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Speak Her Name: Stories from a Life in True Crime
When a family friend died unexpectedly, Dr. Mary Jumbelic was pulled into the investigation—and uncovered the true cause of death. This woman was one of hundreds uanble to move, unable to speak, laying on autopsy tables due to violent crimes. Mary uses her unique voice to speak for these victims and seek justice.
Throughout her career as a medical examiner, Mary saw female bodies that had been sexually violated, battered, stabbed, and shot. Their corpses were dismembered. Some were buried in shallow graves, while others meticulously hidden. A majority of these deaths had been caused by someone the women knew—just like her friend.
As a woman in a man's world, Mary spent her life honing her forensic skills. Through this work, she came to terms with events in her own life. Experiencing motherhood in juxtaposition with her job provided constant reminders of her two one with the living, and one with the dead. Personal and professional experiences are interwoven in this tapestry of memoir.
Real women. True stories.
We bear witness and use the truth to effect change. Together, we speak her name.
Throughout her career as a medical examiner, Mary saw female bodies that had been sexually violated, battered, stabbed, and shot. Their corpses were dismembered. Some were buried in shallow graves, while others meticulously hidden. A majority of these deaths had been caused by someone the women knew—just like her friend.
As a woman in a man's world, Mary spent her life honing her forensic skills. Through this work, she came to terms with events in her own life. Experiencing motherhood in juxtaposition with her job provided constant reminders of her two one with the living, and one with the dead. Personal and professional experiences are interwoven in this tapestry of memoir.
Real women. True stories.
We bear witness and use the truth to effect change. Together, we speak her name.
- GenresNonfictionBook Club
288 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 7, 2025
About the author
Mary Jumbelic
2 books14 followersShe speaks for the dead. They speak for her.
Mary Jumbelic, M.D. is an author from Central New York, and former chief medical examiner of Onondaga County.
A board-certified forensic pathologist, Mary has performed thousands of autopsies during her 25-year career. She has received awards for her work from the National Transportation Safety Board and the New York State Senate, and has been recognized as a trailblazer by the National Organization of Women. As an expert witness, she has appeared on numerous national broadcasts, most recently Dateline and 48 hours.
In retirement, Mary has published many nonfiction stories, accounts of her life both in and out of the morgue. Using her experiences, she provides a strong voice for the deceased as explores the human imprint made by those departed, demystifying death for herself, and others.
In November 2023, Mary published her first book, literary memoir "Here, Where Death Delights" (ISBN: 979-8988205203) in which she shares her journey from first experience of death to the crimes she has helped to solve with her forensic expertise.
Mary has separately published with more than 25 literary publications and, in 2021, her work was chosen in the top ten for the Tucson Literary Festival and a different story nominated for the Pushcart Prize. In 2014, her piece was selected for the top ten in the AARP/Huffington Post Memoir Writing Contest.
Mary teaches writing, and enjoys sharing her expert tips for a great crime novel or pathology mystery. She is also an Assistant Editor for Stone Canoe.
Mary lives in Central New York with her husband, and is surrounded by family.
Mary Jumbelic, M.D. is an author from Central New York, and former chief medical examiner of Onondaga County.
A board-certified forensic pathologist, Mary has performed thousands of autopsies during her 25-year career. She has received awards for her work from the National Transportation Safety Board and the New York State Senate, and has been recognized as a trailblazer by the National Organization of Women. As an expert witness, she has appeared on numerous national broadcasts, most recently Dateline and 48 hours.
In retirement, Mary has published many nonfiction stories, accounts of her life both in and out of the morgue. Using her experiences, she provides a strong voice for the deceased as explores the human imprint made by those departed, demystifying death for herself, and others.
In November 2023, Mary published her first book, literary memoir "Here, Where Death Delights" (ISBN: 979-8988205203) in which she shares her journey from first experience of death to the crimes she has helped to solve with her forensic expertise.
Mary has separately published with more than 25 literary publications and, in 2021, her work was chosen in the top ten for the Tucson Literary Festival and a different story nominated for the Pushcart Prize. In 2014, her piece was selected for the top ten in the AARP/Huffington Post Memoir Writing Contest.
Mary teaches writing, and enjoys sharing her expert tips for a great crime novel or pathology mystery. She is also an Assistant Editor for Stone Canoe.
Mary lives in Central New York with her husband, and is surrounded by family.
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May 14, 2026
Like her first book, Here Where Death Delights (2023), Mary Jumbelic’s Speak Her Name (2025) provides fascinating accounts of homicides that, as a forensic pathologist, she was called on to solve. Both books intersperse formative events in Jumbelic’s life with case histories drawn from her career. Speak Her Name (2025), however, focuses on violence against women. It exposes society’s pervasive sexism and misogyny in a forceful and nuanced way. Despite the feminist movement of the 1960’s and recent “Me Too” movement, Speak Her Name demonstrates that law enforcement may fail to protect a vulnerable woman, especially if the abuser is her husband.
Mary Jumbelic grew up in Baltimore in a loving, stable home, but lost her father when she was thirteen. Her mother worked as a housecleaner, struggling to make ends meet. Despite struggles with undergraduate science courses, Jumbelic excelled in medical school, where she met her husband, Marc. With their three boys, the couple moved to various cities, seeking a place where both could have satisfying medical careers. Jumbelic became a surgeon, but soon left a cruelly male-dominated profession, which marginalized even the most competent women. Because a high school job-shadowing project at the morgue had profoundly influenced her, she turned to cutting “up dead bodies for a living” (145). Jumbelic spent more than 25 years as a pathologist, examining almost one thousand victims of homicidal violence, many of them women.
