Coroner Talk™ | Death Investigation Training | Police and Law Enforcement

Co-Hosted Training

The Death Investigation Training Academy will gladly host most all of our offered courses at your agency.  Co-Hosted training is often referred to as “free training”. In a Co-Hosted seminar, DITA requests that an agency supply a meeting facility, coffee, tea, and their hospitality in exchange for free seats in the training. DITA and the hosting agency will market the class to surrounding agencies and DITA will handle all student registration.  DITA will then contract with our accredited instructors and supply all audio/visual equipment. 

This saves you the expense of time and travel for your personnel and the personnel in your region.

Training packages and details are negotiated on a per-request basis. Discounts and tuition credits are available for staff of hosting agencies.  Please contact us directly for quotes and package information.

What DITA Provides:

• Assisted marketing to regional agencies
• On-Site national coordinator to support the training
• All student material including class roster, manual & handouts, and completion certificates 
• We handle student registration and payments
• Accredited instructors

What Hosting Agency Provides

• Training Facility for 30+ students
• Audio/Video Equipment
• Notifying surrounding agencies of the scheduled training

Benefits of Co-Hosting

• 2 free seats in training of 10 or more paying attendees
• 5 free seats for 20 or more paying attendees
• Saving in time and expense of travel and per diem expenses
• Acknowledgment on all marketing material
• Recognition as a leader in state certified training

Virtual Classroom

Bringing high quality, hyper-focused training, to your agency through the power of the internet. Capable of streaming around the world in real time saving you time and money without sacrificing quality and accreditation.

Why Chose this option

A virtual classroom is a great option for in-service training.  The virtual classroom allows you to have quality instructors and topics without the added cost of travel and lodging.  Plus, it opens the opportunity for shorter training sessions of up to 4 hours.

How it Works

Your agency hosts the training by providing a training room equipped with high-speed internet, monitor and/or projector, web camera, and audio.  If you can Skype from the room it can become a virtual classroom.  Your students see the instructor on the monitor or projected onto the screen and the instructor can see the students through your webcam.  Students can see and hear what is being presented – both in lecture and presentation slides or video.

Interaction can take place between students and the instructor just like a Skype or facetime call,  so questions can be asked and answered in real time.

Technical Issues

Basic technical needs are low, again not much different than a skype or facetime call. However, you will need to ensure high-speed internet is present and not overburdened during the training session.  It is recommended someone with a good understanding of the equipment be present and can work directly with our producer during setup and if any issues occur during the stream.

In most instances, the stream will be through the zoom.us platform streaming a broadcast from Wirecast studio.  This will require you to download the zoom application onto your system. There is no cost or danger in this download and it can be removed after the class session.

When dealing with the internet we have all come to expect perfection and we get it most of the time. However, and usually when its most important, things happen and speeds slow down or are interrupted. Therefore, it is best to have someone present that can get the system reconnected and running should a problem occur.

A second connection will be established prior to starting the live feed in case issues arise. This second connection will allow our producer and your onsite tech to communicate outside of the internet being used for steaming.  This connection, in most cases, will be cell phone calls and text messages which can be done without the internet.

Firewalls

Another issue to consider is your agencies firewall if you are hosting the training within your facility.  Some government facilities have strict firewall protection and would not allow for a live stream to be sent through.  Your IT professional can answer and/or test this for you and our producer is available to test the set up any time prior to scheduling a training.

Accreditation

Courses taught through virtual classroom can receive accredited continuing education credits for the students through Missouri POST and ABMDI if certain obligations are met.  Primarily we would have to have someone in supervision within your agency in the classroom during the training that can ensure the continued presence of students.  Also, a sign-in roster would have to be signed by all students and confirmed by the person of authority on site.  This roster would then need to be emailed to our academy and certificates would be sent to the agency.

Cost

Cost of virtual classroom training is at a fraction of traditional on-site training. In most instances training, will be $125 dollars plus $80 per training hour.  For example, if an agency wanted a 3-hour training on Injury and Wound Identification and Documentation.  The course would cost $125 plus $240 for a total of $365.  With 10 students present that would only be $36.50 per student, for three hours of accredited training.

Cost is calculated based upon the number of accredited training hours, not actual streaming hours. Instructors consider 15-30 minutes after the presentation for additional questions or conversation that is included in the session cost.

Additional Costs and Options

Fees are based upon an average of 20 students. In as much as the number of students’ present does not affect cost, the certification and back-end work is affected.  So, any training that would require our agency to issue more than 25 certificates would be billed at $1 (one dollar) per certificate.

Books and Manuals

Some courses have the option of having a workbook or reference book that goes along with the course. These books are optional and can be purchased prior to the training session in any amount requested.

Where to Begin

The first set is to contact our academy and get the conversation started.  We will help you decide on tailored training topics to fit your needs and work with you on the technical issues.  It’s a simple and painless process that we will walk you through step by step.

You can email us through the contact link in the top menu bar, or call us at 888-556-0177.

