judicial

Imel discards controversial evidence collected in Truth Commission search

Remains found by a search dog between 2000 and 2003 were, in fact, planted by its owner.

The search was ordered to find remains of people who disappeared during the military dictatorship.

Ana Rentería/LA PRENSA

discarded:Members of the Imel team investigating cases from the military dictatorship discuss the evidence that has been discarded.1039979

The Ministerio Público has decided to discard evidence collected during “Operation Eagle,” which uncovered the alleged remains of people who disappeared during the military dictatorship.

That announcement was made yesterday by forensic anthropologist Ann Ross, a memberof the Instituto de Medicina Legal (Imel) team working on the case.

The team has been investigating the disappearance of more than 100 people during the military dictatorships that ruled the country from 1969 to 1989.

Ross explained that the remains discovered by “Eagle,” a search dog from America, had been planted by its owner, Sandy Anderson. Eagle and Anderson worked for the Truth Commission, which was formed to investigate crimes committed during the military dictatorship, in 2000, 2001 and 2003.

Anderson was sentenced to two years in prison in 2005 after pleading guilty to lying to the FBI and to planting evidence in seven cases handled by that agency. Eagle died in 2006.

Members of the Imel team met with relatives of the victims yesterday to discuss the status of the investigation.

Ross said that it has remains of 59 possible victims, 30 of which were found during Operation Eagle. Most of the remains discovered by the dog were tested and found to be animal, not human.

The agency is sending four samples to a lab in the United States that will conduct DNA tests in an attempt to determine whether they are human, and the identity of the victim.

To date, the Truth Commission has positively identified the remains of 11 people who went missing during the military dictatorship.