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Geneticist asked to help investigation into Newtown shooting

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    Forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden weighs in

  • Duration 7:13
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At the same time.

Investigators continue pursuing.

There their research and today are going after a new -- in the search for a motive.

In this massacre when they just want to understand so they can prevent other tragedies in the future.

Experts are asking a geneticist from the University of Connecticut to contribute now to the investigation.

Of the shooter.

In the hope that -- biology can reveal.

What may have been behind this massacre.

Doctor Michael -- is a world renowned forensic pathologist the best.

A Fox News contributor who has worked so many high profile cases we can barely name them all but there was the -- investigation of the JFK assassination the OJ Simpson murder trial and on and on it goes after Biden.

Good to have you here could -- you give me I know that you know this this medical examiner and he now is calling in.

This geneticist saying I'm exploring with the department of genetics what might be possible if anything is possible.

In examining so is this in connection with an autopsy of the shooter you -- what what -- what you do.

Right this is really the autopsy of the shooter and to determine.

If there's any -- with the geneticist is it in his genetic profile.

Different than.

Most people.

That this is not usually done an autopsy is.

And because of the great interest in this in this horrible situation.

He's probably going to be able to get more resources than medical examiner it usually has to be able to do a genetic profile.

And if anything is found in the DNA.

That's different than normal.

To look for that segment of the NA and other people who do criminal things or -- Whether or not it's associated with any kind of mental disorder so you look at genes look at chromosomes I gather yet chromosomes the user chromosomes -- what I was a resident doctor Bellevue hospital.

There were some papers we know about DNA at that time we knew that chromosomes.

And it was a chromosome abnormality found in that tore a hole.

Criminals and jails.

And this hall -- that would to have beheaded and have an -- Y chromosome XYY.

-- -- number papers about how.

Individuals with his extra chromosome.

War criminals.

But after many years of study it turned out that the the bad guys in jail.

Had the same incidents of this as the good guys at a jail that it was a normal.

Kind.

For a change in the chromosomes.

That's had nothing do with -- As of yet XYY you know look more likely to commit a crime that's else and that they're looking -- chromosomes at this.

DNA which we've only known been able to measure since 1989.

There's something honest and DNA that would show you a propensity for violence.

No not yet there are.

People Lucy especially -- autopsy the -- would -- the examination.

Not grossly under a microscope but tax school logically.

Bay you -- -- genius or a good guys are big guys will look -- at autopsy.

We can now in moving people perceive chemical changes in the brain and X rays but not -- autopsy.

And that still being looked fortress like to look for the chromosome abnormalities.

You know.

Forty years ago -- I say that there used to be a -- hundred years ago or so that people were born criminal.

Yet yet.

In the -- in the late eighteen hundreds.

A doctor named them grosso.

Had publish a lot of papers accepted around the world that you can tell a criminal.

By their appearance because they're born criminals they had a sloping far ahead that -- years.

And then that he measured people -- measured people in jails and up until 1930s.

The -- gross those measurements.

Longer arms longer than normal.

And the head who were taken as to the building total criminalists did it work coming didn't know that those actually apply know -- how why don't people punished for that.

But -- way it turned out not to be true okay so there's -- did did the crumbs on the Internet not to be true may be will find something in the DNA.

That -- because.

They can take dogs.

And and finish and a mice and breed.

Aggression into them.

Does that -- we humans that we can do -- some kind of experiments on humans but there's a feeling that somehow.

Genetics is very important but the thing about it is that so far nurture the environment is more important than nature in -- -- a criminal.

Well -- I want to talk to you about what role if any of it how helpful if at all it is that they also have.

The mother and she was killed by -- now that's another autopsy he's gonna have to from -- I -- -- hold on that questions and hold you over.

Also want to touch you -- Charles Whitman who killed thirteen people at the Texas university tower in 1966.

And what they found in his autopsy that they believe may have provided a major clue.

Could be -- reach a similar result here of those questions doctor -- right after the break.

Not -- again doctor -- in in 1966 a guy named Charles Whitman went to Texas university and into the watchtower and started shooting people.

And and it's killed thirteen people they did an autopsy on him what are they find.

They found a malignant brain tumor that he had and there was initial thought that maybe this malignant brain tumor.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- But then on further investigation and -- all people with that kind of brain tumor that had it was concluded that nothing to do with his aggression and his.

Is that everything -- and they found a malignant brain you know and other people who had sudden violent outbreaks no but if in fact if you were a number of people who had.

The same kind of -- neurological -- morality that would indicate that.

It could be of course what -- what of the mother because there's also going to be I think an autopsy performed on her and when you have a geneticist looking at.

You know the sun does is that relevant.

Absolutely it'd be O geneticists have been able to look at the mother did the what -- -- from the mom and the sun.

And also from the moving material from the father and brother.

And get a really thorough profile this may never have been done before it goes so expensive.

In.

A person who's -- that in this fashion.

And there may be some.

Helpful information developed -- -- this horrible tragedy do you think bottom line is they are likely to find something.

-- I think at this stage not.

But over the next decade or so we're gonna find.

And see we can look at enzymes that autopsy but -- -- it changes there is certain it's the suggestion about serotonin and other things.

That.

May be different than people who act have been aggressively and then murders that we can't.

Verified this time.

Doctor -- thanks so much for your expertise thank you good to -- thank you.

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