SteelFusion Labs

SteelFusion offers rapid forensic and clinical toxicology testing utilizing Oral Fluid and Urine for the detection and quantification of illicit and prescription drugs.

SteelFusion is the post-mortem Oral Fluid experts! Are you unsure about the interpretation of your toxicology results? Do you need an expert testimony witness to consult with? Do you know if your laboratory is using the most up-to-date procedures and has the proper accreditations?  Whether you are a coroner, deputy coroner, medical examiner, investigator or work for the judicial system, they can assist you with choosing the right sample and the right test to meet your specific needs.

Codeine is one of the fastest opiates to leave your system. A blood drug test can detect it within 24 hours while urine tests work for 24-48 hours. Saliva testing for codeine is effective 1-4 days after.

Testing blood, saliva, or urine can detect most drugs for 1 to 4 days after use. Oral fluid testing, in its similarity to blood, excels in the ability to detect drug use within the first moments of consumption. Urine testing must wait until the drugs have passed through the body.

Death Investigator Magazine

A digital magazine focused on the death investigation community. Dedicated to improving skills and enriching lives of investigators.  

“To the living we owe respect, but to the dead, we owe only the truth.” Voltaire

Medicolegal Death Investigation – Online Academy 

Coroners, Medical Examiner Investigators, Police, and Forensic students. This hybrid course looks at death investigation from a combined perspective of law enforcement and medicolegal death investigations.

MLDI online Academy is a Nationally Accredited online training designed to teach all aspects of death investigation and scene management. Unlike any other coroner training today,  this course offers a blended learning style combining online self-paced video training, along with opportunities for live interaction with instructors several times throughout the program, and a unique private Facebook group open only to students of Coroner School™ where everyone can interact and ask questions.

MLDI online Academy is a six-week guided course with certified instructors. However, at the end of the six weeks, you still have access to all videos, downloadable material. You can return to the online school anytime to finish up the courses or as a refresher in certain topic areas.

"We found that dispatchers report significant emotional distress related to handling duty-related calls, and this type of distress is associated with increased risk for developing PTSD or PTSD symptoms," said NIU Psychology Professor Michelle Lilly, one of the authors of the study.

The #IAM911 movement is an effort to assist in the reclassification of public safety telecommunicators from "clerical" to "protective."  But its much more than that.  It's a movement that brings light to the job of 911 call takers and dispatchers who were previously all but forgotten about.

911 centers are the first line of communication with and for emergency service workers and their fields. If not for  the central hub of communications and good direction from a dispatch 'traffic cop', the rest of us could not do our jobs as efficiently if at all in some cases.

__________ 

Coroners, Medical Examiner Investigators, Police, and Forensic students. This hybrid course looks at death investigation from a combined perspective of law enforcement and medicolegal death investigations.

MLDI online Academy is a Nationally Accredited online training designed to teach all aspects of death investigation and scene management. Unlike any other coroner training today,  this course offers a blended learning style combining online self-paced video training, along with opportunities for live interaction with instructors several times throughout the program, and a unique private Facebook group open only to students of Coroner School™ where everyone can interact and ask questions.

MLDI online Academy is a six-week guided course with certified instructors. However, at the end of the six weeks, you still have access to all videos, downloadable material, and the private Facebook group. You can return to the online school anytime to finish up the courses or as a refresher in certain topic areas.

Medicolegal Death Investigation Scene Kit

This exclusive first of its kind Medicolegal Death Investigation (MLDI) kit contains all the items you need to document and collect evidence from the most important piece of evidence at any death scene – The Body. Designed for Coroners, Medical Examiner Investigators, and anyone responsible to investigate and process a death.

This kit is equipped to collect fragile evidence such as DNA and fibers, take post-mortem temperatures, document the scene through photography and sketching, as well as properly collect transport, and store material evidence.

This MLDI Kit can be used in large agencies for multiple MDI’s or one single kit for smaller agencies. Packaged in a sturdy Pelican carry case with custom dividers and a pocketed pouch system. Built strong to withstand the demands from scene to scene.

Click HERE for more information

The Death Investigation Training Academy was founded to play an integral role in the death investigation community.  The need for quality accredited training is in short supply and high demand. Using a combination of classroom training, live on site scenario exercises,  and web-based training, the Death Investigation Training Academy is filling the need of 21st-century investigators.

911 emergency dispatchers often are the first people contacted when emergency assistance is needed.  They’re responsible for determining the nature of the calls they receive, as well as the location of the callers. They also are responsible for monitoring the location of emergency service personnel in their assigned territory. Using this information, 911 emergency dispatchers direct the appropriate type and number of emergency service units to emergency scenes. 911 emergency dispatchers must maintain communication with the dispatched units to monitor their response, in addition to maintaining communication with callers to monitor emergency situations and give first-aid instructions if necessary.

Dispatcher Stress

A May 2012 study, conducted by researchers at Northern Illinois University (NIU), linking on-the-job training exposure to trauma, placed dispatchers at risk for developing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The study was published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress.

