The mucous stain on her shirt sleeve was non-hemorrhagic (no blood).
Just a few comments so everyone understands what the AR tells us and what it represents. At the time his observations are recorded, he is telling what he sees without the benefit of test results. That’s why he says she has a “
yellow metal band” on her finger instead of saying it was a
gold ring.
Dr. Meyer didn’t state that the stain on her shirt was non-hemorrhagic. That connection might be made if we accept his association with the dried mucous material noted on her right cheek -- which he
did state
appeared not to be hemorrhagic. When he first viewed her body with the shirt on, he probably made that assumption because of the location of the stain in relation to her cheek when her head was turned to the right. That’s an easy assumption to make; but the problem is that she also had bruised abrasion on her right shoulder underneath the shirt which he hadn’t found yet since he made those notations before it had been removed. So there is also a possibility that the stain showing on the outside of her shirt was from the abrasion underneath. That’s a possibility, but I still think the stain was indeed from her nose because he describes it as being on the front of her sleeve (no pictures of it, so we don’t know exactly where it was located).
Here is each of Meyer’s pertinent statements:
- There are no defects noted in the shirt but the upper anterior right sleeve contains a dried brown-tan stain measuring 2.5x1.5 inches, consistent with mucous (sic) from the nose or mouth.
- The external auditory canals are patent and free of blood.
- The nostrils are both patent and contain a small amount of tan mucous material.
- On the right cheek is a pattern of dried saliva and mucous material which does not appear to be hemorrhagic.
- EVIDENCE: Items turned over to the Boulder Police Department as evidence include: ...swabs from right and left thighs and right cheek...
What I would point out is that he doesn’t mention the color of the “
pattern of dried saliva and mucous material” on her cheek -- only that it “
does not appear to be hemorrhagic”. We’ve only seen the picture of that dried fluid on her cheek. To me, it looks like it might be tinged with blood, but that could be because the dried mucus is clear and the right side of her face has hypostatic lividity.
Also noteworthy is that he documents that the nostrils are not injured yet “
contain a small amount of tan mucous material.” So if the dried fluid on her cheek came from her nostrils, why does he say it “
does not appear to be hemorrhagic?” Perhaps he was unable to visually differentiate between the color of the dried fluid and the color of her skin -- whereas the color of the stain was very prominent in contrast on her white shirt. Fortunately he did take a sample of the dried fluid and submit it for testing (as noted in the AR and quoted above). We just don’t know the results of that testing.
Usually, any fluid that is excreted from the victim of TBI through either the nostrils or the ears is because of a breakdown of either the blood-brain barrier or the blood-CSF barrier (or both). Where it leaks tells a doctor the location of the breakdown. The color tells him which barrier(s) is(are) broken. CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) is completely clear. Any red tint to it means there is blood in it. A person who suffers a TBI (whether or not they survive) doesn’t just get a runny nose like from a cold or allergies. It is a condition called
CSF Rhinorrhea and it is very serious. From Medscape (link at bottom):
CSF rhinorrhea is a rare but potentially devastating condition that can lead to significant morbidity and mortality for the patient. Disruption of the barriers between the sinonasal cavity and the anterior and middle cranial fossae is the underlying factor leading to the discharge of CSF into the nasal cavity.
This is one of the reasons those with medical expertise have said that even if JonBenet had not been strangled, her chance of survival from the head blow alone was very unlikely.
One more thing worth noting:
It is not in the AR, but someone (one of the investigators?) has said that the tape over her mouth had been placed there over this fluid. If that is true (I can’t see it in the photo -- maybe someone else can), does it not point out the absolute fact that the tape was not actually placed there to keep her quiet? Anyone should understand that she was unconscious after the head blow.
:findinglink:
Links for further reading:
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/861126-overview
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choroid_plexus#Function
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood–brain_barrier
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebrospinal_fluid
http://care.american-rhinologic.org/csf_leaks
http://writingexplained.org/mucus-vs-mucous-difference
http://extras.denverpost.com/news/jon124.htm
