The first main step that one should take during the investigation is to approach the scene with caution so that the full nature of the incident can be viewed as one calls dispatch. This step normally entails securing and protecting the scene so that spectators do not interfere with potential evidence that may help the police to capture the assailant. All the variables in the crime structure should be analyzed carefully so that everything within the radius where the body was found is carefully scrutinized for any evidence. The next step would involve the initiation of a preliminary survey where as an investigator, one would be required to walk around the scene structure and the vicinity so that one can gain an insight of any palpable evidence that may be hidden ( Geberth, 2016 ). Finally, one needs to analyze any possible physical evidence at the crime scene by visualizing what happened, how it happened and when it happened. These questions will help an investigator to comprehend the nature of the crime and its variables. It is here that one would determine whether the boy was shot inside the car and the body dumped at the scene or if he was killed at the place where the body was found.
The type and location of the crime will determine the methods that will be used to collect evidence from the crime scene. The main objective of the technique is to ensure that the evidence is not damaged during the process and as such, the scraping methods can be used here. This involves the collection of blood samples and other body fluids using a clean scalpel or razor into a clean paper that can be folded and packaged in an evidence envelope ( Hickey, 2003 ). Next, vacuuming can be used as an appropriate technique for collecting fibers and hairs. The most obvious method would be fingerprint collection from the crime scene based on the nature of the crime. It is possible that the fingerprints of the assailants may be found on his body and as such, this method is very crucial because they may also determine the materials that were used to kill the boy.
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Apart from the fingerprints that may be found on the boy’s body, shoe and tire prints may also be found as potential evidence to the case. The latter may be found in the surrounding regions of the dumpster where the body was found. It is imperative to note the viability of this evidence will only be based on the fact that the vehicle which was used to kidnap the boy is the same one that was used to dump the body. This would help in locating the vehicle that was used for the entire process. The shoe prints, on the other hand, would be used to match the suspect based on a list of previous assailants in police records.
Standard investigative techniques such as photographs would be very helpful because they will be used to document the crime scene and shed light on new evidence that may not have been seen during the initial evidence collection process ( Geberth, 2016 ). In many instances, the study of such pictures normally reveal things that the investigating team might have missed and as such, they may go back to retrieve them. In addition to this, an investigator may also consider the suspects to be repeat offenders so that the list can be narrowed to specific suspects. These are crucial techniques that may lead to the capture of the killers.
References
Geberth, V. J. (2016). Practical Homicide Investigation: Tactics, Procedures, and Forensic Techniques, Fourth Edition .
Hickey, E. W. (2003). Encyclopedia of murder & violent crime . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
