Serial 1894-10

RYMUR 89-4286-1894, pp. 145-146

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Date of transcription 12/15/1978]

Dr. Leslie Mootoo, Pathologist, furnished the following information:

At the request of the Guyana Government he traveled to Jonestown in Guyana where he observed the vast number of dead at the Jonestown settlement. He conducted medical examinations on a number of dead bodies. He examined 38 identified adults and one identified child. All of these persons showed positive signs of having taken cyanide poison. He also examined the bodies of Reverend James Jones who died from a gunshot wound to the head. Jones had no cyanide poisoning inside his body. He also examined the body of Annie Moore who also suffered a massive gunshot wound to the head. Dr. Mootoo while at Jonestown observed many syringes (well over 50 but too numerous to count) and numerous hypodermic needles both uncapped and capped. He tested one syringe which contained cyanide. He tested one of the hypodermic needles and it contained valium. He observed numerous vials and one of the vials tested contained cyanide and valium. He observed a large vat in what appeared to be the main area of Jonestown and that that contain cyanide and other unidentified fluids. In examining the many dead bodies he observed what appeared to be recent skin punctures on some of the bodies about the upper arms, and his personal opinion is that they may have been made by needles. He is presently having tests conducted on the skin tissue to verify his observation. The results of these tests will be available at a later date. Dr. Mootoo also observed bottles of chloral hydrate on the table in the same location as the vat containing cyanide and other fluids. His personal opinion is that the chloral hydrate was possibly used on the children.

In addition to examining the 39 identified bodies plus the bodies of Jones and Moore he also examined a small number of unidentified bodies.

Dr. Mootoo advised that his report was not completed but that when it was completed, it could be obtained through Assistant Commissioner of Police Cecil A. Roberts, Guyana National Police.

Date of the following transcription 12/18/1978, of interview conducted 12/6/1978 in Port Kaituma, Guyana, with name of interviewer withheld. Unclear who was interviewed.

A search of the airstrip was conducted for the purposes of recovery of any additional fired ammunition components or other items not recovered by the Guyanese Police Department in their initial crime scene search. Present at the airstrip and participating in the search were Doctor Leslie Mootoo, Assistant Police Commissioner C. A. Roberts, [names deleted], four U.S. Army helicopter pilots and two U.S. Army helicopter crew chiefs and numerous Guyanese natives. . .