A few answers are starting to emerge about the three missing Camden, N.J. boys who suffocated in a car trunk last month. It’s now believed they survived between 13 to 33 hours before succumbing.
In my story today, I tried to explain a little bit how the authorities arrived at that conclusion:
Camden County Medical Examiner Paul Hoyer determined the time of death “would range from 2/3 to 1 1/2 days” prior to their 6:45 p.m. June 24 discovery. “It’s not real precise, because nobody knows when they got in the trunk,” said Bill Sharlow, a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office.
Hoyer based his report on “what he sees in the exam — the actual bodies — and what he sees and knows about the car,” such as its temperature, Sharlow said.
It’s possible to estimate how long someone has been dead by measuring the cooling of the body and the degree of rigor mortis, said Dr. Howard Adelman, the former deputy chief medical examiner of Suffolk County.
So figure they were trapped in the trunk around 5:30 p.m. June 22. (Last seen alive at 5 p.m.) They were found 6:45 p.m. June 24 … so trapped about 49 hours. The medical examiner says they had been dead 16 to 36 hours when they were found — meaning they were alive for 13 to 33 hours.
Also, according to this Philadelphia Daily News story, the cop whose bloodhound searched in vain for the boys was self-trained, and had not attended the usual six months of training at patrol and scent schools.
Cundiff was also trying to get a scent on the boys with urine-stained pants belonging to one of the boys and rubber flip-flops, neither of which will work, the source with extensive knowledge of police-dog issues said.
“If somebody pees their pants, you smell the urine so that’s not good for scent,” the source said. “And a scent does not stick to rubber.”
Lastly, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports the boys may have entered the trunk by folding down the back seat. The family knew the trunk was locked, and didn’t realize it could be accessed by the back seat, so never bothered to look there.
im the mother of the 6yrold and my son never played in that damn car.that was his 1st time going to that house.im always with my kids other then when im at work or somewhere else thats important.im a very good mom to my kids.and always their with them.my son was the only boy in this block.the other family just moved in that house just 3weeks b4 this happen.