Analyzing the 911 call
There are many steps when it comes to solving homicides. Solving a homicide starts with analyzing the 911 call. The 911 call can give vital information to the detectives on the case. 911 calls give many clues if you read listen close enough and pick up on their mistakes. When analyzing a 911 call investigators listen for the callers tone and the specific words they use. For example if the caller sounds calm rather than frantic and in need of assistance investigators wonder if the caller is just reporting the crime or if they are the killer. Investigators also listen to the words chosen by the caller. If the caller is screaming and yelling through the phone for help it does not look suspicious.
But if a call comes through and the caller uses “I, me, my” they could be guilty. “”I have an unconscious child who is breathing very shallowly.” In this example the caller is taking possession ad referring. Adam and Harpsters’ studies show 12% of the calls that were studied, the callers took possession and they were all guilty. (Lyman). When listening to 911 calls there are three questions the investigators should always be asking themselves and they are what was the call about? Who was the call about? And how was the call made? With the answers to these questions investigators can decide whether or not they believe they found their suspect. 911 calls are filled with clues and a vital piece of information when solving a homicide case.
Preliminary investigation
Another important first step in a homicide investigation is the preliminary investigation. A preliminary investigation is a term referring to the early stages of crime scene processing, usually conducted by the first officer on scene. The first step in conducting a preliminary investigation is aiding to any injured persons on the scene. This could mean calling the paramedics and/or ambulance or checking vitals. After this step is completed the first officer on the scene must go through the crime scene and take notes about what there is. The officer must note the way the victim is lying and if there are any objects around them. Not only that but the officer must observe outside of the scene for any suspicious activities done by bystanders. By this time the officer will determine that a crime occurred and will start enforcement action.
Enforcement action
Enforcement action is law enforcement setting out to find the criminal or giving out the description of the criminal so officers can find them. Once this is done the officer secures the crime scene. This includes making sure any evidence that could be potentially lost is secured. This also ensures that nobody enters the crime scene except for authorized personnel. Once the officer has secured the crime scene, they then talk to witnesses to see if they heard or saw anything out of the ordinary. The officer must get all of these things done fast to ensure the witnesses don’t forget anything by the time the officer gets to them. Once the officer completes all of these steps they finally put together a report of everything they have gathered from the scene, the victim, the witnesses and the scene itself. This report is then used in the investigation to discover who committed the homicide. (Schubert).
Body examination
Next in the investigation, the body must be examined. The victim is identified. If the investigators can not find identification on the victim they can use their fingerprints and DNA to identify them. But what if the victim were so badly burned that the scientist is unable to get their prints or any significant features? This is where scientists use DNA sequencing. DNA sequencing happens to very a very important and very useful tool in solving homicides. It makes it easy to identify a body once the person has been deceased for a while and starts to decompose. Scientists take the DNA from a persons bones and teeth to identify that person if there is no skin or fingerprints to identify them otherwise. Through DNA sequencing, scientists are able to piece back this persons entire DNA makeup no matter how long after death. (Pettersson). But only if they have the teeth and/or bones to derive the DNA from. DNA sequencing is very useful and can help to identify a victim even if they have been deceased for years. Without this technique of using bones and teeth to identify a person there would be many cases where there are just bodies with no names or any ideas of who the person is.
Time of death
Once the identity is discovered, it is time to determine how long the victim has been deceased for. There are five different stages in which investigators use to identify the process of human decay. These stages are the fresh stage, the putrefaction stage, the black putrefaction stage, the butyric fermentation stage and the dry decay stage. The first stage of decomposition is within the first few days after the victim dies. During this time algor mortis happens, this means that the body becomes cold. Not only this, but insects start to lay their eggs on the corpse. The putrefaction stage occurs when there are noticeable changes to the body like the color of the skin, the smell of the body and the bloating of the body. During this stage identifying the body becomes difficult due to the swelling and bloating. The swelling and bloating happen due to gases forming in the stomach area of the body. The gases travel through the body to the face. The skin then becomes extremely fragile and hair easily falls off of the body. Next comes the black putrefaction stage. This is anywhere from ten to twenty days after the date of death.
During this stage the body cavity ruptures, letting all of the gases go. Once the gases exit the body, it leaves the body turning a dark green kind of color. The gas leaving also allows for more insect activity throughout the body. After the black putrefaction stage comes the butryic fermentation stage. In this stage the body becomes to dry out, this process is called mummification. It is considered the “postactive stage” due to the fact that there is less of a difference in changes. Not just this but once mummification begins, scientists immediately know that all of the victims internal organs have been eaten and taken over by insects. Lastly, comes the dry decay stage. This is the final stage where there is basically nothing left to the victim except bones. (Lyman). Using these stages, scientists and investigators can determine roughly around when the victim died and start piecing the crime together.