Since there are only 500 Medical Examiners nationwide who are also surgeons, Jumbelic has a rare combination of skills. Through close examination of human-made marks and traces (e.g., fabric or chemicals) left on victims’ bodies, inside and out, Medical Examiners recreate the last moment’s of a victim’s life. They interpret their findings for laypersons, often in courts of law. As a Medical Examiner, Jumbelic learned how suddenly and easily young, seemingly healthy people die. In her own words, Mary devoted herself to “serving as a witness so that lives of those lost will not be buried along with the bodies” (185).
Internalizing society’s sexism, many women take the blame for their husband’s abuse. Until recently, Americans considered “wife-beating” a private family matter. Mary describes attending church bingo games with her mother and listening to the ”lady talk.” These middle-class women considered the beatings an acquaintance routinely received just another bit of gossip: “Al’s drinking again. . . . She ended up with stitches last time” (28). In Speak Her Name, Jumbelic recounts a phone call with her childhood friend Stacy, who had claimed that her husband was “Prince Charming.” During a terrible fight, Stacy’s husband strangled her until she almost lost consciousness. Stacy shouldered the blame: “He told me to be quiet. I wouldn’t. You know how I get. I keep shouting” (153). Jumbelic, who had seen too deaths from domestic disputes, urged her friend to pack a bag and leave. Stacy’s story, however, is left unfinished.
ANY little girl or adult woman, Speak Her Name suggests, is vulnerable to male violence. Momentarily separated from her father at an amusement park, five-year-old Mary was seized by would-be abductor. Though, almost immediately, her father confronted the pedophile and rescued his daughter, many children are not as fortunate. Speak Her Name includes excruciating case histories of children who are killed or grievously harmed. In another biographical incident, Jumbelic, as a young single woman, was on vacation with girl friends in Mexico. She narrowly escaped being raped by a man who offered her a ride back to her hotel. Jumbelic juxtaposes this personal story with an account, year later, of examining the body of an 18-year-old, stabbed to death by someone she freely admitted to her apartment. By interspersing case histories of female corpses she examined with stories from her own life, Jumbelic does not permit female readers to distance themselves emotionally from victims of violence.
As a middle-class woman with an intact, nurturing family, I tend to protect myself emotionally when hearing of gruesome homicides. Deploring the gullibility and poor choices of murder victims, I tell myself: “This couldn’t happen to me because I don’t live in that crime-ridden part of town.” Speak Her Name, however, does not allow readers to feel superior to victims of male violence. It insists on the female reader’s commonality, her shared vulnerability, with all women. Jumbelic expresses—and demands from her reader— remarkable empathy with the dead women she examines.
From 1998 until her retirement in 2009, Jumbelic was Chief Medical Examiner of Onondaga County. As a Syracuse resident since 1983, I read contemporary media accounts of several cases that she was instrumental in solving. In 1996, a Syracuse University student, April Gregory, was declared missing. After a long investigation, a neighbor revealed that April had hit her head and died during an argument. He dismembered her body and buried the parts in the his basement and yard. At the time, my husband and I had a close friend who lived on the same street. Dave and I took ghoulish pleasure in pointing out the “body parts house” as we drove by.
I also vividly remember Jill Cahill’s death in 1998. In the hospital after her husband had nearly beaten her to death, Jill began to recover. Her husband disguised himself as a janitor, snuck into her hospital room, and poisoned her. Jumbelic had examined Jill both before and after her tragic death. As a Medical Examiner, she often examined hospitalized victims of violence—preverbal children or women too severely injured to speak for themselves—to determine the cause of their injuries.
The most high-profile murder in Speak Her Name is Leslie Neulander in 2012. Jumbelic and her husband were neighbors of the Neulanders and attended the same synagogue. Bob Neulander, a respected pediatrician, claimed that his wife had died from a fall while showering. A family friend, however, confided to Jumbelic that she was sure that Bob had murdered Leslie. Not only was Bob involved in money difficulties and an affair with another woman, but his claim that he had carried his injured wife from the shower to the bedroom to perform CPR did not make sense. Jumbelic telephoned an old friend, District Attorney, William Fitzpatrick, with her suspicions. Though Mary had retired as Medical Examiner, “Fitz,” who also was suspicious of Neulander’s story, urged her to read the Neulander file. These documents convinced Mary that, beyond a doubt, Leslie had been murdered. Shortly before Bob Neulander was about to leave for Israel, which has no extradition treaty with the U.S., police apprehended him. Convicted of the murder of his wife, Neulander is presently serving a long prison sentence. Jumbelic’s timely call to the DA averted a grave miscarriage of justice.
Reading her two books, I was struck by the profoundly spiritual way in which Jumbelic approached her job as a forensic pathologist. Though brought a Catholic, and educated by nuns, Mary converted to Judaism when she married. Speak Her Name describes death from the perspective of multiple spiritual traditions. Since 1990, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act requires that Native American remains be returned to lineal descendants rather than sent to museums. In an exceedingly moving chapter, Jumbelic describes a reburial ceremony. Chief Waterman, Wisdom Keeper of the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation, wrapped the unearthed remains in buckskin, then secured them with colorful ribbons, assuring that the deceased will be recognized by the Creator in the Sky World.
