Chiropractor used to ID fire victim
BY JESSICA SMITH
Staff Writer

A local chiropractor provided the missing link necessary to identify the third victim of a fire that tore through a Spotswood home May 27.

Dr. Errol Blitz, a Monroe Township chiropractor, was able to identify 49-year-old Alma Totin, whose name was released May 31 by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office.

"I received a phone call from the Medical Examiner's Office in New Brunswick," Blitz said. "I thought it was a joke at first. I really didn't understand why they were contacting me."

Totin's body was burned beyond recognition, and there were no dental records from the past seven years to consult. Jewelry she wore provided a chance for identification, but with no one to consult, it proved useless. When a statement for an outstanding bill from Blitz surfaced inside the charred house, it represented the key to uncovering Totin's identity.

"If they didn't find that receipt, if it didn't make it through the fire, they wouldn't have even known to call me," Blitz said. "They had nothing else to identify this woman."

Although spinal bones are not inherently unique, because of specific degenerative conditions in Totin's spine Blitz was able to provide a positive match by examining X-rays.

"It's my career, it's the things we do when we look at the films," Blitz said. "Apparently, that was what they needed."

Among the elements that added up to the match were a large bone spur in the cervical spine, involving the same vertebrae in both X-rays, scoliosis of the lumbar spine, and calcification in the spinal bones. The location and the direction of the bone spurs helped Blitz in his work, as did the nature of the curvature in the lumbar, he said.

Blitz said he has been practicing for 20 years and has never heard of a chiropractor being consulted to identify a body.

"I was pleased to assist the Medical Examiner's Office and the family members in providing a positive identification," Blitz said.

The fire was reported by a police officer at 1:30 a.m. May 27. Firefighters found the bodies of Roman Lipinski, 53, and Alfred Soos, 59, in upstairs bedrooms of the two-story Short Street home. It appeared that the men were trying to escape the fire, authorities said. Totin's body was found downstairs. The three victims of the fire were roommates, according to officials.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the fire, which was deemed accidental. The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office said the likely cause of the blaze was a candle, as remnants of candles were discovered in a downstairs recreation room, Assistant Prosecutor Ralph Cretella said.

According to Blitz, when he treated Totin one-and-a-half to two years ago, she had worked at a local diner. She was engaged to one of the men who perished in the fire, and is survived by a daughter. Further details from the Prosecutor's Office were unavailable at press time.