Medical examiners unsure how 4 girls died

Two D.C. medical examiners say they are unsure how four girls found decomposing in a row house died.

The medical examiners testified Tuesday at the Banita Jacks trial that the girls’ bodies were so badly decomposed, they couldn’t determine what caused their deaths. But they said they remained confident that the children, ages 5 to 17, were killed.

U.S. Marshals serving an eviction in Jacks’ southeast D.C. home discovered the girls’ bodies in January 2008. Jacks has pleaded not guilty to charges of premeditated first-degree murder.

The medical examiners said that marks on the three youngest girls’ necks suggest they were strangled. Earlier this week, another medical examiner said he was 50 percent sure the oldest child was stabbed.