In Speak Her Name, Jumbelic describes “serving as a witness so that the lives of those lost will not be buried along with the bodies” (185). Through her meticulous examinations of the bodies and personal effects of persons who have died violently, she gives a voice to persons who can no longer speak for themselves. Jumbelic says this of her career as forensic pathologist: “I met the dead after the light of their living was extinguished. Yet their appellations and countenances shine in my mind as bright as a theater marquee. They glow in neon light intensity as on the day we met—April, Quiana, Amber, Valerie, Denise, Carol—effortlessly plucked from the interstices of the memory” (190).
Mary Jumbelic grew up in Baltimore in a loving, stable home, but lost her father when she was thirteen. Her mother worked as a housecleaner, struggling to make ends meet. Despite struggles with undergraduate science courses, Jumbelic excelled in medical school, where she met her husband, Marc. With their three boys, the couple moved to various cities, seeking a place where both could have satisfying medical careers. Jumbelic became a surgeon, but soon left a cruelly male-dominated profession, which marginalized even the most competent women. Because a high school job-shadowing project at the morgue had profoundly influenced her, she turned to cutting “up dead bodies for a living” (145). Jumbelic spent more than 25 years as a pathologist, examining almost one thousand victims of homicidal violence, many of them women.
Since there are only 500 Medical Examiners nationwide who are also surgeons, Jumbelic has a rare combination of skills. Through close examination of human-made marks and traces (e.g., fabric or chemicals) left on victims’ bodies, inside and out, Medical Examiners recreate the last moment’s of a victim’s life. They interpret their findings for laypersons, often in courts of law. As a Medical Examiner, Jumbelic learned how suddenly and easily young, seemingly healthy people die. In her own words, Mary devoted herself to “serving as a witness so that lives of those lost will not be buried along with the bodies” (185).
Internalizing society’s sexism, many women take the blame for their husband’s abuse. Until recently, Americans considered “wife-beating” a private family matter. Mary describes attending church bingo games with her mother and listening to the ”lady talk.” These middle-class women considered the beatings an acquaintance routinely received just another bit of gossip: “Al’s drinking again. . . . She ended up with stitches last time” (28). In Speak Her Name, Jumbelic recounts a phone call with her childhood friend Stacy, who had claimed that her husband was “Prince Charming.” During a terrible fight, Stacy’s husband strangled her until she almost lost consciousness. Stacy shouldered the blame: “He told me to be quiet. I wouldn’t. You know how I get. I keep shouting” (153). Jumbelic, who had seen too deaths from domestic disputes, urged her friend to pack a bag and leave. Stacy’s story, however, is left unfinished.
ANY little girl or adult woman, Speak Her Name suggests, is vulnerable to male violence. Momentarily separated from her father at an amusement park, five-year-old Mary was seized by would-be abductor. Though, almost immediately, her father confronted the pedophile and rescued his daughter, many children are not as fortunate. Speak Her Name includes excruciating case histories of children who are killed or grievously harmed. In another biographical incident, Jumbelic, as a young single woman, was on vacation with girl friends in Mexico. She narrowly escaped being raped by a man who offered her a ride back to her hotel. Jumbelic juxtaposes this personal story with an account, year later, of examining the body of an 18-year-old, stabbed to death by someone she freely admitted to her apartment. By interspersing case histories of female corpses she examined with stories from her own life, Jumbelic does not permit female readers to distance themselves emotionally from victims of violence.
As a middle-class woman with an intact, nurturing family, I tend to protect myself emotionally when hearing of gruesome homicides. Deploring the gullibility and poor choices of murder victims, I tell myself: “This couldn’t happen to me because I don’t live in that crime-ridden part of town.” Speak Her Name, however, does not allow readers to feel superior to victims of male violence. It insists on the female reader’s commonality, her shared vulnerability, with all women. Jumbelic expresses—and demands from her reader— remarkable empathy with the dead women she examines.
From 1998 until her retirement in 2009, Jumbelic was Chief Medical Examiner of Onondaga County. As a Syracuse resident since 1983, I read contemporary media accounts of several cases that she was instrumental in solving. In 1996, a Syracuse University student, April Gregory, was declared missing. After a long investigation, a neighbor revealed that April had hit her head and died during an argument. He dismembered her body and buried the parts in the his basement and yard. At the time, my husband and I had a close friend who lived on the same street. Dave and I took ghoulish pleasure in pointing out the “body parts house” as we drove by.
I also vividly remember Jill Cahill’s death in 1998. In the hospital after her husband had nearly beaten her to death, Jill began to recover. Her husband disguised himself as a janitor, snuck into her hospital room, and poisoned her. Jumbelic had examined Jill both before and after her tragic death. As a Medical Examiner, she often examined hospitalized victims of violence—preverbal children or women too severely injured to speak for themselves—to determine the cause of their injuries.
The most high-profile murder in Speak Her Name is Leslie Neulander in 2012. Jumbelic and her husband were neighbors of the Neulanders and attended the same synagogue. Bob Neulander, a respected pediatrician, claimed that his wife had died from a fall while showering. A family friend, however, confided to Jumbelic that she was sure that Bob had murdered Leslie. Not only was Bob involved in money difficulties and an affair with another woman, but his claim that he had carried his injured wife from the shower to the bedroom to perform CPR did not make sense. Jumbelic telephoned an old friend, District Attorney, William Fitzpatrick, with her suspicions. Though Mary had retired as Medical Examiner, “Fitz,” who also was suspicious of Neulander’s story, urged her to read the Neulander file. These documents convinced Mary that, beyond a doubt, Leslie had been murdered. Shortly before Bob Neulander was about to leave for Israel, which has no extradition treaty with the U.S., police apprehended him. Convicted of the murder of his wife, Neulander is presently serving a long prison sentence. Jumbelic’s timely call to the DA averted a grave miscarriage of justice.
