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04/29/96
Autopsies so far show gunshots killed 5 cultists; Number in fire appears smaller than first thought
By Bruce Tomaso / The Dallas Morning News
WACO-At least five of the first 12 Branch Davidians on whom autopsies have been performed died of gunshot wounds, not from the fire that leveled the compound last week, authorities said Wednesday. Also, they said, it now appears fewer people were in the fire than previous reports indicated.
The gunshot wounds-two of which were in the head-could be evidence that some in the cult killed themselves or were killed by their colleagues, rather than having been willing participants in a mass immolation, medical investigators have said.
Among the seven others, five died of smoke inhalation and the cause of death of two has not been determined, said Mike Cox, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The Texas Rangers expect to complete their search by Friday for bodies amid the ashen debris of what was once the sanctuary of David Koresh and his religious followers, Mr. Cox said.
By late afternoon Wednesday, 58 bodies had been accounted for.
"We're near the end on discovering bodies,' Mr. Cox said.
Mr. Koresh, during his 51-day standoff with federal authorities,
had said that 95 people-counting himself and including 17 small children-remained inside. Nine people escaped from the fire that burned the compound to the ground April 19, leading authorities to presume that as many as 86 were killed.
That estimate now appears to have been lofty, Mr. Cox said, without offering a new overall tally. He said that although more bodies will almost surely be discovered in the next two days, "no one that I've talked to thinks that we're going to reach the 85 or so that's been the figure. That was strictly based on what David Koresh had said.'
Fifty-three bodies have been pulled from the ruins and sent to Fort Worth, where Tarrant County Medical Examiner Nizam Peerwani is supervising autopsies. Waco's McLennan County, like many less-populous Texas counties, has no medical examiner.
The FBI and an arson investigator brought in by the federal government have said the fire that destroyed the compound was deliberately set by those inside, as FBI agents were trying to flush Mr. Koresh and his followers out with tear gas.
It is unclear why or how the five cult members were shot.
The wounds could have occurred when the fire ignited some of the
millions of rounds of ammunition that authorities said the Branch Davidians had stockpiled in their compound east of Waco. There were repeated, fiery explosions during the blaze, and bullets continued to discharge spontaneously from the embers for more than a day after the fire.
At least two gunshot victims were shot in the head. Mr. Cox said he didn't know the location of the others' wounds.
If, however, it turned out that they also were shot in the head- or if many others from the compound are later found to have similar wounds-the consistent location of the gunshots would seem to belie the possibility that they were caused by hot ammunition randomly exploding.
The FBI has ruled out the possibility that its agents killed any of those inside during the tear-gas attack. Although cult members fired on agents, FBI commanders have said, gunfire was not returned.
Eight other autopsies were completed by late Wednesday, but Mr. Cox said he had no details on their findings.
Telephone calls to the Tarrant County medical examiner's office and the offices of the McLennan County justices of the peace, who are responsible for making legal determination of causes of death, were not returned.
It is not publicly known how many bodies removed from the compound are those of children.
In addition to the 53 bodies taken to Fort Worth, the Rangers have located a grave containing the remains of five Branch Davidians believed to have been killed in the Feb. 28 shootout that began the siege, Mr. Cox said.
Four agents of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and six cult members were killed in that gunbattle, which erupted as the ATF tried to serve search and arrest warrants alleging weapons violations by Mr. Koresh.
Mr. Cox said the Texas Rangers-called in by the FBI to serve as independent investigators of the fire scene-are nearly through searching a cinderblock storeroom, where more bodies are believed to be buried under mounds of ammunition described as "thigh-high.' The cinderblock room, Mr. Koresh's lair, was the only part of the mostly wooden compound not leveled by the fire.
In addition, Mr. Cox said, there is evidence that some bodies are in the compound's system of underground passages. However, Rangers have been unable to get into those tunnels because some are filled with water and must be pumped out, he said.
No remains have been identified as those of Mr. Koresh, said Laureen Chernow, a DPS spokeswoman.
Three victims have been identified. They are David Jones, 38, Shari Doyle, 18, and, on Wednesday, James Loyle Riddle Jr., who would have turned 33 last Sunday.
If the weather stays dry, Mr. Cox said, the Rangers hope to complete their search for bodies by the end of the week.
He reiterated, however, that some in the compound, especially small children, may have been so badly burned in the raging fire that no remains will ever be found.
"We may never know down to the last person,' he said.
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