Three different cases from Hawaii, Oklahoma and Mississippi were profiled in this video. Each case highlighted the adherence to the investigative process, yet success in each case relied on the skill of the investigator and their knowledge/ use of available resources and disciplines. No individual or discipline solved a case by themselves. Each case developed in its own way based on the facts as they came available and resources were used to answer questions that were unanswered. Crime scenes were located in each case, but the crime scene in Oklahoma was not where the body was discovered and the crime scene in Hawaii was not discovered until later in the investigation from information provided by witnesses. Forensic sciences were used in each case, but for different reasons. In Hawaii an autopsy was used to determine cause of death, but also to aid in identification. The entomologist determined time of death to narrow down the time frame to correlate it to missing person reports. Odontology was used to confirm the identity of the victim. In the Mississippi case an autopsy was used to determine cause of death, which was not immediately evident on all three victims. The entomologist was used to determine time of death, to eventually compare to witness statements. In Oklahoma the entomologist determined a more precise time of death to refute an alibi by the victim’s wife. The use of the investigators inductive/ deductive reasoning is best illustrated by the Oklahoma case. Initially, the investigator thought the wife may have been a victim along with the husband. This information was presumably obtained from a neighborhood canvas. On checking the residence, it was determined she was not present, but police did locate the crime scene. Further information developed that she was seen after the murder was thought to occur. The wife went from possible victim to possible suspect. A hypothesis was developed and as more facts became available, the hypothesis was changed to fit the evidence. In our three cases a similar process was used to solve each case, but how they achieved it and how they got there was unique in each case. Some knew the victim’s identity immediately and some had to determine this critical piece of information. All used the resources available to them to fill in the unknown details and relied heavily on individual statements. They went where the evidence pointed and methodically built a case. Following the investigative process, keeping an open mind, using inductive/ deductive reasoning and understanding the capabilities of your investigative resources is the best recipe for investigative success. Humvee 123
During watching this film there was a lot of thought and a lot of time to solving these murder cases. With the murder of the construction worker I thought it was very interesting on how the detectives could go back to where the murder accrued in the first place and taking a florescence light to detect the blood splatter and blood under the tile of the construction site after many years have gone by. I also thought it was very interesting how after the detectives found the body in a tool box, the way they found out how long the body was sitting there was from the bugs around the body and inside the body. Forensic entomology, the study of insects in death. There was also a lot of thought that went into the investigation with the suspect. I think the detectives obtains as many valuable facts, and eliminated the innocent, then they identified the guilty and then the detectives did a great job of getting a confession. This murder was committed just because the boss would not give the murderer a raise so he could get drugs, it really makes mw wonder just how many people in the world have murdered someone and have gotten away with it, at least for now. Detectives that showed up on the s in the movie had to be very carful on handling the evidence and making sure not to mess anything up or contaminate anything around the area. Taking photos is also an important part in the evidence, taking the proper photos will ensure everyone knows the area was not tampered with before the detectives got to the area. Once a victim is in an interrogation room it is very important to be able to know as much as p[possible about that persons life, his friends family and anything that you could use to become closer to that person, this way maybe while taking to the suspect he will feel more comfortable and may start to spill information to the detectives instead of only wanting to talk to his lawyer. Another great technique to use while interrogating a suspect is offering food and soda while talking to them, most times if the suspect is willing to eat the food and drink the drink, there may be a good chance he is innocent. While on the other hand if he is not willing to eat and drink that might show signs of being guilty because his stomach may be sick knowing that he is being interrogated and could be convicted of that crime. There are many aspects of investigating a murder or a crime that were shown in this video and these are only a few I went over. GRUNT123
A lot goes into the criminal investigations in the show, The New Detectives, it shows the technology and the personnel that can assist in an investigation. The episode “Predators and Parasites” shows how forensic entomology, trace evidence of blood, and interrogation played a crucial role in solving the three different murders shown in the episode; eventually getting a confession from the three people that committed the different murders. In the case of the body found in the tool box in Hawaii, I think the use of forensic entomology was extremely advantageous because it helped determine the time of death. The study of the ants really helped solve the case because they looked at how long it normally takes for ants to be found in a body. They then factored in how long the ants took to get into the tool box and the scientist looked at the soldier flies that also help aid in finding the time of death by looking at the age of the flies. This was crucial because they could cross reference the time of death with the missing person’s report around that time and found a possible candidate. They eventually found someone they thought was the right person, so the investigators teamed up with the Army Central Identification lab to verify that it was the person in question and they verified that it was the right person. This made it easier because they went to where he was last seen and eventually got a suspect, who was his coworker, and eventually convicted the man of murder after he confessed. The other homicide that was shown in the episode was the body found in a trash pile in Oklahoma that also relied on entomology to find the cause of death but it relied more on the suspects alibi and eyewitness statements to solve it. The investigators did a good job in not contaminating the scene when they first went into the house to further investigate; they also did a good job finding the trace evidence of blood and the knife under the fridge. They questioned an eyewitness that last saw the couple arguing; they eventually found the wife and she said that they argued at the bar but it was her ex-husband that killed him and she covered it up. They did further investigation and found that he was in California at the time. They tested the maggots that were found on the body and determined the