Determining Cultists’ Causes of Death May Take Weeks

The causes of death of the cult members caught in the fire that destroyed their compound may not be known for weeks, an official said Friday. But another expects a lead in identifying David Koresh’s remains.

Medical examiners have found nearly 50 bodies, 40 of which have been removed from the ashes of the rural compound that went up in flames Monday, said Dr. Nizam Peerwani, head medical examiner for the case. The fire is believed to have killed 86 cult members.

“At least half of the bodies that I recall have only fragments of torso or extremities left,” Peerwani said Friday. “They have sustained very high-intensity fire damage. We don’t know what we will do to identify them as yet.”

Peerwani said the condition of many of the bodies would make identification extremely difficult. Autopsies were scheduled to begin today.

Peerwani also said that five bodies have been located in crude graves outside of the Branch Davidian compound. He said the bodies are probably those who were killed during a Feb. 28 gunfight in which four agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were killed. Cult leader Koresh claimed that six cultists died that day.

He also said four bodies are lodged among ammunition piled “as high as my hip” in an area where Koresh and his top lieutenants may have been holed up.

The causes of death may not be known for weeks, a justice of the peace investigating the case said Friday.

“Once the testing, toxicology, DNA and autopsy reports come in and all the other information is submitted to us, we will examine the report and try to come up with a cause of death,” said Justice of the Peace David Pareya. “We cannot rush anything with regard to this.”

More than 40 forensic dentists are working to find dental records for the victims, many of whom are foreigners.

Dr. Rodney Crow, a forensic dentist assisting in the case, said he expected dental records that may help identify Koresh’s body.

“I can’t say yet because I don’t have it, but we are very hopeful we are going to have some very significant evidence coming in some time today that will be pertinent in a very important identification possibly,” Crow said Friday.

Most of the bodies have been taken to the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office in Ft. Worth for X-rays.

Darrell Thompson of the medical examiner’s office said the X-rays will not settle the debate over whether some of the victims had been shot to death before the fire.

“They will not show whether there were bullet holes, just if there are metallic objects in the bodies,” Thompson said.

“The metal could be a bullet or a fracture from a bullet, but it also could be any type of foreign object--buttons, zippers or other debris,” he said.