Smith worked high-profile cases June 3, 2002
Dr. O. C. Smith, who was attacked Saturday by an unknown assailant, was chosen to serve as Shelby County's medical examiner two years ago.
His job includes working with police on criminal investigations as well as testifying sometimes as a key witness in a case.
In March, a bomb and two smaller explosive-type devices were found outside of the Shelby County Regional Forensic Center.
At that time, Smith acknowledged that his office had worked on a number of highly publicized cases.
"We have done several high-profile cases from (miss ing Harvard researcher) Dr. (Don) Wiley to Katherine Smith but there has been no indication that we offended anyone," Smith said.
Smith ruled that Wiley, an internationally recognized scientist who had done research on AIDS and Ebola, died accidentally by falling from the Hernando DeSoto Bridge.
Wiley was in Memphis for a conference when he disappeared Nov. 15 and his rental car was found on the bridge.
After an extensive investigation that brought worldwide attention, Wiley's body was discovered Dec. 20 in the Mississippi River, about 300 miles south of Memphis.
When Smith announced his ruling in January, he said the Harvard scientist might have been disoriented from a seizure when he accidentally fell to his death.
In another case that brought widespread attention, the Medical Examiner's Office conducted the autopsy of Katherine Smith, the Tennessee driver's license examiner whose body was burned beyond recognition in a fiery car wreck on Feb. 10.
Just five days earlier Smith had been charged in a federal inquiry with conspiracy to obtain fraudulent driver's licenses for several Middle Eastern men.
State officials are awaiting complete autopsy results before announcing the cause of death.
- Yolanda Jones
March 14, 2002: 'No hoax -- bomb found outside county morgue
By Yolanda Jones
March 14, 2002
A bomb and two smaller explosive-type devices were found Wednesday morning in the stairwell outside of the Shelby County Regional Forensic Center on Madison, which houses the morgue and the Medical Examiner's Office.
"This was no hoax," said Gene Marquez, resident agent in charge of the Memphis federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms office. "This was the real deal."
A cleaning man found the devices sitting in an aluminum pan on the west side of the building at 1060 Madison about 10 a.m.
He said he thought it was "a pan of food," but a closer inspection revealed the pan contained some sort of explosive devices, said the man, who was told by his supervisor not to give his name.
Dr. O. C. Smith, the county medical examiner, was called to examine the devices, confirmed they were explosives and called police.
"We have done several high-profile cases from (missing Harvard researcher) Dr. (Don) Wiley to Katherine Smith but there has been no indication that we offended anyone," Smith said. "We just don't know if we were the intended target or not.''
Smith, a driver's license examiner, was found burned to death in her car last month after she was charged in a federal inquiry with conspiracy to obtain fraudulent driver's licenses.
"We don't know if this had anything to do with these cases, and are continuing our investigation," Marquez said.
Officers surrounded the brick building, and blocked traffic on Madison and the Interstate 240 exit ramp with squad cars soon after the devices were found.
ATF agents, along with the Memphis Police Bomb Squad and the Memphis Fire Department, swarmed around the building and evacuated the seven employees inside. They also used a bomb-sniffing dog as they tried to determine if there were any other explosive devices in the building.
Marquez said an explosive device was found and described the other two objects as "destructive devices" that were not as damaging.
Police Deputy Chief Charles Cook said the devices found were not "sophisticated," but did not elaborate, including not revealing whether they had a detonator or a timer.
"It potentially could have been a large blast if exploded," Cook said. "We can't speculate on who left this and why, but we don't think it was a terrorist act. We aren't sure if the employees in the forensic center were the targets or not."
Cook said the devices were taken to the Memphis police gun range at O. K. Robertson Road in northwest Shelby County, where they were detonated.
The results will be sent to the ATF lab in Atlanta for analysis, Marquez said.
After it was determined there were no other devices in the building, the forensic employees were allowed to go back to work.
Smith, who was preparing for court when the devices were found, said the incident was upsetting for his staff.
But Smith, who has an extensive military background, said he recognized the device as a bomb immediately.
"We have gotten threats in the past because we work a lot of cases," said Smith. "But nothing like this has been found at our building. Like I said, I am not even sure we were the targets."
"We have done several high-profile cases from (miss ing Harvard researcher) Dr. (Don) Wiley to Katherine Smith but there has been no indication that we offended anyone," Smith said.I'm sorry, did I "offend" you by examining the carcasses that remain from the havok you caused mr. criminal??? < /sarcasm >
The attempts are getting rather brazen to take this man down. Someone doesn't want some people to talk.
Of course this could all be a wild "coincidence".
Anyone a "mob buff"? I know that there are people who like to read up on organized crime. I'm just curious if any mobs ever made it a matter of recourse to kill investigative scientiests (genetic scientists, forensic scientists, etc...). I'd think that they would steer clear of this kind of thing. A terrorist cell might have more to protect.
I say this because terrorist cells want to remain invisible so that they can do their damage uninterupted. Organized crime needs to be somewhat public so that they can reach the audience that buys their services (drugs, gambling, murder, prostitution, political influence...). Law enforcement is more likely to look the other way with regards to the actions of an organized crime ring than they are to the actions of a terrorist cell (thus the need to remain invisible).