time of death to be the night that the husband and the suspect, his wife, were arguing at the bar. The wife later confessed to the murder and the knife at the scene was the murder weapon. The final homicide that was shown was a about a family in Mississippi who were found dead and badly decomposed in the house with the smell of natural gas in the house. The autopsy found that the cause of death was stab wounds for the adults and manual strangulation for the kid. They interviewed the family members and found that the step father could have done it for insurance reasons and he took a life insurance policy on the kids two years before. They tested the insects that were at the crime scene and found that the time of death was the same time the step father was reported to be spotted in town. The step father ended up confessing saying that it was done because he needed money and he was scamming to get money from the health insurance. All three of these homicides were helped greatly because of the forensic entomology and the interrogations as well as the other physical evidence that helped solved the cases. The insects really helped because it determined the time of death so all the rest of the evidence could fall into place and eventually lead to the solving of the case. Birdman123
I noticed in all the cases they used insects to help them find more about the victim mainly by using them to see how long the victim had been dead for. For example you can see the size of flies and determine how long it would have taken them to get to be that size and calculate how long it would take them to find the body and lay eggs on it. In the film we watched we saw a victim that was stuffed into a tool box after suffering a trauma to the skull, the expert found black soldier flies on the victim which indicated to the expert that the victim had been dead for at least 30 days. Then the expert found new larva which showed that the victim was dead for at least 90 days. The expert also found an ant colony which shows that the victim had been dead for at least 12 months and new larva which indicates 16 months, but you have to include the time it would have taken them to penetrate the tool box which would add on another 3 months so it would be a total of 18 months. There was no form of identification on the body, the only way they could get a ID from the victim was from the dental work, they processed the dental work and the body had belonged to a Berry Pacaskan. In the video it shows how everyone is involved in the crime scene. You see even patrol officers helping out and the first to arrive helps clear out the crime scene. Everyone's wearing the correct gear at the crime scene, so they do not tamper with evidence. The most common people to mess up a crime scene is the actual police officers. The officers asked the workers that worked for Berry they said that one co-worker had a heated argument with the boss the night before he didn't show up, the police searched his home and found evidence of blood and that there was a struggle. Elite123
This program had a lot of interesting ways into solving these cases. Solving cases like these takes a lot of critical thinking. The investigators have to be very observing as well as cautious when entering a crime scene so they do not contaminate or disturb the scene of the crime in any way or form. For example, when the body was discovered under the pile of debris the investigators examined the scene and then decided to gain entry to the house. They did this cautiously in fear of there might be other victims inside the residents. Another reason investigators may do this is so that they do not flush out a suspect and may have the possibility of catching a specific suspect in the act of committing another offense or crime. When the investigators had entered the house and began looking around, they noticed that there had been a violent struggle that had taken place. There was blood splatter on the wall as well as the floor. While examining this and taking a closer look they also found a steak knife that was hidden under the fridge. This evidence was sent to the crime lab which is a major role in processing evidence that can lead to finding a suspect. The crime lab can do so many things with DNA that was left behind or even blood that was on an object. It was also important for the investigators to conduct a neighborhood canvas. By going around asking any of the neighbors if they had noticed anything out of the ordinary, or heard anything out of the ordinary they could get a better idea of who to look for or what they are dealing with. When a neighbor had said that they had heard some yelling and arguing going on then when they find a possible suspect they can use that as evidence. The canvas not only helps find a possible suspect, but when it comes to the integration process the investigators can use the information used by witnesses and correlate that to the suspects “alibi”. An example of this is when investigators began interrogating Linda to hear her side of the story, she tried pinning the murder on her ex-husband. When authorities contacted “Luckys” parents they gave them all the information needed to bring him in to talk to him. Lucky told authorities that he had been living in a homeless shelter for several months and had not left the state of California. Records from the homeless shelter proved that he had checked in every night for the past several months therefore proving that Linda’s story was false. It is simple things like this that investigators use to crack a case and or use to find a person guilty. Investigators have to use reverse psychology sometimes in order to get to a person. There are many tactics to take and many things used in the field of investigations and they have to think logically as well as critically and sometimes look for clues in places you wouldn’t expect to find them in.
On August 8, 1994 in Stroud, Oklahoma, a 24 year old man (Aureliano “Lito” Cisneros) was found in a pile of garbage, dead. Investigators initially thought Lito’s wife, Linda, had been abducted, along with Lito’s car, and if they didn’t find her quickly, more bodies would show up. However, a witness placed Linda in the car heading out of town a few days after Lito’s death, leading investigators to believe that Linda may have had something to do with the murder. When captured, Linda claimed that an ex of hers, Lucky, had killed Lito. With the help of a forensic entomologist, investigators were able to verify that Lucky had been in California for roughly seven months prior to the death and had not been out of the state. Linda Howell was subsequently charged with murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Forensic entomology is the study of insects for medico-legal purposes. There are many ways insects can be used to help solve a crime, but the primary purpose of forensic entomology is estimating the time of death. A decomposing body goes through several stages beginning with a freshly dead corpse, and ending with a skeleton. Micro-organisms play a role in the decomposition of a body, but so do bugs. Certain bugs will be attracted to a body at different stages of decomposition. The change in insects present happens so predictably, specialists can tell quite a bit just by examining the insects at the crime scene (in Lito’s case, the larvae was from a blow fly, in the 3rd stage of development).
