Crime Scene Forensics–Determining the Location of a Missing Corpse ...

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Crime Scene Forensics–Determining the Location of a Missing Corpse

Suppose a person has been missing for quite some time and the boyfriend is the prime suspect as in the 1996 Cincinnati, Ohio case in which Vincent Doan was suspected of killing his girlfriend, Carrie Culberson. He committed the crime of murder and got rid of the body with no trace whatsoever. He must be thinking, “no body, no crime, right?”

In the case of a missing person, crime scene investigators (CSI’s) employ a few time-tested methods for discovering the location of a missing person.

When searching for a missing person, forensic investigators use any and all evidence to eliminate a wide range of possibilities and focus in on pertinent information. For instance, a witness may have seen the suspect’s truck or found the victim ’s handkerchief in a remote area, pointing the investigation in a particular direction.

Crime scene investigators use a slew of low- and high-tech methods when embarking on the search of a missing individual. They include the following:

Looking downhill –Suppose that a body is believed to be interred near a remote stretch of road where the land falls away on either side. Investigators could begin their search downhill because physics dictates carrying a heavy object such as a body downhill is much easier on the offender’s shoulders than carrying it uphill. Noting variations in the terrain –Freshly disturbed dirt, trenches, and elevations or depressions in the terrain can be a good indication. Newly formed gravesites, in general, are elevated with respect to the surrounding area while older ones are indented due to the fact that as a corpse decomposes the skeletal remains will cave in from the weight of the dirt. Making use of tracking dogs –When dogs smell a sample of the victim’s clothing, they may be able to follow a scent trail...

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