Sorg quoted in New York Times article about Jeffrey Epstein’s death

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Thursday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

November 5, 2019 Climate Change, Research, Signature and Emerging Areas, UMaine in the News

Marcella Sorg, a forensic anthropologist and research professor with the University of Maine Department of Anthropology, Climate Change Institute, and Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, was quoted in the New York Times article “Epstein’s Autopsy ‘Points to Homicide,’ Pathologist Hired by Brother Claims.” In August, the New York City medical examiner’s office said Jeffrey Epstein had hanged himself in his jail cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. But private pathologist Dr. Michael Baden said on the morning TV show “Fox & Friends” that Epstein, 66, experienced several injuries — including a broken bone in his neck — that “are extremely unusual in suicidal hangings and could occur much more commonly in homicidal strangulation.” At the time of Epstein’s autopsy, when several medical officials cautioned against relying solely on the broken hyoid as evidence of strangulation, Sorg responded that, “It’s not a slam dunk.” She said that a broken hyoid is “a sign of neck trauma” that can occur in both strangulation and hanging cases.