Book Description

Death Investigations is the first installment of the new Jones & Bartlett Learning Guides to Law Enforcement Investigation series! Many books on the market go into the investigative and forensic aspects of “homicides” but, singularly, do not adequately address the death investigation process as a whole. Understanding the entire process and event (whether it be homicide, suicide, accident or natural) with all of its nuances makes the detectives better death investigators. In this attempt the authors have addressed how one should go about conducting a death investigation from understanding the death process, to first officers’ responses upon arrival, the victim and the victimology, the preliminary versus the follow up investigation and the issues presented at a crime scene. It further delves into investigating equivocal deaths, the art of reconstructing the facts of the case, the investigative interviewing process, to a review of common mistakes found in other cases considering the legal issues at hand. In the appendices there is a sample of the Behavioral Analysis Interview in a homicide case; the art of differentiating suspects with pre-peri and post offense behaviors and a classic equivocal death analysis of a case that has had much attention over the years. The bottom line, “Death Investigations” is a “how to” book that all law enforcement officers should have on their bookshelf.