ACTION RESPONSE: Forensic Pathology. Science linking the past to the present and the cause. 1800's Maryland Cemetery to 2025 Mississippi Hangings.

Response from member.  Our members are about 'ACTIONS'.

Action Plan — “Maryland Secret Cemeteries” & “2025 Mississippi Hangings”

1) Spin up a proper case file (today)

·        Create two folders: MD Secret Cemeteries (19th–20th c.) and MS Hangings (2025).

·        In each, keep a chain-of-custody log, contact list, and an evidence index (who has what, when collected, where stored). Use standard death-investigation scene practices to preserve admissibility later. American Academy of Forensic Sciences

2) Lock to accepted autopsy & death-investigation standards

·        Ask if a forensic autopsy was done by a NAME-accredited office (or equivalent). If yes, request the report; if not, document why and consider a second autopsy by an independent forensic pathologist per NAME guidance. The Name+2The Name+2

·        Ensure all requests reference Forensic Autopsy Performance Standards (NAME) and scene-to-lab evidence handling best practices (NIJ/OSAC). The Name+1

3) Mississippi “hangings” — what to verify (facts > narratives)

Key questions a pathologist investigates in suspected hangings/strangulation:

·        Ligature pattern & position (knot, direction of the furrow), petechiae, facial/neck injuries, internal neck structures (hyoid, thyroid cartilage), and nonspecific findings of asphyxia.
• Note: Hyoid fractures are not required to diagnose strangulation/hanging and are age-dependent; their absence does not exclude homicidal violence. Pak J Med Health Sci+3PMC+3ScienceDirect+3

·        Scene consistency: anchor point height/strength, reachable objects, slip marks, footwear/soil transfers, and any post-mortem manipulation indicators. Follow standardized scene protocols to reduce ambiguity. American Academy of Forensic Sciences

What to request, in writing:

·        Full autopsy (external + internal) report, all toxicology, histology, and photographs/video.

·        Scene photographs, body diagrams, investigator notes, and 911/CAD logs.

·        Surveillance/body-cam within the time window; ask for an export hash and metadata.

·        Cell tower records and device location history (if appropriate) via counsel.

4) Maryland “secret cemeteries” — treat as forensic archaeology

For possible unmarked/“secret” burial sites tied to foster/boarding institutions:

·        Use forensic archaeology/anthropology standards for survey, controlled excavation, recovery, and anthropological analysis (don’t disturb sites without a plan, permits, and community consent). American Academy of Forensic Sciences+1

·        Build a non-invasive first pass: archives, ground-level interviews, historical plats, aerials/time-series imagery, ground-penetrating radar (where permitted), and GIS overlays before any spade hits soil. eaaf.org

5) Leverage Mississippi GIS & satellite imagery (properly)

·        Pull parcels, aerials, and historic basemaps from Mississippi GIS/MARIS for the 2025 sites; export layer lists and data sources for your evidentiary appendix. MS.gov+3gis.ms.gov+3maris.mississippi.edu+3

·        Satellite imagery and GIS can be admissible when authenticated and presented by a qualified expert under Daubert; treat it like photographic evidence (foundation, method reliability, and chain). Keep originals, processing steps, and analyst CVs. zellelaw.com+3OnGeo Intelligence+3Opinio Juris+3

6) Use AI the right way (assistive, transparent, audit-ready)

·        Video triage: AI to detect persons of interest, time-stamps, vehicle plates—then a human reviews and certifies.

·        GIS/imagery change-detection: AI flags disturbances or new overhead features; preserve the raw tiles, model version, and parameters used.

·        Document control: run an evidence-locker index that hashes every file and logs every access. (AI outputs are leads, not conclusions; the expert renders opinions.)

7) Community & family engagement

·        Offer a family liaison protocol: regular updates, access to public records, and clarity about what science can/cannot say at each step.

·        For historical/Native burial work, include tribal/First Nation consultation and consent processes in the plan (prior to any ground disturbance).

8) Quick request templates (you can paste these)

A. Records to Medical Examiner/Coroner

We respectfully request the complete medicolegal file for [Decedent, DOB, Case #], including autopsy report (external/internal), histology, toxicology, photo/video documentation, and all investigator notes. Please also provide scene documentation and chain-of-custody logs per NAME standards and NIJ/OSAC guidance.

B. Law-enforcement/video

Please provide original-format body-worn camera, dash, and fixed-camera footage for [location/time window], exported with associated hashes and metadata logs, plus CAD/911 and supplemental narratives.