“We found that dispatchers report significant emotional distress related to handling duty-related calls, and this type of distress is associated with increased risk for developing PTSD or PTSD symptoms,” said NIU Psychology Professor Michelle Lilly, one of the authors of the study.

Iam911

The #IAM911 movement is an effort to assist in the reclassification of public safety telecommunicators from “clerical” to “protective.”  But its much more than that.  It’s a movement that brings light to the job of 911 call takers and dispatchers who were previously all but forgotten about.

911 centers are the first line of communication with and for emergency service workers and their fields. If not for the central hub of communications and good direction from a dispatch ‘traffic cop’, the rest of us could not do our jobs as efficiently if at all in some cases.

 

Read More Here 

The Science of 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 time since death.

Once a person dies his or her body starts to decompose. The decomposition of a dead body starts with the action of microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria, followed by the action of a series of insects (arthropods). Bodies decompose slowly or fast depending on weather conditions if they have been buried or are exposed to the elements, if there is a presence of insects or if they have a substance in their bodies that prevent their fast decomposition such as body size and weight, clothing.

Read More Here:  

 

 

Reprint Article by Linda Cole

The Bloodhound is usually unfairly ranked as less intelligent than many dogs, but that doesn’t mean the breed isn’t smart. Finding people is where a Bloodhound outshines most dog breeds. They may not be the easiest breed to train, but if you’re lost in the woods this dog can put his nose to the ground and find you with his unfaltering determination. In fact, the Bloodhound’s scenting ability is so legendary that he’s described as “a nose with a dog attached to it.”

All dogs have an incredible sense of smell, but Bloodhounds were born to track. Their long, droopy ears and folds of loose, wrinkly skin around their neck enable these expert trackers to scoop up and trap a specific scent so they can follow it relentlessly, even if the trail has gone cold. Even the slits on the side of the dog’s nose provide extra time for exposure to smells, with a continuous stream of scent-filled air into the nostrils for up to 40 seconds or longer. Plus, each nostril can be moved independently of the other, making it easier to pinpoint where a specific smell is at based on which nostril picked up the scent. This is why a tracking dog will weave back and forth with his nose to the ground when following a trail.

Once a Bloodhound has your scent, it’s almost impossible to throw him off your trail. So, how is a Bloodhound able to find a specific scent and follow it until he locates what he’s tracking? Read on!

Tracking Basics

Humans have around 40,000 pieces of tiny flakes called rafts that are constantly shed from the skin. These rafts consist of skin cells, hormones, enzymes, fungus, bacteria, parasites and hygiene products. No skin rafts are identical, not even from identical twins, which means we all have our own unique scent that our canine friends can smell. Because some rafts are lighter than air, they are picked up and carried in air currents. Heavier rafts are dispersed around the ground and vegetation as we pass by. We also leave behind scents from our breath and sweat. In a way, we leave a sort of “scent cocktail” of individual smells that rush into the nasal cavity of a dog.

Bloodhounds can pick up a scent both in the air and on the ground. When a Bloodhound picks up and identifies an odor, an image of the scent is sent to his brain. Sniffing clothing or any other article touched by someone creates an image of that specific smell in a Bloodhound’s brain and is implanted in his brain as a scent photograph. To a tracking dog, a scent photo is more vivid to them than a photograph is to us.

Once a Bloodhound has learned a certain scent he never forgets it and can follow it regardless of all of the other smells he may come across while on a trail. Powerful legs and a sturdy body give this exceptional hound the ability to track a scent over even brutal terrains when necessary. This super detective dog has been known to follow his nose for 130 miles or more in pursuit of his quarry, and he can pick up a cold trail that’s almost two weeks old.

History of the Bloodhound Breed

The exact origin of the Bloodhound is unknown. Many experts say this dog was well known in Mediterranean countries well before the Christian period began, but the breed is an ancient dog with documented evidence going back to the third century A.D. The dog we know today was developed in Great Britain. They were originally bred to follow a blood scent from wounded deer, wolves and other large animals. As the deer population began to decrease, hunters turned their attention to fox and the Bloodhound was replaced with the much faster Foxhound. That’s when the Bloodhound’s expertise was repurposed to tracking down poachers, criminals and people who were lost.

Bloodhounds as Companions

Bloodhounds are gentle and friendly dogs. They were never bred to be aggressive, and selective breeding has always been focused on creating a dog to simply find people without harming them. Because the breed can be headstrong at times, you might need some extra CANIDAE treats when training him. However, the Bloodhound’s laidback nature is well suited as a family pet if he has a consistent and confident owner who uses positive reinforcement training. Harsh treatment will backfire with this sensitive dog.

On an interesting side note, Bloodhound does not refer to what a Bloodhound trails – it refers to the lengths early monastery and aristocratic breeders took in recording their ancestry, bloodlines, to keep the status of this “Blooded Hound” pure.

Read more articles by Linda Cole

https://www.canidae.com/blog/2017/07/how-do-bloodhounds-find-people/

Find Dry Creek Bloodhounds Here:

 

 

Death Investigator Magazine

A digital magazine focused on the death investigation community. Dedicated to improving skills and enriching lives of investigators.

