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Saturday, Feb 25, 2006

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Posted on Sat, Feb. 25, 2006

BOOT CAMP PROBE

Second autopsy could show back trauma in teen's death

Experts said a second autopsy may help determine whether an altercation with guards contributed to Martin Lee Anderson's death.

BY JACOB GOLDSTEIN

jgoldstein@MiamiHerald.com

Even after more than a month in the ground, the body of Martin Lee Anderson could still provide insight into his death, experts said Friday.

''Evidence of trauma -- fractures, even bruises -- could still be apparent,'' said University of South Florida pathologist Dr. Amyn Rojiani. ``Not with the same clarity as in the fresh state, but it would certainly add more information.''

In an autopsy performed Jan. 6, the day the teen died -- just hours after becoming fatigued during a workout, getting into an altercation with guards, and passing out -- Bay County Medical Examiner Dr. Charles Siebert concluded Anderson died of sickle cell trait.

The trait is a common genetic blood condition not usually considered a disease. But there is some evidence that in rare cases it contributes to sudden death after extremely vigorous exercise coupled with dehydration.

Siebert's conclusion was met with skepticism from the boy's family, some public officials and experts on the condition. On Friday, a special prosecutor appointed in the case sought Martin's family's permission to exhume the boy's body for a second autopsy by a different doctor.

The first autopsy found internal bleeding in the back of the abdomen, behind the kidneys. Based on an investigation that included a review of medical records, interviews with medical personnel and an autopsy, Siebert concluded the bleeding was the result of sickle cell trait.

Benjamin Crump, the lawyer representing Anderson's family, said late Friday that he believed Anderson was embalmed before his burial. Embalming would preserve tissue for months, Rojiani said.

Even with well-preserved tissue, though, there is no direct way to determine from an autopsy whether sickle cell trait caused Anderson's bleeding, and ultimately his death, said Dr. Stuart Toledano, who treats children with sickle cell disease at the University of Miami.

But signs that Anderson was hit hard in the back, near where the bleeding occurred, might provide evidence to the contrary, doctors said.

''To implicate or exonerate what went on there, they need to document whether there was trauma to the back,'' said Dr. Michael Norenberg, a University of Miami pathologist. ``I think it's a good idea, for everybody's peace of mind, that the kid get a second autopsy.''

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