A DEDICATED INVESTIGATION
Posted: Sunday, August 12, 2007 2:29 PM by Daily Nightly Editor
by Mark Potter, NBC News Correspondent
While reporting tonight's Nightly News story on a Florida mystery--the discovery of eight unidentified skeletal remains near Ft. Myers--we had an unexpectedly poignant moment with the forensic anthropologist working the case.
Dr. Heather Walsh-Haney brings a lot of experience and knowledge to this whodunit
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| Photo by NBC News |
| Heather Walsh-Haney |
investigation. In past years, she proudly helped identify victims of the 9-11 attacks, the Valujet airplane crash and Hurricane Katrina. As we would learn, she is very passionate about her work, and why she does it.
We first interviewed Walsh-Haney in the eerily quiet melaleuca forest where the remains were discovered.
Accompanying us was the lead detective from the Ft. Myers Police Department, Sgt. Jennifer Soto. A few hours later, we met up with Walsh-Haney again for a longer, more complete interview inside the Lee County Medical Examiners office.
During our discussion, Walsh-Haney conceded this is a very cold case, but said she is always aware it's never a cold case for a family member still missing a loved one.
Near the end of the interview, I followed up on that by asking what drove her personally to work so hard on behalf of the deceased.
Before answering, Walsh-Haney paused for a moment, and appeared to compose herself.
Then in a quieter voice she revealed that she had just lost her own younger brother, 26-year-old U.S. Marine Sgt. Nicholas Walsh, who was killed by a sniper during his second tour of Iraq. He died May 26th, leaving behind his wife, two children and many family members, including a grieving sister.
After describing how important it was for her family to learn all the details of how and where Nicholas died, Walsh-Haney said, "it's with that feeling that is still very fresh and very new to me," that she believed just as strongly in the need to represent the dead in all her cases.
"I have never lost sight of the fact that with every case here this is somebody's brother, or a family member that needs someone like me, or like the pathologist or Sergeant Soto...to show interest." she said.
As it stands now, police and other experts say they don't how the eight bodies ended up in that melaleuca forest, and they don't have names yet for any of the victims.
But, they are working on it, and are being assisted by a forensic anthropologist who, for the saddest of reasons, is more resolved now than ever to help solve the case.
In finishing her answer to my question, Walsh-Haney said, "We will hopefully make sure that all these individuals rest in peace."
Read the full story: Gruesome mystery of eight skeletons in a forest