  “To the living we owe respect, but to the dead we only owe the truth.” Voltaire

 

 

 

  Medicolegal Death Investigation – Online Academy 

Coroners, Medical Examiner Investigators, Police, and Forensic students. This hybrid course looks at death investigation from a combined perspective of law enforcement and medicolegal death investigations.

MLDI online Academy is a Nationally Accredited online training designed to teach all aspects of death investigation and scene management. Unlike any other coroner training today,  this course offers a blended learning style combining online self-paced video training, along with opportunities for live interaction with instructors several times throughout the program, and a unique private Facebook group open only to students of Coroner School™ where everyone can interact and ask questions.

MLDI online Academy is a six-week guided course with certified instructors. However, at the end of the six weeks, you still have access to all videos, downloadable material, and the private Facebook group. You can return to the online school anytime to finish up the courses or as a refresher in certain topic areas.

 

Medicolegal Death Investigation Scene Kit

This exclusive first of its kind Medicolegal Death Investigation (MLDI) kit contains all the items you need to document and collect evidence from the most important piece of evidence at any death scene – The Body. Designed for Coroners, Medical Examiner Investigators, and anyone responsible to investigate and process a death.

This kit is equipped to collect fragile evidence such as DNA and fibers, take post-mortem temperatures, document the scene through photography and sketching, as well as properly collect transport, and store material evidence.

This MLDI Kit can be used in large agencies for multiple MDI’s or one single kit for smaller agencies. Packaged in a sturdy Pelican carry case with custom dividers and a pocketed pouch system. Built strong to withstand the demands from scene to scene.

Click HERE for more information

 

 

The Death Investigation Training Academy was founded to play an integral role in the death investigation community.  The need for quality accredited training is in short supply and high demand. Using a combination of classroom training, live on site scenario exercises,  and web-based training, the Death Investigation Training Academy is filling the need of 21st-century investigators.

 

 

Most Native American tribes believed that the souls of the dead passed into a spirit world and became part of the spiritual forces that influenced every aspect of their lives. Many tribes believed in two souls: one that died when the body died and one that might wander on and eventually die.

Burial customs varied widely from tribe to tribe. Indians disposed of their dead in a variety of ways. Arctic tribes, for example, simply left their dead on the frozen ground for wild animals to devour. The ancient mound-building Hopewell societies of the Upper Midwest, by contrast, placed the dead in lavishly furnished tombs. Southeastern tribes practiced secondary bone burial. They dug up their corpses, cleansed the bones, and then reburied them. The Northeast Iroquois, before they formed the Five Nations Confederation in the seventeenth century, saved skeletons of the deceased for a final mass burial that included furs and ornaments for the dead spirits' use in the afterlife. Northwest coastal tribes put their dead in mortuary cabins or canoes fastened to poles. Further south, California tribes practiced cremation. In western mountain areas tribes often deposited their dead in caves or fissures in the rocks. Nomadic tribes in the Great Plains region either buried their dead, if the ground was soft, or left them on tree platforms or on scaffolds. Central and South Atlantic tribes embalmed and mummified their dead. But during outbreaks of smallpox or other diseases leading to the sudden deaths of many tribe members, survivors hurriedly cast the corpses into a mass grave or threw them into a river.

Rites among Native Americans tended to focus on aiding the deceased in their afterlife. Some tribes left food and possessions of the dead person in or near the gravesite. Other groups, such as the Nez Perce of the Northwest, sacrificed wives, slaves, and a favorite horse of a dead warrior. Among many tribes, mourners, especially widows, cut their hair. Some Native Americans discarded personal ornaments or blacked their faces to honor the dead. Others gashed their arms and legs to express their grief. California tribes engaged in wailing staged long funeral ceremonies and held an anniversary mourning ritual after one or two years. Southwest Hopi wailed on the day of the death and cried a year later.

Some Southwestern tribes, especially the Apache and Navajo, feared the ghosts of the deceased who were believed to resent the living. The nomadic Apache buried corpses swiftly and burned the deceased's house and possessions. The mourning family purified itself ritually and moved to a new place to escape their dead family member's ghost. The Navajo also buried their dead quickly with little ceremony. Navajos exposed to a corpse had to undergo a long and costly ritual purification treatment.

Read more: http://www.deathreference.com/Me-Nu/Native-American-Religion.html#ixzz5d4EoTf6x

 

Choctaw Bonepickers

Among the honored officials of the Choctaws were men - and possibly women - who were known as bonepickers. These undertakers were tattooed in a distinctive manner and allowed their fingernails to grow long for their revolting occupation. When the body had remained upon the scaffold the specified time, a bone-picker was summoned, and all the relatives and friends were invited for the last rites.

These mourners surrounded the scaffold, wailing and weeping, while the grisly undertaker ascended the platform, and with his long fingernails thoroughly cleaned the bones of the putrefied flesh.