Time of death is typically the most important thing determined by studying insects. This evidence can be applied to other aspects of the investigation, such as who was seen in the area, and at what time. By narrowing the time of death, investigators can have a much more solid basis on which to build their case. Forensic entomologists can also discern certain aspects of the crime such as whether a body has been present in a certain area for a long time, or if it is likely to have been moved from somewhere else. The insects present might not be local, and can therefore be a sign that the body was placed in a different location, before it was discovered at the scene. There are many ways insects can be used to help solve a crime, but the primary purpose of forensic entomology is estimating the time of death.
In this first case the suspect was charged with second degree murder. The legal equation of second degree murder is the intentional act dangerous to the life of another, plus the intent to kill without premeditation and deliberation or intent to commit underlying felony for felony murder, plus also causing the death of another person. So in this first case when they stated that Horden was charged with second degree murder is correct. Horden was not intentionally going to kill Berry. He was going to his boss to ask for more money for the simple reason that he was high on some kind of drugs and needed more money to help his fix. Once Horden was confronted with all the evidence that the police had against him he could do nothing but to confess that he was the one to murder Berry.
In the case of Linda and her husband they charged her with second degree murder. Like previously stated, the legal equation of second degree murder is the intentional act dangerous to the life of another, plus the intent to kill without premeditation and deliberation or intent to commit underlying felony for felony murder, plus also causing the death of another person. In this case the story was explained that there was a woman that had seen Linda and her husband fighting at the bar and she over heard Linda saying that she was going to kill her husband and then she stormed off. After that night Linda's husband was never seen again until a neighbor smelled a horrible smell with the trash and seen a hand underneath the debris and called the police. The legal equation of first degree murder is, premeditated and deliberate intent to kill another person (or intent to commit felony in felony murder), and the act that is the factual and legal cause of death plus death of another person. In the case of Linda we believe that she had enough time to think about what she was doing after she said she was going to kill her husband when they were in the local bar. After she stabbed her husband she had enough time to think about cleaning off the blade and also thinking of a story to blame her ex-husband for the murder.
In the case where a father killed his step son, daughter-in-law, and his grandchild he got what he deserved. When the police were originally called there was a huge smell of gas coming from the home where this family was found. The most common gas smell in a home is carbon monoxide. This is what was thought to be the reason of the families death. After further examination it was figured out that they family was murder. But why? Turning out that there was a family history with the father killing people after there was a huge increase in the life insurance. This had been done before however there was a mistake with the first one when the father did not know there had to be two years from a persons death to be able to collect the money. Once he found this out they took a insurance out on the grandchild and two years and two months later this family comes up dead for no reason. The father tried to lie and cover up the murder saying he was not even in the area when the family go killed. However science is a lot smarter than any person can be. They figured out that even though it looked like the family had only been dead for a couple weeks. Actually the family had been dead for over a month, the decay just was not able to start because the insects had to be able to figure out how to get in the home and to the body. So this threw the team off for just a little bit but they were able to figure this out.
This video did an amazing job in showing just how much time and resources are put into every investigation. While the cases profiled in the video were all murders, other types of cases such as robberies and other non-violent crimes also take dedication to solve. The level of critical thinking and just pure knowledge these experts know became obvious after just the first case. While to many the thought of interacting with bugs to such a degree is a most unpleasant experience, thankfully there are individuals who not only don’t mind it, they excel at it. The ability for one to distinguish extremely similar species and know the different rates of growth based on different conditions such as climate and ease of access to the body becomes an invaluable asset to the investigation. As seen in the first case he was able to go step by step and start with one insect’s arrival to the body until the very last in order to paint a better picture of not only just how long the body had been there, but also when the man was originally slain. The second case in my opinion looked outrageous from the start. With so many red flags being thrown at this woman it is a wonder that she wasn’t caught sooner. Not only was there such a little attempt to hide the body that it would be easy she didn’t try at all, but her stories surrounding her husband’s death fell apart the second they were looked into. All it took to prove “Lucky” was not the murderer was a few photos proving he was in fact at a homeless shelter. Along with her being seen driving her husband’s car out of town a short time after the murder, things were not adding up. Thanks to the proper investigation conducted by law enforcement, they pieced it together rather quickly. This highlighted all of the great techniques used to not only gather evidence at a crime scene, but how much care must be given to every single detail. If even a few of those insects were mistaken for ones with different growth periods that could have meant a dead end in the investigation.
