Alexis Sharkey: Experts weigh in on circumstances surrounding Houston social media influencer's death

Experts weighing in on the death of Houston social media influencer Alexis Sharkey said Thursday that investigators are now likely analyzing the woman's final days and how her body appeared when it was found.

Sharkey, a Houston transplant, moved to the Texas city with her new husband, Tom, earlier this year, relatives previously said. She reportedly left her home Friday after having a disagreement with her husband. The next day, the 26-year-old’s naked body was discovered by a city public works employee who noticed feet in bushes along Red Haw Lane, according to police and local reports.

Medical examiners seeking clues about the cause and manner of death typically run tests both at the scene where the body was found and in an internal exam. Investigators will look at evidence left behind on the victim or at the scene, and any bruises or markings on the body, forensic pathologist and Fox News contributor Dr. Michael Baden said Thursday.

An autopsy of Sharkey's body was pending as of Thursday afternoon. But a spokesperson for the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, the agency performing the examination, previously told Fox News the possibility of foul play "has not been ruled out."

Baden is not involved in the investigation of Sharkey’s death and spoke generally about the case, using only information already made public.

He said it’s typical for investigators not to rule out foul play early, unless a death is deemed natural, which would be “extremely unlikely” in Sharkey's case given the circumstances.

Issues of sexual assault would have to be raised, he said.

“Houston police would have looked very carefully in the bushes" for evidence of how she got there, Baden said, noting that it's likely her body was taken to the area considering she was nude.

“And whoever did it may have left something behind at the scene, whether it's shoe prints, whether tire tracks, whether it's pieces of clothing that got pulled off when they're going into the bushes.”

Investigators will further look for any fingerprints or DNA left behind. Baden said it’s unlikely that fingerprints will be recovered from Sharkey's body. But, he said, traces of DNA could be retrieved in certain areas, such as under her fingernails.

They’ll also examine her stomach contents for clues indicating her time of death by determining when, and potentially where, she last ate, he said.

"At the scene, the time of death might be approximated," said Baden.

But investigators would "still want to see how much rigor mortis (stiffening of the body’s muscles and joints) is present; to see how ... the settling of blood has occurred, lividity, and the temperature of the body compared to the outside temperature can all give an idea of how long she had been dead," he said. "And whether she had been there the whole time or had been moved from another place."

Baden has previously worked as the chief medical examiner for the New York City’s Office of the Chief Medical ... (Read more)

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