To Prevent, To Investigate, To Uphold and to Supply Law & Order: Homicide Investigation

The majority of the cases embrace the homicide investigation which occurs in all crimes, therefore,  homicide investigation requires the greatest effort on the part of the police. The investigator is responsible for collecting a vast amount of evidence as well as coordinating information from a variety of sources including the witnesses, suspect, officers involved with the crime scene, forensic pathologist. Moreover death investigation requires a team effort; the through cooperation of persons from many disciplines, coordination of efforts, and meticulous attention to detail can lead to  a successful conclusion of an investigation. The finding of a dead body is the starting point and initial focus of the death investigation. The first officer who arrives at the crime scene is required to determine if the victim is dead and, if so, to notify the homicide investigators. This first step is critical to make the investigation going on the right direction. The initial analysis of the situation is treated with utmost importance the officer should remember that if a supposed suicide is judged to be a murder, a serious error has not been committed, even though the investigation may become more extensive than required. If, on the other hand, a murder is judged a suicide, the officer has failed in the investigation and thus catching the killer becomes ''almost'' impossible. The first question the officer is required to answer is: what was the cause of death? Determining the cause of death, whether it involves stabbing, shooting, strangulation, or other means, represents a starting point for the investigator and helps him to begin putting the facts and circumstances behind the death into focus. In evaluating the cause of death, it is very useful for the investigating officer to have a good knowledge of the appearance of different types of injuries and wounds. For example, if an inexperienced officer mistakes a gunshot injury for a stab wound, the entire investigation may be sidetracked. Various types of injuries indicates how violent the attack must have been. The evaluation of the injuries helps to determine whether the death was suicidal or homicidal. The common modes of death by suicide are drowning, hanging, shooting, poisoning, jumping from heights, cutting arteries, stabbing, and strangulation. These factors must be considered along with the physical and psychological ability of the deceased to accomplish the act. For example, failure to discover a weapon in the case of a suspected suicide makes that possibility futile. The nature and position of the injuries are helpful in drawing conclusions. Hesitation marks are quite common in suicide cases involving slashing of the wrists. Moreover, gunpowder tattooing located around a gunshot wound is consistent with the firing of a weapon at close range, therefore such facts would match with suicide. What is more defense wounds are not expected to be found on the hands or arms of a suspected suicide involving handguns, the victim usually drops the weapon or throws it up to several feet away when the arms are flung outward. In such cases the floor or ground should be examined for dents or scratches resulting from the impact. Occasionally, the weapon is found in the victim’s hand, but this is usually due to the gun or hand having been supported in some way at the moment of discharge. The blood marks are not present at the grip during the suicidal act, however, when blood marks appear and they look suspicious it may indicate that a murderer has placed a gun in the victim’s hand after rigidity has set in.  Motives for suicide should be taken into consideration. The factors such as a terminal illness may prompt an individual to take his life so the investigator should gather information from the deceased’s physician, prescriptions, medical records, etc. Poor financial situations may also be a cause and an investigation of the person’s finances and debts should be undertaken. Other motives such as marital or family problems and psychological problems must also be investigated. The cases of suicide in which none of the commonly accepted motivations is apparent — even after some investigation — do occur, the motivations are so deeply hidden that they may remain a mystery forever. It is very important to notice that the homicide investigation examines any changes of the post-mortem body, the vital and crucial signs are those of a struggle, namely, these signs  show most clearly when an injured victim retreated or when an attempt was made to avoid the attack. From the visible signs, the course of events can usually be reconstructed accurately. Bloodstains can be considered the best clues for the reconstruction of the course of events in a case of murder. Bear in mind if victims do not immediately become unconscious at the first blow, stab, cut, or shot, it can nearly always be assumed that their hands will become covered with blood from touching the injured parts of their body.As expected, the examination of the body at the crime scene is one of the most imperative tasks; before it starts  the police officer should consider all the precautions. A careless move such as  undoing a button or lifting a flap of a garment — may  be a great mistake. Clothing of the deceased person has to be examined in the same way as the body is. The occurrence of blood at the crime scene is unavoidable, though the exact amount of it should be estimated. If blood has flowed out onto an absorbing layer, the depth of penetration should be determined; for example the floorboards should be lifted.

There is no room for non-examining part of the crime scene, there is no room for mistakes and understatements. The homicide investigation does not base its moves on guesses or hunches. It bases it on hard science, the forensic pathology, medicine and logical work of a human mind. Only when all the possible explanations based on hard science run off, the extreme possibilities come up. The homicide investigation is very complex, thus, sometimes it takes years to find out and put together the missing points. Cases are dropped and after some time re-opened again due to new more innovative investigative techniques and possibilities. Science closes and opens the doors the law enforcement members go through to find out what truly happened.

Acknowledgements:

The Police Department;

https://www.politie.nl/mijnbuurt/politiebureaus/05/burgwallen.html  and a Chief Inspector – Mr. Erik Akerboom ©

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