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Gardaí ‘mistake plastic alien toys for human foetuses’
By John Breslin
STATE Pathologist Marie Cassidy has revealed her office is approached on average once a month by gardaí who believe a foetus has been discovered - when in reality it’s a plastic toy alien.
Dr Cassidy, during a lecture at Dublin’s Royal College of Surgeons, said the dolls look nothing like human foetuses.
“They bounce,” she said.
In cases where the finding of a doll is brought to the attention of her office, the gardaí have already shown it to a doctor, who has pronounced it a foetus, probably between six or eight weeks old, Dr Cassidy said.
If anyone finds one of the dolls in their garden, don’t call the gardaí, the State Pathologist told a packed hall on Monday night.
She was speaking at the RCSI Mini Med school, a 10-week course to introduce medicine to a wider audience.
The popular synthetic alien toys, which come with their own slime, are manufactured by Glasgow firm Grossman. They are sometimes known as Millennium Babies.
Dr Cassidy said her mortuary technician knows on sight that it’s a toy. He has a wicked sense of humour, she said, and in front of the open-mouthed gardaí will throw the doll against the wall, telling them that’s how he checks it’s not a foetus.
Her office is approached regularly by gardaí who have found bones and insist they must be human.
“They have insisted we come and have a look at it - the number of dogs we have dug up,” said Dr Cassidy.
The State Pathologist, who rarely gives interviews, played down her key role in the investigation of suspicious deaths. During an entertaining, near hour-long address, she said the role of the forensic pathologist has narrowed in recent years.
A large team can now be involved in investigations and she can draw on the expertise of many forensic specialists in anthropology, dentistry and even entomology (the study of insects).
The high-profile pathologist said her role on site is minimal as the experts in photography, blood patterns, fingerprints and ballistics take over.
“It’s nice when I’m invited ... but I’m not really much help,” she said.
At the scene, she keeps her eyes open, mouth shut and hands in pockets.
However, forensic pathologists come into their own at the mortuary.
She added: “I’m not great, not the cleverest, but I’m awfully handy with a sharp knife.”
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