Reading her two books, I was struck by the profoundly spiritual way in which Jumbelic approached her job as a forensic pathologist. Though brought a Catholic, and educated by nuns, Mary converted to Judaism when she married. Speak Her Name describes death from the perspective of multiple spiritual traditions. Since 1990, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act requires that Native American remains be returned to lineal descendants rather than sent to museums. In an exceedingly moving chapter, Jumbelic describes a reburial ceremony. Chief Waterman, Wisdom Keeper of the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation, wrapped the unearthed remains in buckskin, then secured them with colorful ribbons, assuring that the deceased will be recognized by the Creator in the Sky World.
In Speak Her Name, Jumbelic describes “serving as a witness so that the lives of those lost will not be buried along with the bodies” (185). Through her meticulous examinations of the bodies and personal effects of persons who have died violently, she gives a voice to persons who can no longer speak for themselves. Jumbelic says this of her career as forensic pathologist: “I met the dead after the light of their living was extinguished. Yet their appellations and countenances shine in my mind as bright as a theater marquee. They glow in neon light intensity as on the day we met—April, Quiana, Amber, Valerie, Denise, Carol—effortlessly plucked from the interstices of the memory” (190).
September 7, 2025
Speak Her Name is a powerful and deeply human story that blends grief, resilience, and the search for truth. Mary Jumbelic writes with striking transparency, opening her own story in a way that feels both brave and deeply connective. Her honesty allows the reader to not only see her life, but to reflect on their own.
On a personal level, I found echoes of my own past experiences with spousal violence in her writing. Reading those passages was difficult but also validating, as it reminded me that survival and healing can exist alongside pain.
What moved me most was how she gives victims of crime a voice after death, ensuring their lives carry meaning beyond tragedy. Her words honor them and invite us to witness, not just observe.
On a personal level, I found echoes of my own past experiences with spousal violence in her writing. Reading those passages was difficult but also validating, as it reminded me that survival and healing can exist alongside pain.
What moved me most was how she gives victims of crime a voice after death, ensuring their lives carry meaning beyond tragedy. Her words honor them and invite us to witness, not just observe.
December 9, 2025
I really enjoyed this. It's a collection of stories about women who were victims of crimes who Dr. Jumbelic met through her work in forensic sciences. She weaves in her own story about her life and career trajectory between the chapters. The chapters about the women victims give voice to their names and their stories, which I really loved. Though their ends were violent, Dr. Jumbelic honors each of these women by telling their stories and not letting them fade into oblivion. Each chapter is quite short, making this an easy read, though quite graphic since we are reading about actual crimes, autopsies, and related investigations.
Dr. Jumbelic is local to me (she is the former Chief Medical Examiner for Onondaga County) and this local connection likely made me enjoy the book more.
Dr. Jumbelic is local to me (she is the former Chief Medical Examiner for Onondaga County) and this local connection likely made me enjoy the book more.
July 1, 2025
As a true crime lover, I highly recommend Speak Her Name. It’s more than just a story, it’s a raw, powerful journey that shines a light on the realities so many women face. Mary’s courage in sharing her own experience, and her dedication to giving a voice to other women who have survived domestic violence, is truly inspiring. This book doesn’t just tell a story; it raises awareness, sparks empathy, and reminds us how important it is to keep women safe. If you appreciate true crime that goes beyond the headlines and dives deep into the human side, this is a must-read.
September 1, 2025
This book gives proves to you that pathologists are human. Jumbelic combines horrifying stories of murder by many different methods with her normal personal life. An underrunning story of the book was a friends purported accidental death. After her retirement, Mary was asked by a friend to look ove the file and reinvestigate. The case went to trial and the husband was sent to prison. Mary is a compassionate and consciencious doctor. Doctors of all kinds should be this way.
July 2, 2026
True crime has increasingly become a popular genre, seeing breakout engagement numbers in books, TV, podcasts, and other formats. There’s a morbid fascination that many feel when they listen to or read about terrible things happening to people. Those who report on true crime or talk about it for a living do so for many reasons. In this case, we have an author who both investigates violent crimes against women and also gives them a voice, often in death. That’s vital work, and this book is all the more compelling because it speaks the truth, even if it’s not always easy to hear.
Speak Her Name: Stories from a Life in True Crime, by MD Jumbelic, is a nonfiction book that belongs in the true crime genre. It might remind some readers of the HBO series The Jinx, Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, and similar fare.
With this genre, there’s a fine line between sensationalism and straightforward reporting or storytelling. Jumbelic is able to walk it seemingly with ease, as her light touch, even on the gorier details of her stories, is appreciated. She doesn’t spare us from the horror of what she’s often had to report on, yet she doesn’t dwell on it either. That’s just as well, since many passages of the book would be nightmare inducing otherwise.
Along with the details of several of her more famous cases, Jumbelic offers a thoughtful meditation on what it is about the human condition that causes people to commit the types of awful crimes that wind up in this type of collection. There’s a little wry humor occasionally sprinkled in, but also a concerted attempt to humanize the victims. Presumably, their families would appreciate that. It’s a better use of one’s time than trying to deconstruct what went on in the minds of some of the killers and sadists that populate these pages. In that direction lies madness.
