State lawmaker has grim task of identifying constituents who died in fires

Assemblyman Jim Wood (left), Rep. Jared Huffman and state Sen. Mike McGuire are briefed on the firestorm Oct. 10 by Sheriff Tom Allman in Redwood Valley (Mendocino County). Assemblyman Jim Wood (left), Rep. Jared Huffman and state Sen. Mike McGuire are briefed on the firestorm Oct. 10 by Sheriff Tom Allman in Redwood Valley (Mendocino County). Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 75 Caption Close State lawmaker has grim task of identifying constituents who died in fires 1 / 75 Back to Gallery

Since the deadly and devastating Tubbs and Redwood Valley fires broke out in distant parts of his district late Oct. 8, Assemblyman Jim Wood has been scurrying from meeting to briefing, viewing damage, consoling people who’ve lost homes and family members, and directing them to where they can seek help.

Now, the Healdsburg Democrat begins the grim task of identifying some of his constituents killed in those fires.

In addition to representing the residents of the Second Assembly District, which reaches from northern Santa Rosa to the Oregon border, Wood is a forensic odontologist, a special type of dentist who examines the teeth and dental records of those whose bodies are unrecognizable.

Helping Northern California sheriffs’ departments with human identifications is a job Wood has been performing for 20 years. He works with five Northern California counties, including Mendocino and Sonoma, where more than 30 people died in the fires.

Despite his experience, Wood expects it to be an emotionally challenging task.

“This is the most sobering thing I’ve had to deal with in a long, long time,” said the 57-year-old assemblyman, who is serving his second term. “The number of deaths, the circumstances of their deaths, and knowing that they are all, you know, essentially neighbors.

“While I’ve done this for a number of years, the circumstances are different. This is hitting very close to home and in a very personal way. It’s very sobering, very grim.”

Identifying remains that have been badly burned in a fire — in many cases, cremated — can be a difficult task. Forensic experts are often left only with bones, or bone fragments, to analyze.

DNA, the favorite identification tool of television crime investigation shows, is often useless when fire is involved. A board-certified forensic pathologist familiar with similar cases said fire often dries out and destroys DNA while fire and water cook it.

Still, investigators will sometimes attempt to find DNA deep inside a bone or in the pulp of a tooth. If it exists, the DNA will need to be compared with a sample from a living relative, preferably a sibling, parent or child.

Without DNA, investigators tend to rely on implanted medical devices, bone analysis or dental examinations to make positive identifications, said a pathology expert, who asked not to be named because of potential future involvement in identifying some of the fire victims.

Modern medicine, with its proliferation of medical devices like pacemakers, joint replacements and prostheses, has helped make identifications easier. The devices typically contain serial numbers linked to the person whose identity is being sought. Because they are often made of durable materials like titanium and wedged deep inside bones, they are more likely to have withstood flames.

“Those are immensely useful,” said Jesse Dizard, chairman of Chico State University’s anthropology department, which has a nationally known human identification program that’s helping Mendocino County investigators with the Redwood Valley Fire.

Forensic anthropology can also aid in the identity search by employing techniques to analyze bones to determine age, race, gender and height of a victim as well as past physical traumas or bone cancers.

“If you can use those things to help narrow down the remains you have, it gives (investigators) an idea of who to look for dental records for, and so forth,” said Charles Cecil, an adjunct professor of anthropology at Skyline College and research associate at the California Academy of Sciences.

Depending on the intensity of the fire, anthropologists may find they have a lot to work with or very little. They may discover a whole bone or skeletal remains, or they may have to try to reconstruct bones from fragments.

That was the case in the Oakland Hills Fire 26 years ago Thursday, Cecil said. Anthropologists were able to reconstruct a bone and determine that it was from a man who likely did a lot of heavy lifting. That helped identify the victim as a veteran mountain climber who had been missing since the fire.

But frequently the identification comes down to teeth and dental records, experts say, because teeth are the hardest objects in the human body and usually survive. However, heat can discolor them, and particularly intense temperatures can cause them to crack.

Odontology, Wood said, “is often the method of last resort. Dentistry is the best shot at getting an ID.”

When investigators have a hunch on whose remains they’ve found, they ask relatives, friends and insurance companies to help them find the person’s dentist. They then request X-rays and other dental records. No central database for dental records exists, with the possible exception of military veterans or those who’ve served time in prison.

Once the records are obtained, the odontologist will compare the teeth to the dental X-rays and other records, looking for dentures, bridges, crowns, fillings and other distinctions that would identify the victim. It’s usually successful, the pathologist said, unless the person hadn’t visited the dentist in a long time or was a child with no dental work.

The process of identification in these cases takes time — weeks or even months.

“These are difficult cases,” said Wood. “I know family members want to know, but it takes time.”

Wood had a dental practice in Cloverdale before he was elected to the Assembly in 2014, but sold it. He decided to keep practicing odontology, though, because it requires an unusual expertise that benefits the public.

“I have a skill set that is unique and valuable,” he said. “It gives me a sense of purpose at a time when many people are struggling to find a way to help.”

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan