‘Alarmist’ 
 
 A theory that Sandra Bland was already dead in her mugshot received coverage from mainstream outlets this week. But the medical examiner who conducted a family-requested autopsy for Michael Brown calls the idea ‘ridiculous.’ 
 
 Two weeks after 28-year-old Sandra Bland was found hanging in her Waller County, Texas cell—where she had been held for three days since being arrested for changing lanes without using a signal—the controversy over her cause of death is intensifying. 
 
 Most recently, following a coroner ruling her death a suicide, some circles in social media have alleged that Bland was already dead in her mugshot. 
 
 Citing everything from the low-resolution photo’s background matching the color of a cell’s floor to the positioning of Bland’s shoulders to the way her hair is set, diagrams of the conspiracy started to pick up mainstream coverage in outlets like Buzzfeed, Complex, and The Independent. 
 
 But according to leading forensic experts, there is no evidence to indicate Bland is dead in her mugshot—with one even calling the claim “ridiculous.” 
 
 “Now, theoretically, you can set up a photo of a dead person to look alive,” said Dr. Michael Baden, who recently conducted a private autopsy at the request of the family of Michael Brown, the 18-year-old black man shot by police in Ferguson, Missouri. 
 
 “But to say that she’s dead from the photo is ridiculous because you can say that about almost any head photo. You have to use evidence.” 
 
 “There’s nothing in the photo to indicate she’s dead,” says Dr. Adel Shaker, a board-certified anatomic and forensic pathologist with almost three decades of experience. “Period.” 
 
 John Hiserodt, a doctor with over 20 years of experience as a forensic pathologist who says he has performed over 4,000 autopsies, says it would be impossible to determine if she’s dead based on the low-resolution picture alone. 
 
 “There’s no way I could tell from that mugshot,” he says. “From just looking at a photo, there are no signs. Unless it is of marked, advanced decomposition—then an elementary student could tell. Not only a forensic pathologist—a layman could tell.” 
 
 Another forensic pathology professor, who asked to remain anonymous, concurred. “To think that you can discern whether she is alive or dead based on this image is ridiculous and alarmist,” he says. 
 
 The legality of Bland’s arrest itself has been called into question in the last week. The Waller County’s Sheriff’s office has faced controversy over contradictions in Bland’s booking documents, dashcam footage that reveals the arresting officer threatening Bland with a stun gun while saying “I will light you up,” and alleging she consumed a large amount of THC while in custody. 
 
 But the media shouldn’t be jumping on a conspiracy bandwagon, according to Baden, who was also the New York State Police’s chief forensic pathologist. 
 
 “The mugshot is taken when she comes in, so the theory is she’s dead when she comes out of the police car, after a police altercation, and they don’t announce her death for three days? I don’t understand it,” says Baden. 
 
 Baden’s laundry list of forensic pathology credentials include a stint as New York City’s chief medical examiner, chairing a federal committee investigating the assassination of John F. Kennedy, authoring more than 80 articles and books, and hosting HBO’s Autopsy. 
 
 “There’s nothing to indicate she’s dead in that photo, and for people to make the assumption that there’s a big conspiracy,” he says, “what’s the purpose of it? It doesn’t make sense. There are too many witnesses.” 
 
 Despite the controversies that still plague the circumstances of Bland’s tragic death, Baden says the mugshot needs to be treated as nothing more than a low-resolution booking photo. ||||| Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE After the Texas Department of Public Safety released the dashcam video of Sandra Bland's arrest, viewers noticed what appeared to be edits. The next day, they released another version without the "glitches." Review part of the videos side-by-side. USA TODAY 
 
 An undated handout image released July 21, 2015, by the Waller County, Texas, Sheriff's Office shows Sandra Bland after her arrest stemming from an altercation during a traffic stop by a Texas Department of Public Safety officer in Hempstead, Texas,on July 10. (Photo: Waller County Sheriff's Office) 
 
 Mystery deepens around the case of Sandra Bland, the Illinois woman who headed south to Texas to start a new job and who was found dead in a jail cell earlier this month. 
 
 Bland's police mugshot is circulating on social media, and debate has erupted over whether Bland might actually be dead in the photo, and whether the potentially fabricated image is part of a cover-up for some harm that came her way. The arguments have pulled in a range of people, including the author known as Zane and reality show personality Judith Camille Jackson. 
 
 "I am big on looking into people's eyes and I don't see any life in hers," Zane posted on Facebook. "I hope they did not do such a despicable thing as is being implied." 
 
 Tweeted Judith Camille Jackson of the Oxygen Network's The Bad Girls Club, "My heart goes out to Sandra Bland if she is in fact already dead in her mugshot. We have a serious problem. RIP." 
 
 “They took a mugshot of a dead woman and tried to pass her off as alive.” From Twitter 
 
 Bland was arrested on July 10 after failing to use a turn signal and becoming combative with a state trooper, Waller County, Texas, authorities said. Video that has surfaced shows a trooper yelling for Bland to get out of her car and demanding that she put her phone away. 
 
 Three days later, Bland was found dead, hanging from a noose made from a plastic bag, in her cell at the Waller County Jail. On Thursday, Warren Diepraam, a Waller County prosecutor, said Bland's cause of death was suicide. 
 
 But after word circulated about the case, questions went viral. Bland's death comes on the heels of a what seems to be a streak of cases in which unarmed black Americans have died or been injured at the hands of the police. 
 
 The Waller County Sheriff's Department could not be reached for comment. 
 
 “There's nothing ... to suggest that she's dead in that shot.” Dr. Michael Baden 
 
 Supporters of the theory that Bland is dead in the photo say she appears to be lying down on a floor, not standing up against a wall. They say that her skin appears blotchy and her eyes, though open, look flat. They also point out that she is wearing orange jail wear for the mugshot, not her street clothes. 
 
 Forensic pathologist Michael Baden, who has consulted in many high profile cases, examined the image for USA TODAY and said he does not see any evidence that would indicate Bland is not alive in the mugshot. While people can die with their eyes open, the lids usually droop, and Bland's eyes look "purposefully open," Baden said. 
 
 He also said it's impossible to tell if someone is recently dead from a photo, and often it is impossible to tell in person because the deceased will simply appear as if they are sleeping, he said. 
 
 "There's nothing in it to suggest that she's dead in that shot," Baden said. "I've seen hundreds and hundreds of mugshots. Most people have a sad expression on their face. … She has an angry look, and I don't blame her for being angry." 
 
 People who have passed away normally appear as if they are sleeping, and there is no way to tell from a photograph that someone is alive or dead unless they have begun to decompose, Baden said. 
 
 "She's in the normal position posture of hundreds of mug shots," Baden said. "It doesn't make sense" he said of the theory. 
 
 But not everyone agrees. 
 
 "This Sandra Bland story hit me really hard," the Twitter account @Ogshayla, a self-described feminist from Florida, posted. "They took a mugshot of a dead woman and tried to pass her off as alive." 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1MNtXdj ||||| Many people on social media believe the details surrounding Sandra Bland's jail cell death are inconsistent and don't add up — but almost all evidence points to the contrary, especially after prosecutors on July 28 released video of Bland having her mugshot taken. 
 
 Waller County Sheriff officials said they believe Bland died in her cell the morning of July 13, from asphyxiation with a trash bag, three days after she was pulled over for not using her turn signal and then arrested for allegedly assaulting an officer. The Harris County medical examiner ruled her death a suicide. But Waller County District Attorney Elton Mathis said the 28-year-old's death would be treated "just as it would be a murder investigation." "There are many questions that are being raised here in Waller County," Mathis said. "It needs to be a thorough and exhaustive review." 
 
 Most of those questions and conspiracy theories were dispelled on July 28, when prosecutors released video of Bland walking through the jail and posing for her mugshot during the booking process: View this post on Facebook Facebook: video.php 
 
 Before the video was released, the strongest evidence was Bland's voicemail to a Texas friend, LeVaughn Mosley, from her cell. In the voicemail posted by WLS-TV, Bland said, "how did switching lanes with no signal turn into all of this?" At the time, that was not enough for some people, who have gone as far to say that the inconsistencies suggest she didn't die inside her jail cell – an idea that was picked up widely on social media: 
 
 The fact that #SandraBland could possibly be dead in her mugshot makes me sick to my stomach. 
 
 A lot of people are saying that there's a possibility that #SandraBland was dead & then the police took her mugshot. I have no words. 
 
 How do you take a mugshot of a dead person and think people won't notice? #SandraBland 
 
 I don't know why #SandraBland being dead in her mugshot bothers me so much. Like i've seen lifeless bodies before but this is just different 
 
 Some of the inconsistencies gaining traction have already been answered, some remain under official investigation, and some have not been answered. On Thursday, the Waller County Sheriff's Department released a two-page statement addressing some of the questions being raised regarding some inconsistencies and some conspiracy theories, including Bland's mug shot, clothing and booking process. Among the questions being asked: 
 
 1. Why do her booking documents appear to have contradicting details about her epilepsy? !!! Why are there inconsistencies in #SandraBland medical info? #WhatHappenedToSandraBland .@OliviaYoungers 
 
 In the 15-page PDF of booking documents released by the Waller County Sheriff's Department Wednesday, there are two different reports surrounding Bland's medical history. On one page, it states that Bland was taking Keppra, a medication for her epilepsy. On a different page, later in the booking documents, it states that Bland wasn't on any medication. 
 
 2. Why do her booking documents appear to have contradicting details about a possible suicide attempt More inconsistencies in #SandraBland jail documents #WhatHappenedToSandraBland 
 
 In the same section that lists her epilepsy medication, it describes a suicide attempt in 2015., though, later on in the document, in a different questionnaire, it states that Bland hadn't ever attempted suicide. Family members have also said that Bland had not been previously diagnosed with depression or other mental health issues and would never have attempted to take her own life. 
 
 Waller County Sheriff officials said inmates booked in their jail are asked suicide, medical and mental health screening questions at two points during their booking process. The first is done in the beginning by jail staff with the arrestee and arresting officer. Those forms are then given to a "main control supervisor" before inmate is accepted in the jail. After the inmate's mug shot is taken, a second screening is done at the booking desk, with jail staff verbally asking the questions to the inmate. "If the answers are different at each time, this indicates the inmate changed their answer," Waller County Sheriff Department officials said in the written statement. If Bland offered differing answers about what medication she was taken, or previous attempts at suicide, the answers could have been different in the documents since they were completed at different times. 
 
 3. Why do her booking documents appear to have different years written down for Bland's suicide attempt? .@leahbink, a @HoustonChron reporter, has noted inconsistencies in the medical health evaluation docs. #SandraBland 
 
 In a handwritten section toward the end of the booking documents, it appears as though whoever filled it out wrote "2015" and then wrote "2014" over it. "I can tell you that we take issue with the notion that she suffered from depression," the Bland family's attorney, Cannon Lambert, told reporters. However, Bland posted a video on her Facebook in March in which she discussed suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Here are the two conflicting sections of the report. 
 
 4. The statement from Justice of the Peace Charles Karisch describing a plastic bag hanging from something. @BreeNewsome Also, see the bizarre statement by the "Justice of the Peace" (src: http://t.co/hGxK2j6zBc ): 
 
 Shortly after 9 a.m., Justice of the Peace Charles Karisch arrived at Bland's jail cell and pronounced her dead. Karisch told reporters that he believed he saw "a plastic bag hanging on something" and a dark mark around her neck. The vagueness of Karisch's quote is being questioned, considering that Karisch arrived not long after jailers found Bland hanging from a privacy partition in her cell, which was, according to a timeline of events given by authorities, at 8:58 a.m. 
 
 5. What did she hang herself from? This was apparently #SandraBland's cell. Do trashcans come in all cells? Where did she supposedly hang herself from? 
 
 Many are asking for more details about where Bland could have hanged herself. Capt. Brian Cantrell of the Waller County Sheriff's Department said Bland was found in a "semi-standing position" and that her feet were on the ground. Bland is six feet tall. There are questions surrounding whether or not a trash bag would be strong enough to be fastened into a noose. The trash bags used in Bland's cell have been removed from the jail. And the particular trash bag reportedly used in her suicide is being examined for fingerprints and DNA and for any signs it was handled by anyone other than Bland. Here's a full shot of Bland's cell. The area where she allegedly hung herself, officials said, is on the gray Y bar blocking the toilet area. 
 
 6. Was an open Bible placed on her bed after she died? .@isiahcareyFOX26, a Houston reporter, has noted that they've now left an open bible in #SandraBland's former cell. 
 
 KRIV TV Reporter Isiah Carey noted on his Instagram that the placement of a bible on Bland's bed had been changed. It does appear as though it was opened up to a particular page in later broadcasts of her cell. 
 
 7. Why wasn't Bland in her mugshot photo wearing the clothes she was arrested in? 
 
 In Bland's mugshot, she's wearing a bright orange jumpsuit. If you look through a gallery of mugshots taken at Waller County Sheriff's Department, you'll notice that it isn't that common. 
 
 Sheriff officials said whether or not inmates are wearing street clothing or an inmate's orange jumpsuit depends on how busy the booking area is at the time. "Depending on how many inmates are being processed at this time, an inmate's photograph may be taken in their original clothing, or the inmate may be dressed out in orange," according to the statement. 
 
 8. Of the Waller County mugshots where inmates are wearing orange, why does Bland's look different? @blogdiva @marymad @TenorioPraxGab I grabbed some mugshots from Waller County Jail FB page 2 compare... 
 
 There have been other mugshot photos taken at the Waller County Sheriff's Department where an inmate has been put in an orange jumpsuit. Three recent mugshots at Waller County where inmates were wearing orange jumpsuits were all for sexual assault. 
 
 9. Where is Bland's second mugshot photo? The only mugshot that was taken. Something is definitely not right here. #SandraBland #WhatHappenedToSandraBland 
 
 Waller County Sheriff's Department did release the second mugshot of Bland from a side angle on Wednesday evening. BuzzFeed News has reached out for a higher-resolution photo of Bland's side mugshot. 
 
 10. What about the other inconsistencies of Bland's current mugshot? her background is the same color as her cell floor... #WhatHappenedToSandraBland 
 
 People have also speculated about the position of Bland's shoulders, the fact that the color of the background matches the floor of the jail's holding cell, and the angle of the photograph in order to make the case that Bland was not alive when the photo was taken. The most popular theory currently being circulated combines all of those details, arguing that Bland's mugshot was taken from above as she was on the floor of the jail's main holding cell. Mugshots of other inmates at Waller County Jail, however, were taken against a similar background. Here is a high-resolution photo of what the jail cell looks like from the front of the building. The cell that Bland's body was in when she was discovered by jailers is along the right corridor. 
 
 Sheriff officials said mug shot pictures are taken on a wall just south of the booking officer's desk. Depending where the inmate stands, however, the shading of the background may be slightly different, officials said. "We should note that if the inmate is not standing directly in the center of the backdrop, a portion of the white wall may appear," the statement read. 
 
 On Tuesday, July 28, prosecutors released video showing Bland walking through the Waller County Jail during her booking process and standing for her mugshot, dispelling many of the rumors that were swirling around social media. View this post on Facebook Facebook: video.php 
 
 Here is the complete security camera footage from the morning of the Bland's death. View this video on YouTube youtube.com
– One forensic expert tells the Daily Beast the claim is "ridiculous." But being ridiculous never stopped the Internet before: A theory has been making the rounds on social media (and covered by outlets like USA Today and Buzzfeed) that Sandra Bland was actually dead in her mugshot photo. The argument being put forth: the background's photo looks like the cell floor; she's wearing an orange jumpsuit, while most mugshots taken at the jail feature street clothes; her eyes look "flat," as USA Today puts it. But Buzzfeed observes that "mugshots of other inmates at Waller County Jail ... were taken against a similar background." And a two-page statement from the Waller County Sheriff's Department released Thursday explained the jumpsuit. "Depending on how many inmates are being processed at this time, an inmate's photograph may be taken in their original clothing, or the inmate may be dressed out in orange," it read. Forensic pathologist Michael Baden shot down the theory in comments to USA Today. The eyelids of the dead typically droop when open, he says, while her eyes appear "purposefully open." He continues to the Daily Beast, "To say that she’s dead from the photo is ridiculous because you can say that about almost any head photo. You have to use evidence." And another forensic pathologist says a low-resolution photo will never be capable of providing that evidence. "From just looking at a photo, there are no signs."