This kind of book isn’t for everyone, but even those who don’t care to spend their time reading about these true-life terrors can’t deny how important this kind of work is. Here, justice, pain, and the inevitable search for closure are all given equal time.
Speak Her Name: Stories from a Life in True Crime, by MD Jumbelic, is a nonfiction book that belongs in the true crime genre. It might remind some readers of the HBO series The Jinx, Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, and similar fare.
With this genre, there’s a fine line between sensationalism and straightforward reporting or storytelling. Jumbelic is able to walk it seemingly with ease, as her light touch, even on the gorier details of her stories, is appreciated. She doesn’t spare us from the horror of what she’s often had to report on, yet she doesn’t dwell on it either. That’s just as well, since many passages of the book would be nightmare inducing otherwise.
Along with the details of several of her more famous cases, Jumbelic offers a thoughtful meditation on what it is about the human condition that causes people to commit the types of awful crimes that wind up in this type of collection. There’s a little wry humor occasionally sprinkled in, but also a concerted attempt to humanize the victims. Presumably, their families would appreciate that. It’s a better use of one’s time than trying to deconstruct what went on in the minds of some of the killers and sadists that populate these pages. In that direction lies madness.
This kind of book isn’t for everyone, but even those who don’t care to spend their time reading about these true-life terrors can’t deny how important this kind of work is. Here, justice, pain, and the inevitable search for closure are all given equal time.
July 10, 2026
In this compelling memoir, Speak Her Name: Stories from a Life in True Crime, Dr. Mary Jumbelic offers readers a rare and deeply personal look into the world of forensic pathology while honoring the lives of women whose stories might otherwise have been forgotten. Drawing from her extensive career as a medical examiner, Jumbelic recounts real cases involving victims of violence and abuse, using her expertise to uncover the truths hidden behind tragic deaths.
What makes this book particularly powerful is its balance between professional insight and personal reflection. Rather than focusing solely on the technical aspects of death investigations, Jumbelic explores the human stories behind each case. She gives voice to women who can no longer speak for themselves, emphasizing the importance of justice, accountability, and remembrance. The cases presented are often difficult to read due to their subject matter, but they are handled with dignity and compassion.
The memoir also examines Jumbelic’s experiences as a woman working in a demanding and traditionally male-dominated profession. Her reflections on perseverance, professional growth, and personal resilience add depth to the narrative. Equally moving are the passages that explore the contrast between her work among the dead and her role as a mother and family member. These dual perspectives create a thoughtful exploration of how one navigates both the fragility and value of human life.
Readers interested in true crime, forensic science, or memoirs will find much to appreciate in this book. However, it is more than a collection of crime stories. It is a testament to the importance of bearing witness, seeking truth, and remembering victims as individuals rather than statistics.
Overall, this memoir is an insightful, respectful, and emotionally resonant work that highlights the critical role forensic investigators play in the pursuit of justice while reminding readers of the enduring humanity behind every case.
What makes this book particularly powerful is its balance between professional insight and personal reflection. Rather than focusing solely on the technical aspects of death investigations, Jumbelic explores the human stories behind each case. She gives voice to women who can no longer speak for themselves, emphasizing the importance of justice, accountability, and remembrance. The cases presented are often difficult to read due to their subject matter, but they are handled with dignity and compassion.
The memoir also examines Jumbelic’s experiences as a woman working in a demanding and traditionally male-dominated profession. Her reflections on perseverance, professional growth, and personal resilience add depth to the narrative. Equally moving are the passages that explore the contrast between her work among the dead and her role as a mother and family member. These dual perspectives create a thoughtful exploration of how one navigates both the fragility and value of human life.
Readers interested in true crime, forensic science, or memoirs will find much to appreciate in this book. However, it is more than a collection of crime stories. It is a testament to the importance of bearing witness, seeking truth, and remembering victims as individuals rather than statistics.
Overall, this memoir is an insightful, respectful, and emotionally resonant work that highlights the critical role forensic investigators play in the pursuit of justice while reminding readers of the enduring humanity behind every case.
July 6, 2026
“Speak Her Name” by Mary Jumbelic, M.D., a retired expert forensic pathologist who served Onondaga County, Syracuse, New York, for 25 years, is a deeply personal memoir and professional diary focused on homicides known as intimate partner femicides, and sexual violence against women and girls. It is a reminder that victims are alive to the living among us who speak their names.
The author’s style is personal, deeply empathetic, and decidedly educational, but also strategically hopeful. Jumbelic shares how important milestones in her personal life and family, closely intertwined with professional ones offering an intimate timeline of events. The highlight, however, moves from murderers, child predators, and abusive husbands to stories of love and kindness she experienced as a woman and as a forensic professional delivering the bad news, achieving a brilliant story sequence. It shows how she managed to literally reside between the living and the dead while ensuring the narrative is interesting, easy to read, and emotionally balanced in spite of the book’s genre.
Speak Her Name unavoidably contains graphic and disturbing content from crime scenes, descriptions of sexual abuse, domestic violence, and personal trauma. Yet the book is classroom-ready. Jumbelic leans on her lecturing experience to convey the brutality of perpetrators using a professional vocabulary that exudes respect and empathy for the dead. Candidly written to raise awareness on femicide crime, the book provides behavioral information anyone can tap to educate themselves or potential victims, even disrupt domestic violence.