There are many aspects in this film that related to what we had learned in class since the beginning of the semester. The most obvious would be the gathering of vital information through parasites, which we talked largely about in chapter four of the text. It also hit on topics such as follow up investigation, analysis of bone structures, the interrogation process, and much more. The first case covered in the film involved the suspected murder of a carpenter. The man was found on the side of the road in a tool box. The body was so decomposed that there were no longer any identifying features that could tell the investigators who this man was. The only evidence they had was the man’s teeth, which had some extensive bridgework done to them. They also were unsure of how long the body had been there. Investigators were able to gather a few different types of bugs from the scene. They then were able to build a time frame due to the conditions of the bugs along with the type of bugs that were there. They soon had a time frame of how long the body had been there, which they determined was roughly 18 months. They then were able to look into the past records and see who had went missing around that time period. They found a potential match but still were short on some deciding facts. They then were able to look into the only solid identifying evidence they had at the time, which was the man’s teeth. With all of this they were able to get a match on who the victim was. They looked further into the victim’s family, and co-workers and were able to find the killer also. This is amazing to me because it almost seems like investigators turned nothing into something, considering the amount of information they had to work with. This case alone is a great example of how insects, and bone structures are so important to the investigation process. It also showed great example of the investigations process as a whole, along with the follow up investigation. The second case a women was walking and spotted a man’s hand sticking out a pile of garbage. Once investigators arrived they were able to identify the man. They went up to the house, expecting to find the man’s wife inside. She wasn’t though and investigators then assumed the worst had happened to her. The search for the wife then began. They received some evidence from a neighbor who said they had saw the man and his wife at the bar earlier that week, and they had got into an argument before leaving. Investigators then started tracing the wife’s footsteps and ended up finding her in a distant town, at her friends. They questioned her and she stated that her ex-husband had committed the murder. Investigators located the ex-husband in California. The ex-husband was homeless and had a solid alibi. He had checked in every day at a local homeless shelter for the last 6 months. Investigators also researched the bugs they had found at the scene. It was established that the wife’s alibi did not add up and they then had solid evidence to make the arrest. This case had great examples of alibi evidence, follow up investigation, and how evidence can be gained from all kinds of sources. The last case involved a family who had been murdered while on a family vacation. The family had been killed and left in the cabin. Investigators started to investigate but did not have much to go off of. All there leads soon were gone. They then gained information from a source who informed them that they believed one of the victims stepfather committed the crime to gain insurance money off of the child involved. Investigators were able to gather bugs from the scene as evidence. These bugs contradicted the stepfathers alibi, and connected the time of the event to when the stepfather had been in the area. This case showed examples of motives for murder, the investigation process, and also how important bugs can be as evidence. Gabegun123
Forensic entomology is the study of insects and arthropods in criminal investigation. Because insects are attracted to decomposing bodies Forensic entomologist can use the insects at the scene of a crime to determine different things, but the most common reason they are called in is to determine time of death. Insects are almost instantly attracted to a decomposing body, and swarms quickly flock to the dead body. They can determine time of death based on the age of the insects present; though the entomologist’s predictions are very accurate, the final ‘time of death’ is still decided upon by the medical examiner. This makes it extremely important for both the entomologists and the examiners work together to get the most accurate time of death. In this film the narrator went over 3 different cases where forensic entomology was used. In the first case we had a suspected murder of a carpenter.the victim was found on the side of the road in a tool box. The body was decomposed past recognition, and there were no longer any identifying features that could tell the investigators who this man was. The only evidence they was the man’s teeth, which had bridgework done to them. The investigators were unsure of how long the body had been there, so Investigators gathered a few different types of bugs from the scene. They then had an estimated time of death based on conditions of the age and size of the bugs. They determined the body was there for roughly 18 months. Once they had the time frame the investigators looked into the past records and see who had went missing around the same time. They found a potential match, and then were able to look into the only solid identifying evidence they had at the time; his teeth. With all of this they were able to get a match on who the victim was. They looked into the victim’s family, coworkers, and friends; they were then able to find the killer. The second case in the film was about a woman who was walking and stumbled upon a man’s hand sticking out a pile of garbage. Shortly after the investigators arrived they were able to identify the man. They went to the house; expecting to find the man’s wife inside, but she was nowhere to be found. This had the investigators assuming the worst had happened to her, so they began a search for the wife. The investigators learned from a neighbor the couple was at the bar earlier that week; where an argument broke out. Investigators dug deeper into the wife’s history, and they ended up finding her at her friend's house. When they questioned her she stated that her ex-husband had committed the murder. Then the investigators were able to locate the ex-husband in California. Her ex-husband was homeless and had an alibi. It turned out he had checked in every day at a local homeless shelter for the last 6 months. Investigators then went back to the wife, and after more digging they were able to pin the murder on the wife. The third case was about a family who had been murdered while on their family vacation. The family was found dead in the cabin. Investigators quickly noticed that the scene of the crime wasn't offering much to go on. The investigators thought they had no leads, but then they gained information from a source who told the investigators that they believed one of the victim’s stepfather committed the crime to gain insurance money. Investigators were able to gather bugs from the scene as evidence. These bugs went against the stepfathers alibi, and connected the time of the event to the time that the stepfather had been in the area. dangkids123
Three different cases from Hawaii, Oklahoma and Mississippi were profiled in this video. Each case highlighted the adherence to the investigative process, yet success in each case relied on the skill of the investigator and their knowledge/ use of available resources and disciplines. No individual or discipline solved a case by themselves.
