grimmest and toughest tasks in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath.

While others are helping the living, DeJong's responsibilities are to the dead.

DeJong, medical director of forensic pathology at Lansing's Sparrow Hospital, is working with other professionals to identify some of the thousands of people who died during or after the hurricane.

The federal team's effort will last weeks if not months, she said by cell phone Thursday.

"I do this job day in, day out, but seeing this volume ... we have young people who have died here ... children who have died," said DeJong, a veteran of seven disasters. "Seeing this at this volume ... it does affect you."

DeJong is expected to return to the Lansing area next week. But she may be asked to come back because of the enormous task ahead, she said.

The 44-year-old mother of two most recently helped with a disaster on Sept. 12, 2001 - to help identify victims of United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania on Sept. 11.

In that situation, DeJong had a passenger list to work from.

In this disaster, there's little to go on. Some people are missing two or three relatives - or their entire family.

Some people are living at shelters, and don't know if their loved ones are dead or alive.

Some have no family left to look for them.

"We have a very, very open population here so that's going to make it very hard," DeJong said. "But, we're a dedicated team, and we are going to work hard to identify every soul who lost their life."

DeJong said tools to identify the dead include DNA samples, fingerprints or other identifiable marks such as tattoos.

"Our role is to take care of the people who died and give them some dignity and honor," DeJong added.

Her protective gear consists of a white suit made out of paper-like material that zips up; tall black rubber boots; a hat to cover her hair; and goggles and a mask to protect her face.

The team works out of a building that was damaged by the hurricane. Team members slept in refrigerated trucks or cars until last night, when tents and sleeping bags arrived.

Their day ends at about 9 p.m. with few breaks in between.

DeJong can't comment on the number of

victims she has identified, but said it's

been "disturbing." But the team works

like a family, she said, and everyone

leans on one another for support.

She talks often by phone with her sons: David Cohle, 12, and Christopher Carlson, who turns 21 today.

The support of family, friends and co-workers makes it easier to leave her home, she said.

"I say 'I've been called,' " she said, and "They say 'Go.' "

Contact Tracy Burton at 377-1206 or tburton@lsj.com .

--They hide death from us, like WE are children.

As if we can't SMELL IT.--