Slain NJ mother 911 call made by her husband has forensic expert warning one mistake could derail focus
A chilling 911 call made by the husband of slain New Jersey mother and psychotherapist Brooke Hanlon has been shared over and over and has been picked apart by internet sleuths searching for clues.
The call’s distressed and disturbing audio reveals graphic detail of how Conor Hanlon found his bloodied wife.
Brooke Hanlon, 35, was found fatally stabbed inside her Chester, New Jersey home on June 6. No one has been charged in her death and Hanlon has not been accused of any crime or wrongdoing.
Fox News Digital attempted to reach Conor Hanlon but calls were not immediately returned.
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Following the call's release, theories circulated online about a possible suspect. One of the nation’s top forensic linguists is warning those following the case not to jump to conclusions.
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"You can’t tell from a 911 call," Dr. Robert Leonard, a forensic linguist and Hofstra University professor, said to Fox News Digital.
"People very often try to," he goes on to say.
Dr. Leonard’s blunt breakdown comes amid social media speculation.
Internet sleuths are dissecting Hanlon’s frantic tone of voice and his word choice, like referring to one of Brooke’s wounds as a "laceration" in the nearly seven-minute call.
That’s exactly the kind of analysis that has led to devastating mistakes, Dr. Leonard said.
He pointed to multiple murder investigations where innocent people were publicly vilified because of how they sounded while calling 911.
One case he references is that of the father of Isabel Celis, Sergio Celis. He reported his six-year-old daughter missing from their Tucson, Arizona home in 2012.
Investigators discovered her remains five years later; leading up to this discovery, Mr. Celis was branded a killer, Dr. Leonard says.
"For six years all of the supposed amateur experts said he did it," Leonard said.
Ultimately, Christopher Clements , a convicted sex offender, was also convicted of young Isabel’s murder and kidnapping.
In another notorious case, then-teenager Marty Tankleff, of Long Island, New York spent 17 years in prison, wrongfully convicted.
Prosecutors zeroed in on his alleged calm demeanor following the killings of his parents; that conviction was eventually overturned.
"Everybody is so different," Leonard said. "There are no reliable markers."
He goes on to say, "We should not rush to judgment."
As for the call itself, he said, "You don’t do a murder investigation with one bit of data," he said.
The investigation into Brooke Hanlon’s killing is ongoing, The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office is leading the investigation.
There is still a $1,000 reward for anyone who can provide information in the case.