Pathologist: No signs of struggle in drowning

LEBANON, Ohio (AP) — A forensic pathologist who testified Monday in the trial of an Ohio man accused of drowning his wife in the bathtub said the manner of drowning could not be determined based on an autopsy, conflicting with a coroner’s ruling of homicide.

Prosecutors ended their case against 28-year-old Ryan Widmer last week with a forensic pathologist testifying that bruising indicated 24-year-old Sarah Widmer had been grabbed by the neck. Defense lawyers have said Sarah Widmer sometimes fell asleep in unusual places, including the bathtub. They have suggested she may have fallen asleep or possibly suffered some type of seizure or other medical problem.

Dr. Werner Spitz testified for the defense Monday in Ryan Widmer’s trial in Warren County, north of Cincinnati. Spitz is a Michigan forensic pathologist who has investigated some of the nation’s high-profile murder cases, including advising police in Colorado in the death of JonBenet Ramsey.

Ryan Widmer has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder in the death of his wife last August at their home in Warren County’s Hamilton Township. He faces 20 years to life in prison if convicted.

Spitz said the cause of Sarah Widmer’s death was drowning, but that the manner of death is “undeterminable by anybody under these set of circumstances.”

Spitz said he saw no evidence of a violent struggle on Sarah Widmer’s body — no bruises on her back or her knees and no damage to her manicured toenails or fingernails. A series of small bruises found on the underside of her scalp appeared to be in a curved line, suggesting that they were caused by a single impact with a curved surface such as the side of a bathtub, he said.

Sarah Widmer also suffered some large bruises from medics’ small needle punctures because water gets into the bloodstream during the drowning process, increases blood pressure and breaks up red blood cells, making any damage appear exaggerated, Spitz said.

Spitz said that in recent years, investigators have begun to recognize that sometimes apparently healthy people die from “sudden death syndrome,” suffering a seizure or other problem that had been undiagnosed. He did not say whether he thought that applied in Sarah Widmer’s death.

Under cross-examination, Spitz testified that he did not consider information from the police, Sarah Widmer’s family or other witnesses when conducting his autopsy.