In late summer 2020, four months after she went missing, Emily Noble was found badly decomposed in a wooded area near her home in Westerville, Ohio, a town outside Columbus ‘s remains. A USB cable was wrapped around her neck.

Authorities turned to a renowned strangulation expert, Dr. Bill Smock concluded that she died of suffocation and that her death was akin to suicide by hanging. Noble’s husband was charged with murder, and the medical examiner played a key role in the subsequent trial. Smoak was the prosecution’s star witness.

When the case came to trial in August 2022, certified forensic anthropologist Heather Garvin disputed Smoak’s account. Now, three other state-certified forensic anthropologists who reviewed reports on the case for NBC News say the state’s top experts have little evidence to support his claims and have raised concerns about his role in the trial.

Three anthropologists who analyzed skeletal remains and were certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology were not involved in the trial of Noble’s 52-year-old husband, Matthew Moore. They reviewed forensic reports obtained by NBC’s “Dateline.”

Nicholas Passalacqua, director of forensic anthropology at Western Carolina University, said of Smoak’s claim that he was strangled: “He made clear, authoritative statements that I don’t think are supported by the evidence. Confirmed.”

Natalie Langley, president of the American Council of Forensic Anthropologists, said: “My biggest concern is that so much weight is given in court to the opinions of people who are not pathologists and have no professional training in forensic pathology. .”

“I think this case highlights the importance of scientific standards in forensic science,” said Marin Pillud, a professor of anthropology at the University of Nevada, Reno. “Misinterpretation and exaggerated representation of data can have serious consequences. It is important not to exaggerate findings and to stay within the boundaries of scientific knowledge.”

In an interview with NBC News, Smoak dismissed anthropologists’ concerns and said he has been studying strangulation and suffocation for nearly four decades. He stood by his findings and said there was only one possible cause of Noble’s death.

“I don’t think Emily Noble’s hyoid bone fracture was caused by her hanging,” he said. “It was strangled.”

Despite Smoak’s claims, the jury returned a not guilty verdict against Moore.

Mark Sleeper, one of the Delaware County prosecutors prosecuting the case, told Dateline that Smoak’s conclusion was his “strongest evidence” at trial. He declined to comment on experts’ concerns at NBC News’ request. In an interview with Dateline, he pushed back on Gavin, the forensic anthropologist who testified on Moore’s behalf, saying she did not have Smoak’s expertise to properly analyze Noble’s fatal injuries.