C. GIS/Imagery

We request access to original-resolution aerial/satellite tiles and associated metadata for [coordinates/time window], along with any available WMS/WFS service descriptors from MARIS/Mississippi GIS.

9) What “answers” should the science deliver?

·        Cause of death (e.g., hanging/asphyxia), manner of death (suicide, accident, homicide, undetermined), with specific support (ligature analysis, internal neck exam, tox, scene). The Name

·        For the historical cemetery work: presence/absence of human remains, minimum number of individuals, context (burial practices, disturbance), and—only if ethical/approved—identification pathways.

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On Sat, Sep 27, 2025 at 11:16 AM Charles D Sharp <cdsharp@blackemergmanagersassociation.org> wrote:

Trust in Science, Investigating, trust in Forensic Pathology

Forensic Pathology. Science linking the past to the present and the cause. 1800's Maryland Cemetery to 2025 Mississippi Hangings.

Trust in Science, Investigating, trust in Forensic Pathology

Forensic Pathology (Click on preceding underlined link for AI and other searches) 

When did my search for truth, meaning, and interest in the science begin?  Was it in my studies at colleges and universities or during my adolescent and youth.  I always had a curiosity for things I didn’t know.  So, I’d say my interest in the sciences and investigating started before attending first grade in elementary school.  Staring out the window watching birds, animals, even airplanes flying in the sky.

Interest in technology, computer sciences in high school working at the National Science Foundation reading civil defense and other plans for nuclear attacks and recovery from that and other events.  Graduating from high school, registering as a pre-med student as my major.  Sitting in on my first autopsy at 19-years old at the old Washington, D.C. General Hospital.  Working in the pathology department at a local hospital in Maryland, understanding all the chemical and other tests performed on human specimens and taking that data and inputting into computer systems.  Understanding the process & procedures of human specimen collection, retention, and monitoring. 

Meeting and talking with the Chief Pathologist, Chief of Chemistry,  vendors of testing equipment, and understanding standards and standard organizations (national and international).  Confirming my trust in the sciences, in human sciences

In 2025, I can say there is one forensic pathologist that I have trust in that will remain nameless.

Investigating (Click on preceding underlined link for AI and other searches)

That interest and trust in the sciences led to other interest in the humanities and more readings in philosophies and literature for the truth. 

In reading all the Arthur Canon Doyle Sherlock Holmes series novels, and even all the PBS (Public Broadcasting Systems) television series.

Walter Mosely brought even more interest in the search for the truth and investigation with his Easy Rawlins series closer to home of a Black private investigator living in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

More to a lifelong interest in trust in the sciences and seeking the truth by investigating.

1800-1900’s Maryland Foster Care and 2025 Mississippi Hangings

Forensic pathology and investigating plays an important role in sorting thru facts and causes of death.

Archaeologist study the human past and make summations on even causes of death from human remains.  Forensic Pathologist and Archaeologist are linked in their investigative abilities to determine causes of death until a new method of determination of causes is evaluated and confirmed.

In the cases of the 1800-1900’s Secret Cemetery in Maryland (see photo and link below), and other ‘secret’ cemetery’s with First Nation\Native American foster care and youth facilities the truth must be told and the facts published.  Is this a call for the sciences, for forensic sciences to step-up and provide the truth?  YES

In the cases of the 2025 Mississippi hangings.  Historically hanging brings visions of the Wild West in America, criminal executions, and within the Black and other communities of color ‘lynching’.   Hanging or Lynchings are not a one, two, three immediate process but involves being suspended and choking to death if the neck is not immediately broken.

There are questions in each of the cases that must be answered.  

1. 1800-1900’s. A Secret Cemetery in Maryland.  https://www.facebook.com/reel/788404004060464
2. 2025 Mississippi Hanging.  Trey Reed.  On campus at Delta State University
3. 2025 Mississippi Hanging.  Cory Zukatis.  Vicksburg, Mississippi.

 

Forensic Pathology is the science needed to answer the questions that many of our members, members of the community, and the family in each case are awaiting. 

Respectful examination of the deceased, analysis of fluid and blood samples.  In 2025 those samples should be available.

Review of any and all camera footage, even examination of camera imaging AI of satellite imaging recorded (Mississippi GIS, https://www.gis.ms.gov/).Our search for the truth, the cause never ends. 

Our search for the truth, the cause never ends.