This book focuses on the living, the responsibility we all have to speak up. It is important to note that femicide is part of a growing societal effort to engage and stand up against all gender driven crimes, including child sexual abuse against girls and boys.
The author’s style is personal, deeply empathetic, and decidedly educational, but also strategically hopeful. Jumbelic shares how important milestones in her personal life and family, closely intertwined with professional ones offering an intimate timeline of events. The highlight, however, moves from murderers, child predators, and abusive husbands to stories of love and kindness she experienced as a woman and as a forensic professional delivering the bad news, achieving a brilliant story sequence. It shows how she managed to literally reside between the living and the dead while ensuring the narrative is interesting, easy to read, and emotionally balanced in spite of the book’s genre.
Speak Her Name unavoidably contains graphic and disturbing content from crime scenes, descriptions of sexual abuse, domestic violence, and personal trauma. Yet the book is classroom-ready. Jumbelic leans on her lecturing experience to convey the brutality of perpetrators using a professional vocabulary that exudes respect and empathy for the dead. Candidly written to raise awareness on femicide crime, the book provides behavioral information anyone can tap to educate themselves or potential victims, even disrupt domestic violence.
This book focuses on the living, the responsibility we all have to speak up. It is important to note that femicide is part of a growing societal effort to engage and stand up against all gender driven crimes, including child sexual abuse against girls and boys.
July 8, 2026
Speak Her Name is one of the most powerful memoirs I've read this year because it refuses to sensationalize tragedy. Instead, it restores dignity to women whose stories might otherwise have been reduced to headlines or forgotten altogether. Dr. Mary Jumbelic writes with remarkable compassion, reminding us that every case file began with a real person whose life mattered.
What struck me most was the balance between the forensic and the deeply personal. The medical examiner's work is undeniably fascinating, but this isn't a book that dwells on shock value. Rather, it explores what it means to carry the weight of hundreds of violent deaths while still raising a family, maintaining empathy, and believing that careful scientific work can deliver justice for those who can no longer speak for themselves.
I also appreciated how candidly Mary reflects on navigating a profession that was overwhelmingly male when she entered it. Her personal experiences never overshadow the victims—instead, they provide the emotional lens through which readers understand the resilience required to do this work for decades. The memoir becomes not only a collection of true crime investigations but also a portrait of a woman determined to transform grief into purpose.
What stayed with me long after I finished the final chapter is the book's quiet insistence that remembering is an act of justice. These women are not defined solely by how they died but by the fact that someone was willing to pursue the truth on their behalf. Readers who appreciate thoughtful true crime, forensic medicine, memoirs of public service, and books that examine violence with empathy rather than spectacle will find Speak Her Name both unforgettable and profoundly moving.
What struck me most was the balance between the forensic and the deeply personal. The medical examiner's work is undeniably fascinating, but this isn't a book that dwells on shock value. Rather, it explores what it means to carry the weight of hundreds of violent deaths while still raising a family, maintaining empathy, and believing that careful scientific work can deliver justice for those who can no longer speak for themselves.
I also appreciated how candidly Mary reflects on navigating a profession that was overwhelmingly male when she entered it. Her personal experiences never overshadow the victims—instead, they provide the emotional lens through which readers understand the resilience required to do this work for decades. The memoir becomes not only a collection of true crime investigations but also a portrait of a woman determined to transform grief into purpose.
What stayed with me long after I finished the final chapter is the book's quiet insistence that remembering is an act of justice. These women are not defined solely by how they died but by the fact that someone was willing to pursue the truth on their behalf. Readers who appreciate thoughtful true crime, forensic medicine, memoirs of public service, and books that examine violence with empathy rather than spectacle will find Speak Her Name both unforgettable and profoundly moving.
June 29, 2026
Speak Her Name by Mary Jumbelic, M.D., is a powerful read.
This book was written extremely well and is rich in detail. Mary is a talented writer. The little details she gave, from the look of the room to what she was smelling, were told brilliantly. Her storytelling ability is incredible, and I will definitely check out her other books.
I admire her empathy for the women and that she gave them a voice through this book. This was written in a way where it's not just a crime book with case after case. Each woman was real, had a life, and deserved for their story to be told. This book was a hard read at times but incredibly necessary. The way she described each case and each woman was done in a respectful and compassionate way. I liked that she told stories of what happened to her in the past that relate to each case. It showed how she was able to connect and relate to these women, whether it was through motherhood or something that she experienced. She was able to relate to some of the women through her past, which made it even more personal.
I have no cons when it comes to this book. It was written well, and the way that it was organized was done well. Even though she jumped from the past to discuss a personal story and then to a case that took place years later, it was done well. Sometimes jumping back and forth in books can become confusing, but I never felt lost or confused as to where I was in the timeline.
Overall, this was an excellent and necessary book to read. Even after I put the book down, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I highly recommend this book!
This book was written extremely well and is rich in detail. Mary is a talented writer. The little details she gave, from the look of the room to what she was smelling, were told brilliantly. Her storytelling ability is incredible, and I will definitely check out her other books.
I admire her empathy for the women and that she gave them a voice through this book. This was written in a way where it's not just a crime book with case after case. Each woman was real, had a life, and deserved for their story to be told. This book was a hard read at times but incredibly necessary. The way she described each case and each woman was done in a respectful and compassionate way. I liked that she told stories of what happened to her in the past that relate to each case. It showed how she was able to connect and relate to these women, whether it was through motherhood or something that she experienced. She was able to relate to some of the women through her past, which made it even more personal.