ReplyDeleteEach case developed in its own way based on the facts as they came available and resources were used to answer questions that were unanswered. Crime scenes were located in each case, but the crime scene in Oklahoma was not where the body was discovered and the crime scene in Hawaii was not discovered until later in the investigation from information provided by witnesses.
Forensic sciences were used in each case, but for different reasons. In Hawaii an autopsy was used to determine cause of death, but also to aid in identification. The entomologist determined time of death to narrow down the time frame to correlate it to missing person reports. Odontology was used to confirm the identity of the victim. In the Mississippi case an autopsy was used to determine cause of death, which was not immediately evident on all three victims. The entomologist was used to determine time of death, to eventually compare to witness statements. In Oklahoma the entomologist determined a more precise time of death to refute an alibi by the victim’s wife.
The use of the investigators inductive/ deductive reasoning is best illustrated by the Oklahoma case. Initially, the investigator thought the wife may have been a victim along with the husband. This information was presumably obtained from a neighborhood canvas. On checking the residence, it was determined she was not present, but police did locate the crime scene. Further information developed that she was seen after the murder was thought to occur. The wife went from possible victim to possible suspect. A hypothesis was developed and as more facts became available, the hypothesis was changed to fit the evidence.
In our three cases a similar process was used to solve each case, but how they achieved it and how they got there was unique in each case. Some knew the victim’s identity immediately and some had to determine this critical piece of information. All used the resources available to them to fill in the unknown details and relied heavily on individual statements. They went where the evidence pointed and methodically built a case. Following the investigative process, keeping an open mind, using inductive/ deductive reasoning and understanding the capabilities of your investigative resources is the best recipe for investigative success. Humvee 123
During watching this film there was a lot of thought and a lot of time to solving these murder cases. With the murder of the construction worker I thought it was very interesting on how the detectives could go back to where the murder accrued in the first place and taking a florescence light to detect the blood splatter and blood under the tile of the construction site after many years have gone by. I also thought it was very interesting how after the detectives found the body in a tool box, the way they found out how long the body was sitting there was from the bugs around the body and inside the body. Forensic entomology, the study of insects in death. There was also a lot of thought that went into the investigation with the suspect. I think the detectives obtains as many valuable facts, and eliminated the innocent, then they identified the guilty and then the detectives did a great job of getting a confession. This murder was committed just because the boss would not give the murderer a raise so he could get drugs, it really makes mw wonder just how many people in the world have murdered someone and have gotten away with it, at least for now. Detectives that showed up on the s in the movie had to be very carful on handling the evidence and making sure not to mess anything up or contaminate anything around the area. Taking photos is also an important part in the evidence, taking the proper photos will ensure everyone knows the area was not tampered with before the detectives got to the area. Once a victim is in an interrogation room it is very important to be able to know as much as p[possible about that persons life, his friends family and anything that you could use to become closer to that person, this way maybe while taking to the suspect he will feel more comfortable and may start to spill information to the detectives instead of only wanting to talk to his lawyer. Another great technique to use while interrogating a suspect is offering food and soda while talking to them, most times if the suspect is willing to eat the food and drink the drink, there may be a good chance he is innocent. While on the other hand if he is not willing to eat and drink that might show signs of being guilty because his stomach may be sick knowing that he is being interrogated and could be convicted of that crime. There are many aspects of investigating a murder or a crime that were shown in this video and these are only a few I went over.
ReplyDeleteGRUNT123
A lot goes into the criminal investigations in the show, The New Detectives, it shows the technology and the personnel that can assist in an investigation. The episode “Predators and Parasites” shows how forensic entomology, trace evidence of blood, and interrogation played a crucial role in solving the three different murders shown in the episode; eventually getting a confession from the three people that committed the different murders.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of the body found in the tool box in Hawaii, I think the use of forensic entomology was extremely advantageous because it helped determine the time of death. The study of the ants really helped solve the case because they looked at how long it normally takes for ants to be found in a body. They then factored in how long the ants took to get into the tool box and the scientist looked at the soldier flies that also help aid in finding the time of death by looking at the age of the flies. This was crucial because they could cross reference the time of death with the missing person’s report around that time and found a possible candidate. They eventually found someone they thought was the right person, so the investigators teamed up with the Army Central Identification lab to verify that it was the person in question and they verified that it was the right person. This made it easier because they went to where he was last seen and eventually got a suspect, who was his coworker, and eventually convicted the man of murder after he confessed.
The other homicide that was shown in the episode was the body found in a trash pile in Oklahoma that also relied on entomology to find the cause of death but it relied more on the suspects alibi and eyewitness statements to solve it. The investigators did a good job in not contaminating the scene when they first went into the house to further investigate; they also did a good job finding the trace evidence of blood and the knife under the fridge. They questioned an eyewitness that last saw the couple arguing; they eventually found the wife and she said that they argued at the bar but it was her ex-husband that killed him and she covered it up. They did further investigation and found that he was in California at the time. They tested the maggots that were found on the body and determined the time of death to be the night that the husband and the suspect, his wife, were arguing at the bar. The wife later confessed to the murder and the knife at the scene was the murder weapon.
