It was to be a showdown of facts and science devoid of politics. Either it would have cleared the name of embattled medical examiner Dr. Charles Siebert, or shown that his critics were right.
Now, it looks as though that battle will never take place.
Siebert stepped down as medical examiner for District 14 on Dec. 28, the day before the Florida Medical Examiners Commission met and decided not to rehire the man they had fired last summer.
Siebert was let go after a probable-cause panel report found he had violated state law. The report said Siebert didn't do all he claimed he'd done in his autopsy of Martin Lee Anderson. The Panama City teen died Jan. 6, 2006, a day after he was hit and restrained by drill instructors at the Bay County boot camp, an incident captured on videotape.
State Attorney Steve Meadows rehired him on an interim basis until a permanent replacement was found. A local search committee named Siebert as that replacement, after other candidates withdrew their names.
Siebert had challenged their decision not to renew his contract and was scheduled to have a Division of Administrative Hearing on Jan. 15, where he could argue his case. The hearing was originally scheduled for October 24, but was pushed back. Siebert has said the delay gave lawyers time to regroup after the boot camp trial which ended Oct. 12, and cleared all defendants in the case. Verdicts he said helped prove his case, that Anderson died from sickle-cell trait, and was not suffocated as another medical examiner concluded.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement spokeswoman Kristen Perezluha said the department has put in a request to cancel the Jan. 15, hearing. Not only did Siebert quit, but he's taken another job in New Jersey.