Western Canada: Forensic Experts Face Daunting Task of Identifying Victims in Deadly Bus Crash

DAUPHIN, — The small town of Dauphin has become the epicenter of a national wave of grief following Thursday’s tragic bus crash near Carberry, Man., which claimed the lives of 15 people, most of them seniors. As families mourn their loved ones, experts are hard at work identifying the deceased—a task that, while gruesome, provides vital information for those attempting to come to terms with their loss.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had notified all affected families by Friday evening. However, the process of determining the identities of the deceased is still ongoing, postponing the release of a public list of victims. This delay leaves a community and a nation in shock, awaiting answers.

Forensic pathologists, anthropologists, dentists, and fingerprint experts are conducting high-precision examinations of the broken and burned bodies, as well as analyzing recovered teeth, fingerprints, and genetic material from the crash site on the Trans Canada Highway.

Dauphin city councillor Randy Daley, a retired RCMP officer, acknowledged the challenges faced by loved ones in the absence of official identification. “I don’t know that I’d want to be in that position, because I’d be going, ‘I know what it means, but what does it mean?’” he said.

In response to the tragedy, the community has come together to offer support. Officials have organized social workers, mental health professionals, and even therapy dogs at a local curling rink, welcoming anyone in need of assistance.

The experts involved in the identification process are drawing from their experiences with recent mass-casualty events, such as the 2018 Humboldt Broncos bus crash, the 2013 Lac-Mégantic train derailment, and the 2014 Isle Verte seniors home fire.

Dr. Bob Wood, a dental consultant and former chief forensic odontologist with the Ontario Coroner’s Office, emphasized the importance of careful, thorough work in such situations. “I have two sayings about mass disasters: haste makes waste; and on the job is not the place to get on-the-job training,” he said.

As the investigation continues, the people of Dauphin remain united in their grief, with #dauphinstrong signs appearing on roadsides throughout the town.

Identities of Bus Crash Victims Await Scientific Identification Amid Devastating Scene

The chief medical examiner of Manitoba, Dr. John Younes, stated at a Friday news conference that the identities of those killed in the recent bus crash may not be released for several days. Due to the extensive facial trauma sustained by the victims, visual identification has been rendered impossible. The crash, which involved a collision with a truck followed by an intense fire, left the bus carrying 25 passengers as a charred hull.

A day after the accident, the crash site still bore the grim evidence of the tragedy, with a patch of scorched grass several times the length of the bus visible. Dr. Younes explained that the identification process would rely on fingerprints, dental records, surgical histories—such as hip or knee replacements or medical prostheses—and DNA.

Such mass-casualty events are fortunately rare in Canada, and the professionals responsible for handling the bodies have undergone extensive training and developed well-established procedures. Dr. Howard Wood, an associate professor at the University of Toronto’s faculty of dentistry, stated that the process is a different version of a single-body identification.

Forensic investigators typically divide into two or three teams in such cases. One team collects and examines the medical and dental records of those unaccounted for after an incident, noting any distinctive features that might help differentiate one body from another. Meanwhile, a second team conducts scans, x-rays, and other examinations on the recovered physical remains. A separate “reconciliation team” may then attempt to match the pre-death records to the recovered human remains.

Dr. Wood, who also worked in Thailand to identify victims of the 2004 tsunami, noted that even small differences in dental restoration patterns and missing teeth can significantly aid in discerning one body from another. Dental records played a critical role in identifying the remains of those killed in the Lac-Megantic train derailment, where a fire fueled by crude oil burned for days following the crash.

The victims of the Carberry bus crash, which included 13 women and two men, were predominantly seniors, aged between 58 and 88. They had not all belonged to the same club or group, and each had signed up for the trip independently. In contrast to an airplane or train, the victims may not have been seated in pre-assigned places, adding an additional layer of complexity to the identification process.

Forensic Pathologists Face Challenges in Identifying Crash Victims

The tragic aftermath of a devastating crash has left forensic pathologists with the difficult task of identifying the victims. The intense post-crash fire may have incinerated personal items such as wallets, purses, jewelry, and even tattoos or birthmarks, complicating the identification process.

While visual identification of the two male victims may still be possible, pathologists can also rely on physiological markers, such as pelvic bones, which are wider in women than in men. Other clues could include pacemakers, surgical screws, or evidence of unique past procedures. However, positively identifying one victim cannot automatically identify the other, as Dr. Wood cautions, “If you find A, it doesn’t mean the other one is necessarily B.”

Forensic pathologists highly prefer “scientific identification” through fingerprints, dental records, medical records, or DNA. The more points of positive identification available, the lower the risk of errors. In 2018, a surviving Humboldt Broncos player woke up in the hospital to discover he had been mistakenly listed as deceased, due to the use of photographs and information provided by the team to identify the victims.

Relying on DNA analysis would prolong the identification process, according to Lelia Watamaniuk, a consulting forensic anthropologist for the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service. “It’s terrible to have to wait. But the processes themselves are not instantaneous,” she explained. Depending on the lab’s caseload, DNA analysis can take several weeks, and the complexity of the process increases with the number of individuals involved in an accident.

Chief medical examiner John Eunice estimates that DNA analysis and comparison in this particular case would likely take at least a week. Watamaniuk acknowledges the balance between addressing the family’s feelings and ensuring the job is done properly. “It’s frustrating,” she said, “And we fully appreciate the families’ grief and frustration. Research is ongoing in these fields to make the process faster and more reliable.”

Ultimately, the most crucial aspect is avoiding mistakes. “It’s tragic and horrible and a lot to ask, but better that it’s done properly,” Watamaniuk stressed.

The exacting and emotionally taxing nature of the work also takes a toll on professionals, who must take steps to manage their psychological well-being. Dr. Wood shared the story of a mentor who worked on the Jonestown massacre case, where soldiers responsible for collecting and transporting remains were prohibited from staying with one particular body to prevent emotional attachment.

“The best way you can help these people,” Wood conclude, “is to get them identified in an expedient manner and get them returned to their loved ones.”