The final homicide that was shown was a about a family in Mississippi who were found dead and badly decomposed in the house with the smell of natural gas in the house. The autopsy found that the cause of death was stab wounds for the adults and manual strangulation for the kid. They interviewed the family members and found that the step father could have done it for insurance reasons and he took a life insurance policy on the kids two years before. They tested the insects that were at the crime scene and found that the time of death was the same time the step father was reported to be spotted in town. The step father ended up confessing saying that it was done because he needed money and he was scamming to get money from the health insurance.
All three of these homicides were helped greatly because of the forensic entomology and the interrogations as well as the other physical evidence that helped solved the cases. The insects really helped because it determined the time of death so all the rest of the evidence could fall into place and eventually lead to the solving of the case.
Birdman123
I noticed in all the cases they used insects to help them find more about the victim mainly by using them to see how long the victim had been dead for. For example you can see the size of flies and determine how long it would have taken them to get to be that size and calculate how long it would take them to find the body and lay eggs on it.
ReplyDeleteIn the film we watched we saw a victim that was stuffed into a tool box after suffering a trauma to the skull, the expert found black soldier flies on the victim which indicated to the expert that the victim had been dead for at least 30 days. Then the expert found new larva which showed that the victim was dead for at least 90 days. The expert also found an ant colony which shows that the victim had been dead for at least 12 months and new larva which indicates 16 months, but you have to include the time it would have taken them to penetrate the tool box which would add on another 3 months so it would be a total of 18 months.
There was no form of identification on the body, the only way they could get a ID from the victim was from the dental work, they processed the dental work and the body had belonged to a Berry Pacaskan.
In the video it shows how everyone is involved in the crime scene. You see even patrol officers helping out and the first to arrive helps clear out the crime scene. Everyone's wearing the correct gear at the crime scene, so they do not tamper with evidence. The most common people to mess up a crime scene is the actual police officers.
The officers asked the workers that worked for Berry they said that one co-worker had a heated argument with the boss the night before he didn't show up, the police searched his home and found evidence of blood and that there was a struggle.
Elite123
This program had a lot of interesting ways into solving these cases. Solving cases like these takes a lot of critical thinking. The investigators have to be very observing as well as cautious when entering a crime scene so they do not contaminate or disturb the scene of the crime in any way or form. For example, when the body was discovered under the pile of debris the investigators examined the scene and then decided to gain entry to the house. They did this cautiously in fear of there might be other victims inside the residents. Another reason investigators may do this is so that they do not flush out a suspect and may have the possibility of catching a specific suspect in the act of committing another offense or crime. When the investigators had entered the house and began looking around, they noticed that there had been a violent struggle that had taken place. There was blood splatter on the wall as well as the floor. While examining this and taking a closer look they also found a steak knife that was hidden under the fridge. This evidence was sent to the crime lab which is a major role in processing evidence that can lead to finding a suspect. The crime lab can do so many things with DNA that was left behind or even blood that was on an object. It was also important for the investigators to conduct a neighborhood canvas. By going around asking any of the neighbors if they had noticed anything out of the ordinary, or heard anything out of the ordinary they could get a better idea of who to look for or what they are dealing with. When a neighbor had said that they had heard some yelling and arguing going on then when they find a possible suspect they can use that as evidence. The canvas not only helps find a possible suspect, but when it comes to the integration process the investigators can use the information used by witnesses and correlate that to the suspects “alibi”. An example of this is when investigators began interrogating Linda to hear her side of the story, she tried pinning the murder on her ex-husband. When authorities contacted “Luckys” parents they gave them all the information needed to bring him in to talk to him. Lucky told authorities that he had been living in a homeless shelter for several months and had not left the state of California. Records from the homeless shelter proved that he had checked in every night for the past several months therefore proving that Linda’s story was false. It is simple things like this that investigators use to crack a case and or use to find a person guilty. Investigators have to use reverse psychology sometimes in order to get to a person. There are many tactics to take and many things used in the field of investigations and they have to think logically as well as critically and sometimes look for clues in places you wouldn’t expect to find them in.
ReplyDeleteSparks123
On August 8, 1994 in Stroud, Oklahoma, a 24 year old man (Aureliano “Lito” Cisneros) was found in a pile of garbage, dead. Investigators initially thought Lito’s wife, Linda, had been abducted, along with Lito’s car, and if they didn’t find her quickly, more bodies would show up. However, a witness placed Linda in the car heading out of town a few days after Lito’s death, leading investigators to believe that Linda may have had something to do with the murder. When captured, Linda claimed that an ex of hers, Lucky, had killed Lito. With the help of a forensic entomologist, investigators were able to verify that Lucky had been in California for roughly seven months prior to the death and had not been out of the state. Linda Howell was subsequently charged with murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
ReplyDeleteForensic entomology is the study of insects for medico-legal purposes. There are many ways insects can be used to help solve a crime, but the primary purpose of forensic entomology is estimating the time of death. A decomposing body goes through several stages beginning with a freshly dead corpse, and ending with a skeleton. Micro-organisms play a role in the decomposition of a body, but so do bugs. Certain bugs will be attracted to a body at different stages of decomposition. The change in insects present happens so predictably, specialists can tell quite a bit just by examining the insects at the crime scene (in Lito’s case, the larvae was from a blow fly, in the 3rd stage of development).