I have no cons when it comes to this book. It was written well, and the way that it was organized was done well. Even though she jumped from the past to discuss a personal story and then to a case that took place years later, it was done well. Sometimes jumping back and forth in books can become confusing, but I never felt lost or confused as to where I was in the timeline.
Overall, this was an excellent and necessary book to read. Even after I put the book down, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I highly recommend this book!
August 11, 2025
This is the second book by Dr Mary Jumbelic, a noted forensic pathologist who is writing on her life and her career. Most importantly in Speak Her Name she reflects on women who crossed her autopsy table, under horrific circumstances. The stories Dr Jumbelic tells allowed justice to be done, and the names of the dead heard and remembered. We follow her path from schoolgirl in a Baltimore rowhouse to med school and to her fellowship at the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office the second busiest in the US. Her husband’s specialty of Pediatric Ophthalmology with hers limited choices going forward so off to Central Illinois and becoming a Coroner’s Pathologist was her fate. Eventually moving to Syracuse and finally as Chief of the Onondaga County Medical Examiner expanded her experience. There are more remarkable big city and small town cases with stops at 9-11 and KAL 747 in Guam as well. The victims’ stories compel reader to continue long reading sessions.
Within the pages of this book Dr Jumbelic shares some rather personal moments in her life. I learned a great deal more about her as a person, beyond our collegial friendship from Cook County MEO. Nothing however prepared me for the revelation within of an incident that truly shaped her career. Both her books are good reads for anyone in the death investigation realm or for a person seriously considering a career in forensic pathology.
Within the pages of this book Dr Jumbelic shares some rather personal moments in her life. I learned a great deal more about her as a person, beyond our collegial friendship from Cook County MEO. Nothing however prepared me for the revelation within of an incident that truly shaped her career. Both her books are good reads for anyone in the death investigation realm or for a person seriously considering a career in forensic pathology.
November 6, 2025
Mary Jumbelic’s Speak Her Name is more than a memoir it’s a courageous act of remembrance and reclamation. With unflinching honesty and profound compassion, Jumbelic offers a rare glimpse into the intersection of science, justice, and humanity. Each page bears witness to lives silenced by violence, yet restored in part through her voice.
As a medical examiner, Jumbelic navigated the harsh realities of a profession dominated by men and haunted by tragedy. But her perspective transcends the clinical: she writes not merely to inform, but to humanize. The stories she tells of women whose lives were cut short and of her own efforts to uncover their truths invite readers into a dialogue about empathy, accountability, and the transformative power of bearing witness.
Jumbelic’s prose is deliberate and deeply felt, walking the delicate line between professional detachment and emotional truth. Her juxtaposition of motherhood and mortality of nurturing life while investigating death adds powerful emotional weight to her reflections.
Speak Her Name is both an elegy and a rallying cry. It reminds us that behind every case file is a story, and behind every victim, a voice that deserves to be heard.
As a medical examiner, Jumbelic navigated the harsh realities of a profession dominated by men and haunted by tragedy. But her perspective transcends the clinical: she writes not merely to inform, but to humanize. The stories she tells of women whose lives were cut short and of her own efforts to uncover their truths invite readers into a dialogue about empathy, accountability, and the transformative power of bearing witness.
Jumbelic’s prose is deliberate and deeply felt, walking the delicate line between professional detachment and emotional truth. Her juxtaposition of motherhood and mortality of nurturing life while investigating death adds powerful emotional weight to her reflections.
Speak Her Name is both an elegy and a rallying cry. It reminds us that behind every case file is a story, and behind every victim, a voice that deserves to be heard.
August 14, 2026
I love true-crime novels, and this one hit close to home—literally. I live in the county where Dr. Jumbelic served as Medical Examiner, and I remember Leslie Neulander’s case well. It was front-page news, in part because her husband was a well-known OB/GYN. Even before Dr. Jumbelic became involved in the case, her husband was widely suspected of murdering his wife.
Dr. Jumbelic weaves her own personal story throughout the book, connecting it with the many autopsies she describes. While Leslie Neulander’s murder is a prominent part of the book, Dr. Jumbelic also tells the stories of many other women who were victims of domestic abuse and murder. Sadly, some of those cases remain unsolved.
I was fortunate enough to attend an in-person reading and purchase a personally signed copy of the book. If you enjoy true crime told from the perspective of a highly respected Medical Examiner, I highly recommend this book, as well as Dr. Jumbelic’s first book, *Here, Where Death Delights: A Literary Memoir*.
Dr. Jumbelic weaves her own personal story throughout the book, connecting it with the many autopsies she describes. While Leslie Neulander’s murder is a prominent part of the book, Dr. Jumbelic also tells the stories of many other women who were victims of domestic abuse and murder. Sadly, some of those cases remain unsolved.
I was fortunate enough to attend an in-person reading and purchase a personally signed copy of the book. If you enjoy true crime told from the perspective of a highly respected Medical Examiner, I highly recommend this book, as well as Dr. Jumbelic’s first book, *Here, Where Death Delights: A Literary Memoir*.
September 3, 2025
A well written book that methodically and tastefully unveils the vulnerability of women, any woman. Dr Jumbelic uses her professional experience as a forensic pathologist to inform us about the-much too common- violence against women that often results in death. In her book “Speak Her Name” she describes how some of these women died. She is compassionate in her details and makes sure we know who they were and what was their story. Crime against women does not discriminate on age, race, location or social status. It is a sad fact of life. I find the book informative and fascinating, a must read for men and women; in particular young women.
