Most people would wonder why the death investigation is crucial and how it helps the dead. However, it is essential to note that a homicide investigation is meant to protect the current and future generations from the perpetrators. This process involves detectives as well as medical professionals who work together to examine the body and evidence collected at the crime scene. This process is also accompanied by examining the deceased’s history through physical examination and laboratory tests. The reason for all these procedures is to prove the cause, timing, and type of homicide for adjudication by the criminal justice system. The process of death investigation is not a new thing since it has been performed throughout history in all societies to benefit the living by prosecuting the ones involved. The paper looks at a death case scenario of a white woman whose body has been discovered in the bushes, and the crime scene might contain numerous pieces of evidence that will help determine the cause and manner. From the look of the case, it is evident that a crime has occurred, and the place has to be marked as a crime scene where the authorities will protect it. Since it is the place where the body was found, it will be considered as a primary crime scene due to the high concentration of physical evidence present in the area. For this specific case, there is a wide variety of physical evidence that can be collected for a thorough investigation. For instance, there is the presence of biological evidence ranging from blood, hair, and other body fluids and tissues. There is also latent print evidence that can be collected from the footprints of those who dragged the body and possible fingerprints from the body and the crime scene (Wagner, 2016). There is also trace evidence that will be collected from the soil and glass fragments. Upon arrival at the scene, the initial step would be to photograph and document the crime scene. In this scenario, several pieces of evidence are visible, starting with the T-shirt and the handbag, which can be helpful in testing for possible fingerprints, especially for the other party away from those of the deceased. Additionally, the deceased also had her jeans pulled back part, which will also be used in testing for fingerprints and possible dead cells of the perpetrators. There are also the fragments of grass cuttings visible from the area, and the body would be a crucial piece of evidence in telling the similarities and differences between both samples, hence helping determine the manner of death. On the other hand, biological evidence is also reported from blood samples from the mouth and nose as well as the one from the left hand, which should all be collected as separate samples. The case study also states that there are dirt and soil on the hands, buttocks, and left thigh, which are samples that should be collected separately from the soil from the surrounding. This will help in determining whether the crime was committed there or some other place and dumped in the area. There is also dirt beneath the fingernails, and it can be used to reveal the identity of the attackers if traces of DNA were found from possible struggles between the deceased and the attackers. The primary purpose of visiting the crime scene is for the investigators to try and conduct a crime scene reconstruction to establish what transpired. The crime scene is where physical evidence can be obtained about the crime. Additionally, visiting a crime scene will help the detectives establish and form possible theories and imagery of how the crime could have been committed. This is achieved by performing a reverse reconstruction of events leading to the crime (Crișan, 2019). The detectives will also photograph and document the scene for future reference and further examination. Finally, another importance is that the crime can help the investigators to get a clue of the possible attackers and start the process of arresting possible suspects to the crime. However, there might be some disadvantages of visiting a crime scene since the attackers might tamper with the evidence to mislead investigators or frame someone else (Phillips, 2018). On the other hand, there might be insufficient evidence, especially if the crime was done in another place and dumped there (Kumar, & Goyal, 2017). However, despite the case, visiting and investigating the crime since it is crucial since it will help in answering all the mystery questions. The case and the evidence available at the crime scene highly suggest that this was murder, and there is some evidence that points out possible sexual assault before the victim was killed. Like for instance, the fact that the victim was naked and the piece of the jeans pulled from the back part suggest intentions of sexual assault, although not so clear. However, to effectively determine the possibility of sexual assault, the detectives would request results from the vaginal fluids from the pathologists. Additionally, the blood oozing from the mouth as well as nose and arm would also be crucial in determining sexual assault and possible dead cells recovered from the victim's fingernails. The pathologist will be required to conduct a proper examination of the private parts to determine any assault. With these samples and results from the pathologists, the detectives will be able to establish whether or not there was any sexual battery. The unanswered question here is as to whether the crime was committed at the scene or it was a dumping kind of case. Therefore, it would be essential to consider samples that can aid in eliminating that dilemma, and for this case, the samples include blood and soil as well as the t-shirt and handbag that were collected from the scene. These samples will serve as the control sample for this particular case where they will be crossed checked with the surrounding environment of where the body was found. For instance, the blood that was coming directly from the deceased body will help establish the identity of the attackers and also help in differentiating from any other bloodstains that were found in the scene. Additionally, soil samples from the body will be cross-checked with that of the area to see if they are the same. Finally, the items recovered in the area will be checked to see if they were damped at the area to tamper with the evidence ( Viero et al., 2019).
In conclusion, physical evidence at the crime scene is crucial to the investigation. Thus the detectives should first secure the scene to avoid tampering of evidence by public interference. The area should be controlled and photographed to keep memories and the first glance at hand before starting the investigation. Nowadays, there is growth in technology, and most likely, most testing of evidence will be conducted at the scene to enhance accuracy. Investigating a crime scene is essential in establishing the cause of death and how it occurred. Similarly, it will help in the identification of the perpetrators.
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References
Crișan, C. (2019). The significance of death-scene investigation in determining cause and circumstances of medico-legal death. Journal of Legal Studies, 24 (38), 53-62.
Kumar, A., & Goyal, M. K. (2017). Reconstruction of crime scene, a forensic technique used in substantiating alleged homicide into accidental death: A case study. Journal of Forensic Research, 8 (387), 2.
Phillips, M. (2018). Trace evidence preservation during underwater body recovery. SDI . https://www.tdisdi.com/erdi-news/underwater-trace-evidence-preservation/
Viero, A., Montisci, M., Pelletti, G., & Vanin, S. (2019). Crime scene and body alterations caused by arthropods: implications in death investigation . International Journal of Legal Medicine, 133 (1), 307-316.
Wagner, S. A. (2016). Death scene investigation: A field guide . CRC Press.