Time of death is typically the most important thing determined by studying insects. This evidence can be applied to other aspects of the investigation, such as who was seen in the area, and at what time. By narrowing the time of death, investigators can have a much more solid basis on which to build their case. Forensic entomologists can also discern certain aspects of the crime such as whether a body has been present in a certain area for a long time, or if it is likely to have been moved from somewhere else. The insects present might not be local, and can therefore be a sign that the body was placed in a different location, before it was discovered at the scene. There are many ways insects can be used to help solve a crime, but the primary purpose of forensic entomology is estimating the time of death.
Gators123
DeleteIn this first case the suspect was charged with second degree murder. The legal equation of second degree murder is the intentional act dangerous to the life of another, plus the intent to kill without premeditation and deliberation or intent to commit underlying felony for felony murder, plus also causing the death of another person. So in this first case when they stated that Horden was charged with second degree murder is correct. Horden was not intentionally going to kill Berry. He was going to his boss to ask for more money for the simple reason that he was high on some kind of drugs and needed more money to help his fix. Once Horden was confronted with all the evidence that the police had against him he could do nothing but to confess that he was the one to murder Berry.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of Linda and her husband they charged her with second degree murder. Like previously stated, the legal equation of second degree murder is the intentional act dangerous to the life of another, plus the intent to kill without premeditation and deliberation or intent to commit underlying felony for felony murder, plus also causing the death of another person. In this case the story was explained that there was a woman that had seen Linda and her husband fighting at the bar and she over heard Linda saying that she was going to kill her husband and then she stormed off. After that night Linda's husband was never seen again until a neighbor smelled a horrible smell with the trash and seen a hand underneath the debris and called the police. The legal equation of first degree murder is, premeditated and deliberate intent to kill another person (or intent to commit felony in felony murder), and the act that is the factual and legal cause of death plus death of another person. In the case of Linda we believe that she had enough time to think about what she was doing after she said she was going to kill her husband when they were in the local bar. After she stabbed her husband she had enough time to think about cleaning off the blade and also thinking of a story to blame her ex-husband for the murder.
In the case where a father killed his step son, daughter-in-law, and his grandchild he got what he deserved. When the police were originally called there was a huge smell of gas coming from the home where this family was found. The most common gas smell in a home is carbon monoxide. This is what was thought to be the reason of the families death. After further examination it was figured out that they family was murder. But why? Turning out that there was a family history with the father killing people after there was a huge increase in the life insurance. This had been done before however there was a mistake with the first one when the father did not know there had to be two years from a persons death to be able to collect the money. Once he found this out they took a insurance out on the grandchild and two years and two months later this family comes up dead for no reason. The father tried to lie and cover up the murder saying he was not even in the area when the family go killed. However science is a lot smarter than any person can be. They figured out that even though it looked like the family had only been dead for a couple weeks. Actually the family had been dead for over a month, the decay just was not able to start because the insects had to be able to figure out how to get in the home and to the body. So this threw the team off for just a little bit but they were able to figure this out.
Green123
This video did an amazing job in showing just how much time and resources are put into every investigation. While the cases profiled in the video were all murders, other types of cases such as robberies and other non-violent crimes also take dedication to solve. The level of critical thinking and just pure knowledge these experts know became obvious after just the first case.
ReplyDeleteWhile to many the thought of interacting with bugs to such a degree is a most unpleasant experience, thankfully there are individuals who not only don’t mind it, they excel at it. The ability for one to distinguish extremely similar species and know the different rates of growth based on different conditions such as climate and ease of access to the body becomes an invaluable asset to the investigation. As seen in the first case he was able to go step by step and start with one insect’s arrival to the body until the very last in order to paint a better picture of not only just how long the body had been there, but also when the man was originally slain.
The second case in my opinion looked outrageous from the start. With so many red flags being thrown at this woman it is a wonder that she wasn’t caught sooner. Not only was there such a little attempt to hide the body that it would be easy she didn’t try at all, but her stories surrounding her husband’s death fell apart the second they were looked into. All it took to prove “Lucky” was not the murderer was a few photos proving he was in fact at a homeless shelter. Along with her being seen driving her husband’s car out of town a short time after the murder, things were not adding up. Thanks to the proper investigation conducted by law enforcement, they pieced it together rather quickly.
This highlighted all of the great techniques used to not only gather evidence at a crime scene, but how much care must be given to every single detail. If even a few of those insects were mistaken for ones with different growth periods that could have meant a dead end in the investigation.
Acquainted123
There are many aspects in this film that related to what we had learned in class since the beginning of the semester. The most obvious would be the gathering of vital information through parasites, which we talked largely about in chapter four of the text. It also hit on topics such as follow up investigation, analysis of bone structures, the interrogation process, and much more.