The bones were then passed down to the waiting relatives, the skull was painted with vermilion, and they were carefully placed in a coffin curiously constructed of such materials as bark and cane. The flesh was left on the platform, which was set on fire; or was carried away and buried.

Episode Guest

Jonathan Henderson 

Johnathan holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and has been researching Native American mortuary customs for three years. He is an old soul and generally prefers the company of animals. His unique visionary approach to the subject allows insightful understanding of history and anthropology.

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Death Investigator Magazine

A digital magazine focused on the death investigation community. Dedicated to improving skills and enriching lives of investigators.

  “To the living we owe respect, but to the dead we only owe the truth.” Voltaire

.

 

 

  Medicolegal Death Investigation – Online Academy 

Coroners, Medical Examiner Investigators, Police, and Forensic students. This hybrid course looks at death investigation from a combined perspective of law enforcement and medicolegal death investigations.

MLDI online Academy is a Nationally Accredited online training designed to teach all aspects of death investigation and scene management. Unlike any other coroner training today,  this course offers a blended learning style combining online self-paced video training, along with opportunities for live interaction with instructors several times throughout the program, and a unique private Facebook group open only to students of Coroner School™ where everyone can interact and ask questions.

MLDI online Academy is a six-week guided course with certified instructors. However, at the end of the six weeks, you still have access to all videos, downloadable material, and the private Facebook group. You can return to the online school anytime to finish up the courses or as a refresher in certain topic areas.

 

 

Medicolegal Death Investigation Scene Kit

This exclusive first of its kind Medicolegal Death Investigation (MLDI) kit contains all the items you need to document and collect evidence from the most important piece of evidence at any death scene – The Body. Designed for Coroners, Medical Examiner Investigators, and anyone responsible to investigate and process a death.

This kit is equipped to collect fragile evidence such as DNA and fibers, take post-mortem temperatures, document the scene through photography and sketching, as well as properly collect transport, and store material evidence.

This MLDI Kit can be used in large agencies for multiple MDI’s or one single kit for smaller agencies. Packaged in a sturdy Pelican carry case with custom dividers and a pocketed pouch system. Built strong to withstand the demands from scene to scene.

Click HERE for more information

 

 

 

The Death Investigation Training Academy was founded to play an integral role in the death investigation community.  The need for quality accredited training is in short supply and high demand. Using a combination of classroom training, live on site scenario exercises,  and web-based training, the Death Investigation Training Academy is filling the need of 21st-century investigators.

Coroner Recognition Week  January 27th - February 2nd with the focus day being January 29th. 

The first American Coroner was Thomas Baldridge of St. Mary's, Maryland Colony appointed on 29 January 1637.

The National Coroner Recognition week and the thin line color purple is a project focused on bringing awareness to the job of a Coroner and the need for better funding and training in the further development of the field.

Dealing with the worst that death has to offer several times a month can take a toll on anyone and those working in the Coroner and MDI fields of investigation knows first-hand how mentally draining it can be.

Often forgotten about or dismissed, the role and function of a Coroner or Medicolegal Death Investigation is vital in our criminal justice system as well as in identifying trends in causes of death and possible disease outbreaks.

Coroner

A coroner is a public official, appointed or elected, in a particular geographic jurisdiction, whose official duty is to make inquiry into deaths in certain categories. The office of the coroner (or “crowner”) dates back to medieval times in England when the crowner was responsible for looking into deaths to be sure death duties were paid to the king.

The coroner's primary duty in contemporary times is to make inquiry into the death and complete the certificate of death. The coroner assigns a cause and manner of death and lists them on the certificate of death. The cause of death refers to the disease, injury, or poison that caused the death. The coroner also decides if death occurred under natural circumstances or was due to accident, homicide, suicide, or undetermined means or circumstances.

Last Responder

The can be found at www.lastresponder.org   Learn more about the National Recognition week and buy swag to show your support for Coroners and MDI's everywhere.

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Death Investigator Magazine

A digital magazine focused on the death investigation community. Dedicated to improving skills and enriching lives of investigators.

  “To the living we owe respect, but to the dead we only owe the truth.” Voltaire

.

 

 

  Medicolegal Death Investigation – Online Academy 

Coroners, Medical Examiner Investigators, Police, and Forensic students. This hybrid course looks at death investigation from a combined perspective of law enforcement and medicolegal death investigations.

MLDI online Academy is a Nationally Accredited online training designed to teach all aspects of death investigation and scene management. Unlike any other coroner training today,  this course offers a blended learning style combining online self-paced video training, along with opportunities for live interaction with instructors several times throughout the program, and a unique private Facebook group open only to students of Coroner School™ where everyone can interact and ask questions.

MLDI online Academy is a six-week guided course with certified instructors. However, at the end of the six weeks, you still have access to all videos, downloadable material, and the private Facebook group. You can return to the online school anytime to finish up the courses or as a refresher in certain topic areas.

 

 

Medicolegal Death Investigation Scene Kit

This exclusive first of its kind Medicolegal Death Investigation (MLDI) kit contains all the items you need to document and collect evidence from the most important piece of evidence at any death scene – The Body. Designed for Coroners, Medical Examiner Investigators, and anyone responsible to investigate and process a death.