January 14, 2026
Mary Jumbelic shares her personal family story, and her journey toward becoming a Medical Examiner, interspersed with stories of women and girls she has autopsied. Speak Her Name is her effort to give a voice to women who have died by the intentional violence of someone else, frequently their own partner. Jumbelic is disturbed to discover one of her personal friends suffers such a death, and she will encounter the husband in the community and at her synagogue. Eventually, he is charged with his wife's murder and the case becomes a high profile trial at which Jumbelic may be asked to testify.
July 17, 2026
Speak Her Name is a mix of personal narrative and detailed accounts of the expert work of a true “doctor of pathology.”
The best part of this book for me is the unmasking of the slow, methodical work of those charged with entering the sacrosanct bodies of the dead. It left me thinking about doctors in general, how they can either treat patients with respect and dignity or with arrogance and distance.
In this book, Jumbelic reveals the work of a professional on the bodies of “friends,” not just the ones she knows personally.
I don’t like excessive gore. In this book, brace yourself. There is gore. But not a bit of excess.
The best part of this book for me is the unmasking of the slow, methodical work of those charged with entering the sacrosanct bodies of the dead. It left me thinking about doctors in general, how they can either treat patients with respect and dignity or with arrogance and distance.
In this book, Jumbelic reveals the work of a professional on the bodies of “friends,” not just the ones she knows personally.
I don’t like excessive gore. In this book, brace yourself. There is gore. But not a bit of excess.
November 8, 2025
Difficult to read at times, because it is so gruesome what some people do to other people - especially men to women or parents to children (god forbid), in the form of domestic violence. But a remarkable type of job, and career that Jumbelic describes. I do like how she weaves in her personal life stories as well.
The brevity of the chapters in some way makes it somewhat easier to stomach - because you know you don't have to 'face' the same story for too long of a time.... Awful stories.
The brevity of the chapters in some way makes it somewhat easier to stomach - because you know you don't have to 'face' the same story for too long of a time.... Awful stories.
October 18, 2025
The author is very respected in our central NY area. This second book is mainly about the IPV ( intimate partner violence) done to women. Through her years of experience as a pathologist she has encountered so many wrongs done to women in this area. I’m very glad that she has spoken out about this violence including the under privileged and privileged. This type of violence has no boundaries!
March 26, 2026
Beyond every expectation. It’s hard to summarize a review as it covers so much in such a powerful, captivating read. Not often am I jealous of an authors writing style, but this is written so well- you can feel every word, breath, bone and body. Memorizing in the worst yet best way. All I can say… nonnegotiable must read. 10 stars
July 2, 2026
This book is wonderful. I went to see Mary speak at my local library as I am a true crime junky. She was fascinating so I purchased her book. I am from the Central New York area so I remember many of the stories Mary retells especially the Leslie Neulander case. I also enjoyed reading about Mary’s life and all that she has experienced. She has lived an incredible life.
November 30, 2025
The main story is one of a murder investigation in Syracuse, my town. But the many other stories are of women murdered in vengeance, in anger, in shows of power. Dr Jumbelic writes with rich description of her life, her vocation as an ME and the women she helped in death to tell their story.
June 30, 2026
This was so poorly written—a hodgepodge of stories in no real order, and the author going off on random tangents only to end a chapter with one sentence attempting to tie it to the next. Recommended by someone I will not take recommendations from again.
September 6, 2025
Wow! I loved this book! Dr Jumbelic’s writing style captured me. Her expertise coupled with her experiences of female homicide hooked me from the beginning. A “must read”.
December 11, 2025
Dr. Jumbelic has led a fascinating professional as well as personal life. it was wonderful being able to hear her given author's discussion, in this book is definitely worth reading.
February 12, 2026
I finished reading Speak her name. Your book was fabulous. I loved learning about your work, the cases, and your journey growing up. I truly enjoyed reading it. Thank you 🙏🏼♥️
February 25, 2026
I have followed the case from the beginning and justice was finally served. I googled the murderer and his 2024 appeal was denied.
August 7, 2025
This was a quick read because it was so engaging . I loved the authors ability to weave in and out of her very difficult professional experiences with her family stories and stories from her childhood. I also really appreciated how she told the story of “Leslie” throughout the entire book. It was very well written and I loved listening to her tell her stories (I listened on Audible). The author tells an important story and I hope the many women out there who need someone like Mary Jumbelic can get the help and support they need by reading this
July 7, 2025
Dr. Jumbelic’s dual perspective as a woman and seasoned forensic pathologist lends credibility and depth. She writes from a professional and personal standpoint for justice and trauma
being both informative and deeply affective.
You feel like you are on every call with her. She speaks for the dead, so the families and those left behind have an answer.
As a forensic memoir, the book is vivid and sometimes has disturbing imagery; it is intended to show gender‑based violence.
Abuse against females of all ages goes undetected and ignored in many areas of the country.
I am waiting to see what she will share in her next book.
being both informative and deeply affective.
You feel like you are on every call with her. She speaks for the dead, so the families and those left behind have an answer.
As a forensic memoir, the book is vivid and sometimes has disturbing imagery; it is intended to show gender‑based violence.
Abuse against females of all ages goes undetected and ignored in many areas of the country.
I am waiting to see what she will share in her next book.
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