Equivocal Death Investigation

Words: 1637
Pages: 7
Open Document
Equivocal death investigations are inquiries that are open to interpretation. There may be two or more meaning and the case may present as a homicide or a suicide depending upon the circumstances. The facts are purposefully vague or misleading as in the case of a staged crime scene, or the deaths may resemble homicides or suicides, accidents or naturals. They are open to interpretation pending further information of the facts, the victimology, and the circumstances of the event(s) (Geberth, 2006).
Any manner of death can be classified as the following: natural, accident, suicide, homicide, or undetermined. (1) Natural death is caused on its own such as a heart attack or a stroke. (2) accidental death is something that did not happen intentional …show more content…
In order to investigate an equivocal death properly, the detective must avail themselves of all the information obtainable by conducting a thorough and in depth victimology and conduct the necessary forensic examinations to establish and ascertain the facts of the case. This includes examination of the weapons for any latent evidence as well as ballistics and testing of the firearms in order to reconstruct and evaluate the event. The number, type, location, and lethality of wounds will be paramount in establishing whether the injuries were self-inflicted or homicidal in nature (Geberth, …show more content…
The perpetrator will try to confuse the investigators by staging a crime scent to make it look like something that it is not (the bodies will be moved, signs that the victims shot him/her self). An example of this could be the victim was found on her living floor with a gun in her hand, so the investigators decide to rule it a suicide. But with closer investigation the victims wounds would not match up or be consistent with her shooting herself.
(2) The second most common type of staging is when the perpetrator attempts to redirect the investigation by making the crime appear to be a sex-related homicide (Geberth, 2006). This is when the person makes the victim look like she died during a rape when in fact she it was a homicide. An example of this could be the police get a call that a man was attacked by another man who had just killed his wife. The police show up and the woman is found lying on her stomach, her pants ripped off and her panties pulled off. The police retrieve an unused condom that is next to her with stab wounds on her
Show More

Related Documents: Equivocal Death Investigation

Crime Scene Reconstruction

and preserve evidence.” Crime scene reconstruction was discovered in the early 1990’s as new concentration of forensic study that used numerous of disciplines ran dinging from profiling to psychological autopsy as some may call it equivocal death analysis. Equivocal death…

Words 1701 - Pages 7

Essay Final: Murder and Sexual Serial Killers

new breed of predatory criminal, previous un-reporting, proliferation of splatter movies, violence related porno, belief that economy linked to surges in violence, Belief that serial killing is extreme form of male domination; Females- improved investigations and reporting, population growth, increased media attention African American Killers- 200 cases since mid 1800’s little media attention; media was not interested in urban black on black murder; 44% serial killers African American between 1992-2004;…

Words 1283 - Pages 6

The Black Cat Essay

THE BLACK CAT BY EDGAR ALLAN POE 7^WYS`f7Taa]e f7 COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Short Story: “The Black Cat” Author: Edgar Allan Poe, 1809–49 First published: 1843 The original short story is in the public domain in the United States and in most, if not all, other countries as well. Readers outside the United States should check their own countries’ copyright laws to be certain they can legally download this e-story. The Online Books Page has an FAQ which gives a summary of copyright…

Words 4050 - Pages 17

King Pest Essay

Poe, Edgar Allan, 1809-1849. King Pest Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library | Table of Contents for this work | | All on-line databases | Etext Center Homepage | King Pest A TALE CONTAINING AN ALLEGORY -190- The gods do bear and will allow in kings The things which they abhor in rascal routes. -- Buckhurst's Tragedy of Ferrex and Porrex About twelve o'clock, one night in the month of October, and during the chivalrous reign of the third Edward, two seamen…

Words 4811 - Pages 20

Acute CHF ICU Essay

CHEST Postgraduate Education Corner CONTEMPORARY REVIEWS IN CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE Acute Left Ventricular Dysfunction in the Critically Ill Anand Chockalingam, MD; Ankit Mehra, MD; Smrita Dorairajan, MD; and Kevin C. Dellsperger, MD, PhD Acute left ventricular (LV) dysfunction is common in the critical care setting and more frequently affects the elderly and patients with comorbidities. Because of increased mortality and the potential for significant improvement with early revascularization, the…

Words 7316 - Pages 30

1984: Nineteen Eighty-four and Orwell Essay

6George Orwell Literature and Totalitarianism I said at the beginning of my first talk that this is not a critical age. It is an age of partisanship and not of detachment, an age in which it is especially difficult to see literary merit in a book with whose conclusions you disagree. Politics — politics in the most general sense — have invaded literature, to an extent that does not normally happen, and this has brought to the surface of our consciousness the struggle that always goes on between…

Words 8315 - Pages 34