This kit is equipped to collect fragile evidence such as DNA and fibers, take post-mortem temperatures, document the scene through photography and sketching, as well as properly collect transport, and store material evidence.

This MLDI Kit can be used in large agencies for multiple MDI’s or one single kit for smaller agencies. Packaged in a sturdy Pelican carry case with custom dividers and a pocketed pouch system. Built strong to withstand the demands from scene to scene.

Click HERE for more information

 

 

 

The Death Investigation Training Academy was founded to play an integral role in the death investigation community.  The need for quality accredited training is in short supply and high demand. Using a combination of classroom training, live on site scenario exercises,  and web-based training, the Death Investigation Training Academy is filling the need of 21st-century investigators.

Serial killers hold the fascination of the public, whether in true crime news accounts of individuals such as Ted Bundy or fictional depictions such as the television shows Dexter and Criminal Minds or popular movies such as the “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” or “Silence of the Lambs.” Serial killers seem so purely predatory and unremorseful that our society cannot help but display a macabre interest in them. Although they account for no more than 1% of the approximately 15,000 homicides in the U.S. annually, serial killers receive a disproportionate amount of media attention due to the incomprehensible savagery of their deeds.

Significantly, serial killers differ from mass murderers or spree murderers. Mass murder can be defined as the killing of multiple people at a single location where the victims may be either randomly selected or targeted. A mass murderer is often killed at the scene of the crime; sometimes by his/her own hand.  A spree murder is the killing of multiple people at different locations over a short period of time (the maximum duration is usually 7 days).  The killer in spree murders often but not always knows his/her victims, and most often targets family members or romantic partners.

I use the following list of behavioral criteria to define serial homicide for the purposes of my research:

            1. At least three murdered victims.

            2. The murders take place in separate events, at different times.

            3. The killer experiences an emotional cooling off period between murders.

The key distinction between serial killers and mass or spree killers is this emotional cooling off period in which the killer blends back into his/her seemingly normal life. The predator reemerges to strike again when the urge to kill becomes overwhelming. The duration of the cooling off period can vary from weeks to months or even years, and varies by a killer. Dennis Rader or “Bind, Torture, Kill” (BTK) had 10 known victims over nearly 30 years!       

   

There is some disagreement over the serial killer definition, mostly about the number of killings required. There is also debate as to whether organized crime hit-men should be considered serial killers.  Doc Bonn argues that they are not serial killers because their motivation is purely business and their killings fulfill no emotional needs.  Serial killers are driven to murder by urges and fantasies that they frequently do not comprehend.       

Doc Bonn’s Research

Doc Bonn is currently researching and writing a popular book on the public’s fascination with serial killers titled, "Why We Love Serial Killers," published by Skyhorse Press for release in 2014. This book examines the social processes through which serial killers often become morbid pop culture celebrities.  The book seeks to answer the following:

• What are the roles of the popular media, state officials and the killers themselves in the social construction of serial killers’ public identities? 
• Why are so many people fascinated with serial killers?
• What social-psychological needs do serial killers fulfill for the public? 

In order to help answer these questions, Doc Bonn is exploring the mysterious, psychopathic criminal minds of infamous serial killers. Ironically, and perhaps shockingly, this book proposes that serial killers may actually serve a function in society by clarifying the meaning of “evil” and setting moral boundaries—that is, by helping to establish the outer limits of what one human being can do to others.

Doc Bonn believes that it is quite natural for people to be fascinated by why serial killers commit their murders and for their grizzly exploits to become media spectacles.  Let us know what you think about this topic. 

 

 

Death Investigator Magazine

A digital magazine focused on the death investigation community. Dedicated to improving skills and enriching lives of investigators.

  “To the living we owe respect, but to the dead we only owe the truth.” Voltaire

.

 

 

  Medicolegal Death Investigation – Online Academy 

Coroners, Medical Examiner Investigators, Police, and Forensic students. This hybrid course looks at death investigation from a combined perspective of law enforcement and medicolegal death investigations.

MLDI online Academy is a Nationally Accredited online training designed to teach all aspects of death investigation and scene management. Unlike any other coroner training today,  this course offers a blended learning style combining online self-paced video training, along with opportunities for live interaction with instructors several times throughout the program, and a unique private Facebook group open only to students of Coroner School™ where everyone can interact and ask questions.

MLDI online Academy is a six-week guided course with certified instructors. However, at the end of the six weeks, you still have access to all videos, downloadable material, and the private Facebook group. You can return to the online school anytime to finish up the courses or as a refresher in certain topic areas.

 

 

Medicolegal Death Investigation Scene Kit

This exclusive first of its kind Medicolegal Death Investigation (MLDI) kit contains all the items you need to document and collect evidence from the most important piece of evidence at any death scene – The Body. Designed for Coroners, Medical Examiner Investigators, and anyone responsible to investigate and process a death.

