YSU's anthropology work is like 'CSI' but cheaper

The landlord says a 'freaky string of events' led to discovery of a man's remains.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Dr. John White says his anthropology work is much like the popular CBS television series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," without the pricey equipment.
"What we're doing, you've seen on 'CSI,' except we don't have the fancy doodads," White said. "We have decomposed remains, and we're looking for impact that might be the cause of death."
White is chairman of the sociology and anthropology department at Youngstown State University. Mahoning County Coroner David M. Kennedy has enlisted White's help to solve the mystery of a skeleton found March 28, buried in the basement of 249 Alameda Ave., a rental house on the North Side.
The question is: How did Michael L. Jordan die?
Dental records were used to identify Jordan, who had been missing more than three years. He would have turned 29 in June.
Dr. Kennedy said it's his understanding that Jordan wasn't suicidal.
The coroner said this is only the second full skeleton found since he came on the job a decade ago. He said White is a bone expert -- better than anyone else around.
After White and his anthropology students finish their investigative work in the basement of the house, the remains will be sent to a forensic anthropologist in Toledo for a final review, the coroner said.
How this works
The coroner described White's help as a win-win situation. The county gets his expertise at no cost, and the students get practical experience.
Dr. Kennedy said it's obvious that foul play was involved because of where Jordan's remains were found. The bones are being examined for damage from a knife or bullet.
So far, there's been nothing obvious, such as a bullet hole in the skull, he said. The case has been assigned to homicide Detective Sgts. John Kelty and Dave Lomax.
White said the basement in the Alameda house looks like an archaeological dig, with side walls and a pit. His students were expected to finish today with trowels and screens to sift all the post-mortem dirt looking for clues.
White declined to be specific but said items were found in the grave site that may be useful to detectives investigating the death. He said, however, that the efforts so far have not turned up the cause of death.
A "freaky string of events" led to the discovery of the remains, said Neil Kennedy, the landlord. He said the tenants, who had been at 249 Alameda about two years, moved out recently and he wanted to fix up the two-story house before renting it again.
Jordan may have stayed at the house with a man evicted some two years ago for failure to pay rent, the landlord said. "I know I'd seen him."
One of the workers at the house, who happened to know Jordan, found Jordan's wallet and took it to Jordan's mother in Liberty. The worker then learned that Jordan was still missing, after more than three years, Neil Kennedy said.
The worker took it upon himself to dig up the very thin dimpled layer of cement that looked different from the rest of the floor, the landlord said.
"Whoever did this almost got away with it," Neil Kennedy said. "It's not unusual to see where basements have been dug up. I would have thought it was a new drain."
meade@vindy.com