Conn. Seeks Genetic Clue to Lanza's Rampage

Asperger's 'not on the menu,' medical examiner says
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 19, 2012 2:00 AM CST
Updated Dec 19, 2012 5:00 AM CST
Genetic Clues Sought in Newtown Shooting
Crime scene tape surrounds the home of Nancy Lanza in Newtown, Conn.    (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

Investigators have brought in a geneticist in an effort to piece together a reason behind the Newtown school massacre, reports the Hartford Courant. Connecticut's chief medical examiner says he is still waiting for toxicology results on Adam Lanza and that he hopes the gunman's biology may offer some answers. "I'm exploring with the department of genetics what might be possible, if anything is possible," he says. "Is there any identifiable disease associated with this behavior?"

The medical examiner says it's not clear whether the 20-year-old had Asperger's syndrome, but the disorder "is simply not on the menu, in terms of what is wrong with this kid. Asperger's is not associated with behavior patterns that are violent." Investigators had hoped that Lanza's computer would offer clues to what lay behind what appears to have been a well-planned rampage, but he smashed his hard drive beyond repair before the shooting. (More Adam Lanza stories.)

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