Sincerely

CDS

 

Funding Opportunity: Adapt, Micro-Grants harder to acquire. NYC. Impact 100 NYC invites applications from Big Apple organizations. Deadline October 29, 2025

Even with this opportunity for BIPOC nonprofits that baseline budget range (primarily consider organizations with an annual operating budget greater than $500,000) may be beyond the reach of many

 

Impact 100 NYC invites applications from Big Apple organizations

September 17, 2025

Deadline: October 29, 2025 

 

By harnessing the power of collective giving and collaborative action, Impact 100 NYC unites women across the five boroughs to fund transformative change that helps the people and communities of New York City overcome adversity and thrive.

 

Impact 100 NYC is accepting grant applications that propose an innovative new project or program, or a significant expansion of an existing program that will have a high impact or transformational effect on the community.

 

To be eligible, applicants must be classified as a public charity with tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code since 2020 or prior; operate within the five boroughs of New York City for the benefit of local residents and communities; have a current annual operating budget between $500,000 and $5 million; can submit three years of CPA-audited or -reviewed financial statements (as required by New York State) and 990s for the most recent three years; and have no material pending litigation against the organization.

 

Applications for the 2026 grant cycle will open on September 29, 2025, with letters of inquiry due October 29, 2025. Invitations to submit full proposals will be sent by January 5, 2026, and full proposals are due on February 2, 2026.

 

For complete program guidelines, application instructions, and an eligibility quiz, see the Impact 100 NYC website.

 

Link to complete RFP

 

AI: Funding Opportunity. Micro-Grants harder to acquire. OpenAI invites applications for People-First AI Fund. Closes October 8, 2025

"You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.” —Angela Davis

 

Even with this opportunity for BIPOC nonprofits that baseline budget range (primarily consider organizations with an annual operating budget greater than $500,000) may be beyond the reach of many.

 

OpenAI invites applications for People-First AI Fund   September 11, 2025   Deadline: October 8, 2025   The mission of OpenAI is to ensure that artificial general intelligence—AI systems that are generally smarter than humans—benefits all of humanity.   OpenAI invites applications for the People-First AI Fund, a $50 million commitment to support nonprofits and mission-focused organizations working at the intersection of innovation and public good.   OpenAI welcomes applications from organizations at every stage of AI adoption—from exploration to pilots and active deployment. OpenAI recognizes that some of the most impactful opportunities may be new initiatives, approaches not yet been widely proven, or come from unexpected places.   The People-First AI Fund will support organizations directly working in three areas:   AI literacy & public understanding: OpenAI seeks to support organizations that help communities build the knowledge, skills, and confidence to navigate the age of AI. This includes education programs, media initiatives, and opportunities for people to engage with and better understand the technology. The company is particularly interested in efforts that equip people with practical skills. This may involve training trusted local leaders—such as educators, faith leaders, youth mentors, or artists—to make discussions about AI more accessible and relevant.   Community innovation: OpenAI aims to support organizations that work in partnership with communities to guide how AI might be shaped and used in their lives. The priority is to back efforts where communities lead participatory design and decision-making to ensure AI strengthens civic life and helps people stay healthy, connected, and thriving. This includes initiatives that use AI to expand access to and improve delivery of essential services, as well as community co-designed approaches in areas such as health, mental well-being, and building community trust. Priority consideration will be given to organizations working in place-based settings such as schools, libraries, clinics, or community centers; applicants that actively involve residents—including youth—in the design of initiatives; and efforts serving populations traditionally left out of digital innovation, such as older adults, rural communities, or linguistically isolated groups.   Economic opportunity: OpenAI seeks to support organizations expanding access to meaningful work in ways that are fair, inclusive, and community-driven by leveraging the promise of AI. This could include programs that prepare people—especially young people—for the jobs of the future; tools that support caregivers and local businesses; and initiatives that help workers build economic security. The company is also interested in models of shared value—such as cooperatives or community-based platforms—that respect local culture and center worker needs. Across all efforts, the company will prioritize approaches that enhance, rather than replace, human work and ensure the benefits of AI are broadly distributed instead of concentrated among the few.   Grants will be unrestricted, reflecting a commitment to support the expertise of nonprofit and community-based organizations.   To be eligible, applicants must be a U.S.-based public charity with a valid 501(c)(3) status, and in compliance with 501(c)(3) requirements; and must be located in, and primarily conducting work within, the 50 states or the District of Columbia. The company will primarily consider organizations with an annual operating budget greater than $500,000. All organizations must have an annual operating budget of less than $10 million.  For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the OpenAI website. Link to complete RFP