Washington -- GW Law and Forensic Sciences Professor James E. Starrs will reveal the findings of his inquiry, including revelations from the D.C. Medical Examiners files, on the death of former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover at the 50th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences on February 13, 1998 at the San Francisco Hilton Hotel. He will address an audience of professionals representing a wide range of forensic specialties who are gathering to present the most current information, research and updates in the field.

Suggestive circumstances near the time of Hoover's death have created considerable speculation about his demise: whether it was by natural causes or the result of a homicide or suicide. Armed with autopsy and related reports on the remains of Hoover obtained as a result of a suit filed late last year against the D.C. Medical Examiner's Office, Starrs will moderate a discussion of the issues involved in conducting an autopsy, determining manner of death and clandestine killings. The recently released records are of considerable value in reinterpreting Hoover's death, and will be discussed at the AAFS conference.

Starrs will be joined in his presentation by a team of medical, scientific and legal experts including: Dr. Michael M. Baden, Dr. Gerald B. Lee, Bruce A. Goldburger, Ph.D., David M. Benjamin, Ph.D., Duayne J. Dillon, Thomas B. Streed, Ph.D., Carol Henderson, J.D., Dr. Joseph H. Davis and John H. Trestrail III. In addition, Dr. James Luke, the medical examiner who no posted Hoover's death, and Curt Gentry, author of a leading biography on Hoover entitled "J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets," are scheduled to be present.

Media reports of Hoover's death stated that he died from hypertensive cardiovascular disease. While it is not unreasonable to assume that he could have expired in this manner, his medical record did not support this claim. According to his private physician, he did not have any heart disease. He was not in ill health and had accumulated 2,626 unused hours of sick leave during his tenure at the Bureau. At the time, the D.C. Medical Examiner did not conduct a complete autopsy to confirm the cause of death.

There is information to indicate that Hoover may have been the subject of an assassination attempt. He received death threats regularly. During the second of two claimed burglaries of his home, poison was said to have been placed on Hoover's toilet articles. It is possible that poisoning by this means could have induced a heart attack. In addition, there are significant aspects of Hoover's life which suggest that he could have committed suicide. It has been insinuated that he was taking amphetamines, an overdose of which could have contributed to his death. Unfortunately, there is no evidence of any post-mortem toxicological studies to support this view.

Lastly, Hoover's professional disputes were widely known and publicized in a scathing biography by Jay Nash, "Citizen Hoover." A call from President Nixon the night before his death urging him to retire might have put Hoover in a distraught state of mind. The cumulative effects of these circumstances provide a distinct motive for suicide. These are among the many issues that the presenters will put to the test of scientific analysis and discussion on February 13.

The American Academy of Forensic Sciences is a professional society dedicated to the application of science to the law, the promotion of education and the elevation of accuracy, precision and specificity in the forensic sciences. The Academy consists of 10 sections representing the forensic specialties of criminalis- tics, engineering sciences, jurisprudence, odontology, pathology and biology, physical anthropology, psychiatry and behavioral sciences, questioned documents, toxicology and a multi- disciplinary general section.

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