PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — An investigation into how the remains of the 1985 MOVE bombing victims were handled was unable to determine how or who placed a box of bones in the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office, which stayed there for decades.
Independent investigations into the mishandling of the remains were released to the public on Thursday. The investigation was done in several parts, conducted by Dechert LLP and Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads (MMWR) LLP.
The more than 250-page report includes recommendations by MMWR regarding the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office, one being to pursue accreditation.
“I think these are very thoughtful, careful recommendations that we are working through and want to put into practice,” said Dr. Cheryl Bettigole, Philadelphia health commissioner. “These are families who have suffered immensely and a community that has suffered immensely, starting with the killing of the residents in 1985 and the trauma they went through at that time. And then, the subsequent events that are detailed in these reports. So we really want to make sure we’re meeting the needs of the families.”
Some of the recommendations include making homicide scenes a priority for independent investigators, specifically when they are police-involved; hiring additional staff; adopting formal policies, statements and training in regard to cultural diversity, sensitivity and speaking with families of victims; developing formal communication with families on death investigations; and creating formal procedures when it comes to the retention of specimens.
Regarding the victims of the MOVE bombing in Cobbs Creek, the firm also recommends that the Medical Examiner’s Office amend the causes and manners of death on the death certificates of all 11 victims, where appropriate, to reflect that the deaths were homicides, not accidents.
Six adults and five children died in 1985 when police dropped a bomb onto a row home occupied by the group. Blocks of surrounding houses were also destroyed.
Responding to these recommendations, Bettigole said getting the office accredited can take several years to complete.
And, she said the acting chief medical examiner agreed that the death certificates should be reviewed and updated, and the review process for that has started. She also hopes to have a new chief medical examiner in place by July.
Bettigole noted the office is understaffed, and they are looking to hire additional forensic investigators.
Keri Bradford-Grey, a partner at MMWR, said in order to complete this lengthy investigation, they hired a consultant, conducted interviews and studied other medical examiner offices across the country. They looked at where equity was not included in the protocols at Philadelphia’s office and made recommendations for all communities to get the same service from them.
“We need a chief medical examiner who is going to understand that they are going to have to be more communicative, more community-oriented, and understand how to make sure that information is available to all communities so they can access what they need to do and how they need to ensure that there’s proper distribution,” said Bradford-Grey. “And there, they are included in the decisions that, by law, they’re supposed to be making.”
Bradford-Grey said family members of the MOVE victims were informed and their voices were included in these findings.
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