This kit is equipped to collect fragile evidence such as DNA and fibers, take post-mortem temperatures, document the scene through photography and sketching, as well as properly collect transport, and store material evidence.

This MLDI Kit can be used in large agencies for multiple MDI’s or one single kit for smaller agencies. Packaged in a sturdy Pelican carry case with custom dividers and a pocketed pouch system. Built strong to withstand the demands from scene to scene.

Click HERE for more information

 

 

 

The Death Investigation Training Academy was founded to play an integral role in the death investigation community.  The need for quality accredited training is in short supply and high demand. Using a combination of classroom training, live on site scenario exercises,  and web-based training, the Death Investigation Training Academy is filling the need of 21st-century investigators.

 

 

A few years ago, the third Monday in January was labeled Blue Monday by many experts in the mental health field. But no matter what day of the week it occurs on, Anita Agers-Brooks, common trauma expert, and author of Getting Through What You Can’t Get Over, believes January 21st is a good barometer to predict the most depressing day of the year.

But why January 21st?

If it takes twenty-one days for a mindset to change, earmarking January 21st as the most depressing day of the year may just make sense. According to Brooks, based on several pieces of research she’s studied, as well as based on extensive interviews she’s conducted with everyday people, there are several contributors that solely, or linked with others, can throw even the hardiest soul into the pit of depression on or around this date.

• Coming off the high of the holidays.
• Family member/friend goodbyes, after holiday reunions.
• Fewer activities to look forward to.
• Holiday bills coming in.
• Cabin fever.
• Less exposure to fresh air, and nature's other healing properties.
• Cold and windy weather.
• Less sunshine.
• Cold and flu season peak.
• Reduced amounts of exercise.
• Less exposure to the blues, greens, yellows, reds, pinks, and oranges, that are known energizers according to the spectrum of the psychology of color.
• Fewer face-to-face social interactions with other human beings.
• New Year's resolutions have now failed.

So how do you personally off-set some of these melancholy contributors?

When it comes to post-holiday blues, there are a few simple tips that can help.

Intentionally focus your thoughts on something challenging, fresh and positive — a different kind of activity from anything you currently do. Take up a new hobby. It can be something you’ve always wanted to try, but choose something that requires concentrated effort. The human mind cannot think two distinctly different thoughts simultaneously, so for those used to the analytical world of left-brain work, try a creative right-brain project, like taking up drawing, painting, writing, or learning a musical instrument.

If none of those sound appealing, take up a new kind of physical activity, different from anything you’ve tried in the past. Pick a change of pace in the martial arts, kick-boxing, training for a 5K or half-marathon, or if your spouse is willing, really think outside the box and rev up your marriage at the same time by taking up dancing lessons. Swing, ballroom, waltz, latino, whatever pushes you out of your comfort area, and requires your full attention.

When sadness lingers long after your loved ones’ holiday visit is over, begin planning your next get-together. It’s been proven that anticipation is as good or better than an actual event.

If you aren’t necessarily sad over missing a person, but boredom and the blahs are your nemeses, plan once-a-month mini-vacations or weekend getaways. Your destinations don’t have to be extravagant or costly, you can even transform your home into a tropical fantasy island for a couple of days. Just choose something you can outline to give you a positive event to work toward, and allow your mind to look forward to the big date.

If holiday bills are stressing you out, take thirty minutes to an hour, and create a budget that you write on paper or a computer. By putting things in black and white, you’ll give yourself a true perspective. Often, a situation feels more overwhelming when we aren’t clear on the details. What we fear is often much worse than the facts.

Cabin fever is a real malady. If you are beginning to feel cooped up, even though you’re getting out to do your job, take a mental break and get away for a day. Go someplace out of the ordinary, like a museum, science center, indoor sporting event, or even a long walk in a wooded area — especially if you can do it after a fresh, white snow. Nature has proven herself a powerful healing agent, increasing the benefits of physical exercise tremendously when we do it in a peaceful outside climate. Breathe in fresh air, and breathe in a fresh spirit.

When it’s cold outside, heat yourself up by giving special treatment to your toes. Soak your feet in a warm Epsom salt bath. The magnesium and other minerals in Epsom salt have many healing properties, including natural anti-depressant chemicals, and when you warm your feet in water, you get an inside and outside boost of healing heat.

Have your doctor check your Vitamin D levels to see if you need supplements to get you up to par. One of the reasons many people suffer from higher degrees of depression in the winter is due to less sun exposure, which offers natural infusions of Vitamin D, a known depression-buffering vitamin.

One of the best preventative medicines for colds and flu also happen to be powerful anti-depressants. Citrus fruits and vegetables. Oranges, lemon, lime, grapefruit, kiwi, pomegranate, tomato, green peppers, green chile, or any other natural fruit or veggie that’s high in Vitamin C can help you kick a cold to the curb, as well as lift your mood.

If you can’t exercise outside, don’t have a treadmill or other home equipment, can’t get to the gym, or can’t devote 20-60 minutes to an exercise regimen then do one-minute intervals when and where you can. Sixty seconds of jumping jacks, running in place, skipping an invisible rope, dancing, kicking, air boxing, or anything else that gets your limbs moving will work. If you do 20 intervals in a day, you’ve gotten twenty minutes of exercise in.

