Me too. I will never forget seeing that, exactly as you’ve described it. I’ve been telling people ever since, but with no corroborating evidence.
About that same time, Dr. Elizabeth Loftus published books on how eyewitness accounts are unreliable. She received a lot of publicity in the wake of the outcry about TWA 800. “Don’t believe your lyin’ eyes” became one of the mantras of the Clinton Administration.
Any police officer could tell you that the least reliable evidence is an eye witness.