ReplyDeleteThe first case covered in the film involved the suspected murder of a carpenter. The man was found on the side of the road in a tool box. The body was so decomposed that there were no longer any identifying features that could tell the investigators who this man was. The only evidence they had was the man’s teeth, which had some extensive bridgework done to them. They also were unsure of how long the body had been there. Investigators were able to gather a few different types of bugs from the scene. They then were able to build a time frame due to the conditions of the bugs along with the type of bugs that were there. They soon had a time frame of how long the body had been there, which they determined was roughly 18 months. They then were able to look into the past records and see who had went missing around that time period. They found a potential match but still were short on some deciding facts. They then were able to look into the only solid identifying evidence they had at the time, which was the man’s teeth. With all of this they were able to get a match on who the victim was. They looked further into the victim’s family, and co-workers and were able to find the killer also. This is amazing to me because it almost seems like investigators turned nothing into something, considering the amount of information they had to work with. This case alone is a great example of how insects, and bone structures are so important to the investigation process. It also showed great example of the investigations process as a whole, along with the follow up investigation.
The second case a women was walking and spotted a man’s hand sticking out a pile of garbage. Once investigators arrived they were able to identify the man. They went up to the house, expecting to find the man’s wife inside. She wasn’t though and investigators then assumed the worst had happened to her. The search for the wife then began. They received some evidence from a neighbor who said they had saw the man and his wife at the bar earlier that week, and they had got into an argument before leaving. Investigators then started tracing the wife’s footsteps and ended up finding her in a distant town, at her friends. They questioned her and she stated that her ex-husband had committed the murder. Investigators located the ex-husband in California. The ex-husband was homeless and had a solid alibi. He had checked in every day at a local homeless shelter for the last 6 months. Investigators also researched the bugs they had found at the scene. It was established that the wife’s alibi did not add up and they then had solid evidence to make the arrest. This case had great examples of alibi evidence, follow up investigation, and how evidence can be gained from all kinds of sources.
The last case involved a family who had been murdered while on a family vacation. The family had been killed and left in the cabin. Investigators started to investigate but did not have much to go off of. All there leads soon were gone. They then gained information from a source who informed them that they believed one of the victims stepfather committed the crime to gain insurance money off of the child involved. Investigators were able to gather bugs from the scene as evidence. These bugs contradicted the stepfathers alibi, and connected the time of the event to when the stepfather had been in the area. This case showed examples of motives for murder, the investigation process, and also how important bugs can be as evidence.
Gabegun123
Forensic entomology is the study of insects and arthropods in criminal investigation. Because insects are attracted to decomposing bodies Forensic entomologist can use the insects at the scene of a crime to determine different things, but the most common reason they are called in is to determine time of death. Insects are almost instantly attracted to a decomposing body, and swarms quickly flock to the dead body. They can determine time of death based on the age of the insects present; though the entomologist’s predictions are very accurate, the final ‘time of death’ is still decided upon by the medical examiner. This makes it extremely important for both the entomologists and the examiners work together to get the most accurate time of death.
ReplyDeleteIn this film the narrator went over 3 different cases where forensic entomology was used. In the first case we had a suspected murder of a carpenter.the victim was found on the side of the road in a tool box. The body was decomposed past recognition, and there were no longer any identifying features that could tell the investigators who this man was. The only evidence they was the man’s teeth, which had bridgework done to them. The investigators were unsure of how long the body had been there, so Investigators gathered a few different types of bugs from the scene. They then had an estimated time of death based on conditions of the age and size of the bugs. They determined the body was there for roughly 18 months. Once they had the time frame the investigators looked into the past records and see who had went missing around the same time. They found a potential match, and then were able to look into the only solid identifying evidence they had at the time; his teeth. With all of this they were able to get a match on who the victim was. They looked into the victim’s family, coworkers, and friends; they were then able to find the killer.
The second case in the film was about a woman who was walking and stumbled upon a man’s hand sticking out a pile of garbage. Shortly after the investigators arrived they were able to identify the man. They went to the house; expecting to find the man’s wife inside, but she was nowhere to be found. This had the investigators assuming the worst had happened to her, so they began a search for the wife. The investigators learned from a neighbor the couple was at the bar earlier that week; where an argument broke out. Investigators dug deeper into the wife’s history, and they ended up finding her at her friend's house. When they questioned her she stated that her ex-husband had committed the murder. Then the investigators were able to locate the ex-husband in California. Her ex-husband was homeless and had an alibi. It turned out he had checked in every day at a local homeless shelter for the last 6 months. Investigators then went back to the wife, and after more digging they were able to pin the murder on the wife.
The third case was about a family who had been murdered while on their family vacation. The family was found dead in the cabin. Investigators quickly noticed that the scene of the crime wasn't offering much to go on. The investigators thought they had no leads, but then they gained information from a source who told the investigators that they believed one of the victim’s stepfather committed the crime to gain insurance money. Investigators were able to gather bugs from the scene as evidence. These bugs went against the stepfathers alibi, and connected the time of the event to the time that the stepfather had been in the area. dangkids123