Surround yourself with some color, the ones known to soothe and energize. Green, blue, yellow, will calm and lower blood pressure, while red, pink, and orange will elevate your energy. Change your computer screensaver, your telephone background, carry a photo or drawing, anything that lends to an uplifted spirit will work. Try to view at least once an hour to reframe your brain through the psychology of color.

When you feel like avoiding everyone is precisely when you might need to be around people the most. Withdrawal from human interaction is a symptom of depression. If the black clouds of overwhelming emotions are causing you to pull back from other people, do what feels uncomfortable, make yourself do something social with others. Studies have shown that anxious or depressed people, those battling PTSD or other trauma-induced issues, assume that having conversations with others will make them feel worse when in actuality, the opposite is true. Those surveyed said they were surprised to discover that their fear of having a face-to-face interaction was unfounded, they actually felt better once it occurred.

Anita stopped making New Year resolutions several years ago. Instead, she began to incorporate a One Word focus into her annual commitment to making a fresh start. This year, her One Word is Rise. This gives her a lens with which to look at her life through. She knows this word will help her rise above circumstances, but it is also a great word for application to the list of things that can lead to the most depressing day of the year.

Anita said, “I can rise above my emotions, and act on what I can while accepting what I cannot change. Think the Serenity Prayer.

There's something about a One Word focus that brushes the clouds of confusion back and adds clarity to chaotic situations. Much of depression is based on a sense of helplessness, but often, this is our emotions lying to us, versus absolute truth.”

For those in the field working death investigations, what One Word could keep you motivated throughout the year? What word could inspire and energize you? Is there a One Word focus you can add this year, infusing you with a compass to move you away from depression and toward a happier outcome? Is there a word that will keep you focused on purpose, gratitude, productivity, or meeting your goals.

When you review the list of areas that can lead to depression, ask yourself, what decisions can I make that will enable me to rise above my circumstances? Can I tweak something in my life to make me proactive versus reactive?

We may not be able to change the factors that lead to depression, but we can certainly move our minds up. Investigating what’s going on in our own brains and bodies can give us the boost we need — and help us get through, no matter what challenges we face. Intentionality in the areas of our bodies, minds, and spirits can help us smile, even on the most depressing day of the year.

  Anita Agers-Brooks Inspirational Business/Life Coach, International Speaker, Host of Fresh Faith Inspy on Periscope and YouTube, (as Anita Fresh Faith), and Author of...   Amazon Best Seller, Golden Scroll Finalist, and Readers' Favorite Award winner: Getting Through What You Can't Get Over -- Barbour Publishing   First Hired, Last Fired -- How to Become Irreplaceable in Any Job Market -- Leafwood Publishers    "In business, as in life and love -- It's Never Too Late For a Fresh Start with Fresh Faith." www.anitabrooks.com   www.zenithzone.com

 

 

 

Death Investigator Magazine

A digital magazine focused on the death investigation community. Dedicated to improving skills and enriching lives of investigators.

  “To the living we owe respect, but to the dead we only owe the truth.” Voltaire

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  Medicolegal Death Investigation – Online Academy 

Coroners, Medical Examiner Investigators, Police, and Forensic students. This hybrid course looks at death investigation from a combined perspective of law enforcement and medicolegal death investigations.

MLDI online Academy is a Nationally Accredited online training designed to teach all aspects of death investigation and scene management. Unlike any other coroner training today,  this course offers a blended learning style combining online self-paced video training, along with opportunities for live interaction with instructors several times throughout the program, and a unique private Facebook group open only to students of Coroner School™ where everyone can interact and ask questions.

MLDI online Academy is a six-week guided course with certified instructors. However, at the end of the six weeks, you still have access to all videos, downloadable material, and the private Facebook group. You can return to the online school anytime to finish up the courses or as a refresher in certain topic areas.

 

 

Medicolegal Death Investigation Scene Kit

This exclusive first of its kind Medicolegal Death Investigation (MLDI) kit contains all the items you need to document and collect evidence from the most important piece of evidence at any death scene – The Body. Designed for Coroners, Medical Examiner Investigators, and anyone responsible to investigate and process a death.

This kit is equipped to collect fragile evidence such as DNA and fibers, take post-mortem temperatures, document the scene through photography and sketching, as well as properly collect transport, and store material evidence.

This MLDI Kit can be used in large agencies for multiple MDI’s or one single kit for smaller agencies. Packaged in a sturdy Pelican carry case with custom dividers and a pocketed pouch system. Built strong to withstand the demands from scene to scene.

Click HERE for more information

 

 

 

The Death Investigation Training Academy was founded to play an integral role in the death investigation community.  The need for quality accredited training is in short supply and high demand. Using a combination of classroom training, live on site scenario exercises,  and web-based training, the Death Investigation Training Academy is filling the need of 21st-century investigators.