Page 47 of Little Girls Sleeping

“No, just injected with the solutions without the standard process of removing the organs.”

“That’s why she looks so well preserved,” Katie mused as she stared at the small body.

“Well, it’s part of it. It’s my professional opinion that the airtight coffin played a major role in preservation as well, even though there’s no real research to support that theory.” He walked around the body. “Lack of oxygen stops the bacteria from doing their work; however, the temperature inside the coffin wasn’t controlled. It would have become hotter in the summer and of course cooler in the winter. But either way, the body was kept as well preserved as possible.”

Katie took a couple of notes and pondered for a moment. “Could she have been kept alive longer, like months, and then murdered?”

“I will be doing more tests, but right now my belief is that she died within a few days or weeks of her abduction.” He moved to peel back more of the sheet. “You can see that her torso and legs have quite a bit more decomposition than her face.”

Katie grimaced. She was glad the deputy had left the room. “I take it there was no forensic evidence from her fingernails?”

“Nothing. But forensics are still working on the clothing and the teddy bears.”

“Have you ever seen anything like this before?” Katie asked.

“Every case is a little bit different. Of course, I’ve seen bodies buried in the earth, and in boxes. But no, I can’t say I’ve seen anything like this before.”

It was the first time since Katie had met the doctor that he seemed to become melancholy, rather than filled with his seemingly usual positive attitude.

“Anything else about the condition of the body that could help with the investigation? Stomach contents? Potential poisons? Anything really.”

“Nothing at this point. If I find anything, no matter how small, I will alert you immediately.” The doctor began to pull the sheet back over the body. “Do you need to see anything else?”

Katie shook her head. “What about the identification made on the other girl?”

“Preliminary. We’re checking dental records before alerting her parents.” He sighed. “We want to make doubly sure after an incorrect identification we had about a year ago. Trust me, it wasn’t good.”

Katie thought how horrifying it would be to come and identify the wrong body.

“Did you receive information about the missing girl from Denise in records? The timeline seemed to match.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Can you tell me your preliminary ID?” she asked, though her gut already knew the answer.

Dean moved to the next gurney and opened a file folder. “Tammie Elizabeth Myers,” he read.

Katie felt a chill as she remembered the gravesite. It was her computer searches and her instincts that had brought the girl to their attention.

Dr. Dean continued, “She was nine years old; went missing after leaving her aunt’s house to go to the store.” He pulled back the sheet and stepped away.

Katie briefly examined the body and realized immediately that decomposition was far more advanced than with Chelsea.

“How long has she been dead?” she asked.

“Not as long as the Compton girl,” the doctor replied.

“But—” Katie began.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he interrupted. He gestured to the dead girl’s limbs. “This is how decomposition looks after being buried for two to three years.”

“How can you explain the difference between the two?” she asked.

“Quite simply, I can’t.”

Katie gave him a questioning look.

He smiled. “You have to understand that the process of decomposition isn’t an exact science. Lots of things affect it: the temperature of the environment, the condition of the body when buried, how long the victim was deceased before burying, and so on.”