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

In this episode, I share a small portion of a new online course, Introduction to Blood Pattern Analysis. You can find more about that course at the link below.

https://www.ditacademyonline.org/courses/bpa-introduction

In this episode, you will learn the importance of detecting deception in interactions with victims, witnesses, and suspects and be introduced to techniques used to analyze verbal or written statements. I talked with Mark Bailey about how a written statement can be analyzed for truthfulness or deception. You can learn more about how to participate in classroom training on this topic by going to.

www.mebailey.com

Testifying in court can be terrifying if you are not used to it. Even experienced investigators need good reminders now and then on how to perform better.

When testifying in court; the eyes of the jury, the judge, the prosecutor, the defense, and the public– are on you! Your reputation and that of your department may be enhanced or destroyed by your courtroom presentation. A single ineffective presentation in the courtroom can result in the acquittal of a defendant, no matter the amount of solid evidence you may have collected.

There's another equally important reason for you to care about being an effective witness in the courtroom. If you aren't, all the work that you and your fellow investigators did on the case, all that the victims and their families endured, all that other witnesses may have done over the many months and sometimes years it takes for a criminal case to go to trial–will have accomplished nothing more than a containment arrest. A single ineffective presentation in the courtroom can result in the acquittal of a defendant, no matter the amount of solid evidence you may have collected.

For more information about the online course discussed in the episode, click over to: https://www.ditacademyonline.org/courses/courtroom-testimony

Online Course Click Here: Investigating Infant and Child Death

Death Investigator Newsletter: Click Here for Newsletter Info.

When it comes to all death investigations, but especially where an infant or child is involved, you should be led by the thinking that you only get one chance at your first chance. The trouble with infant death, more so than any other type of death, is the body is always moved from the place of discovery, making multiple scenes that need to be secured and looked at.

The other issue is the delay in notification. Many times, because of this moving of the body, the infant is often at a hospital, and hours have gone by before law enforcement and coroner/medical examiners are notified. This delay also frustrates the investigation by putting potential evidence at risk of being lost forever by never being found.

There are two areas of the investigation that need to be started as soon as possible; talking with the caregivers and inspecting the place of discovery. Caregivers, and anyone who found the child unresponsive, need to be talked to on the day of the death, not a few days later. Waiting may cause the caregivers to be reluctant to speak with investigators, even if they have done nothing wrong.

The next first thing that needs to be done is an inspection of the place of discovery. Do an initial walk-through looking at the environment as a whole. What are the living conditions like, is the environment safe for a child? Look for fragile evidence such as blood, vomit, mucus, etc. on bedding and crib rails. Locate bottles, diapers, medications, and food containers for later collection. What room does the infant sleep in normally, and where were they upon discovery?

Find out what the HVAC system is in the house and does the room the infant sleeps in have a different source. Be sure to photograph the entire house or environment as you walk through so you get the best representation of the scene before items are moved or destroyed.

Again, remember you only get one chance at your first chance. Every other inspection or evidence collection after that can be tainted or at least claimed to have been by future defense arguments.

Online Course Click Here: Investigating Infant and Child Death

Death Investigator Newsletter: Click Here for Newsletter Info.

When it comes to all death investigations, but especially where an infant or child is involved, you should be led by the thinking that you only get one chance at your first chance. The trouble with infant death, more so than any other type of death, is the body is always moved from the place of discovery, making multiple scenes that need to be secured and looked at.

The other issue is the delay in notification. Many times, because of this moving of the body, the infant is often at a hospital, and hours have gone by before law enforcement and coroner/medical examiners are notified. This delay also frustrates the investigation by putting potential evidence at risk of being lost forever by never being found.

There are two areas of the investigation that need to be started as soon as possible; talking with the caregivers and inspecting the place of discovery. Caregivers, and anyone who found the child unresponsive, need to be talked to on the day of the death, not a few days later. Waiting may cause the caregivers to be reluctant to speak with investigators, even if they have done nothing wrong.

The next first thing that needs to be done is an inspection of the place of discovery. Do an initial walk-through looking at the environment as a whole. What are the living conditions like, is the environment safe for a child? Look for fragile evidence such as blood, vomit, mucus, etc. on bedding and crib rails. Locate bottles, diapers, medications, and food containers for later collection. What room does the infant sleep in normally, and where were they upon discovery?

Find out what the HVAC system is in the house and does the room the infant sleeps in have a different source. Be sure to photograph the entire house or environment as you walk through so you get the best representation of the scene before items are moved or destroyed.

Again, remember you only get one chance at your first chance. Every other inspection or evidence collection after that can be tainted or at least claimed to have been by future defense arguments.

Online Course Click Here: Investigating Infant and Child Death

Death Investigator Newsletter: Click Here for Newsletter Info.

When it comes to all death investigations, but especially where an infant or child is involved, you should be led by the thinking that you only get one chance at your first chance. The trouble with infant death, more so than any other type of death, is the body is always moved from the place of discovery, making multiple scenes that need to be secured and looked at.

The other issue is the delay in notification. Many times, because of this moving of the body, the infant is often at a hospital, and hours have gone by before law enforcement and coroner/medical examiners are notified. This delay also frustrates the investigation by putting potential evidence at risk of being lost forever by never being found.

There are two areas of the investigation that need to be started as soon as possible; talking with the caregivers and inspecting the place of discovery. Caregivers, and anyone who found the child unresponsive, need to be talked to on the day of the death, not a few days later. Waiting may cause the caregivers to be reluctant to speak with investigators, even if they have done nothing wrong.

The next first thing that needs to be done is an inspection of the place of discovery. Do an initial walk-through looking at the environment as a whole. What are the living conditions like, is the environment safe for a child? Look for fragile evidence such as blood, vomit, mucus, etc. on bedding and crib rails. Locate bottles, diapers, medications, and food containers for later collection. What room does the infant sleep in normally, and where were they upon discovery?

Find out what the HVAC system is in the house and does the room the infant sleeps in have a different source. Be sure to photograph the entire house or environment as you walk through so you get the best representation of the scene before items are moved or destroyed.

Again, remember you only get one chance at your first chance. Every other inspection or evidence collection after that can be tainted or at least claimed to have been by future defense arguments.

But having a preparedness mindset is critical as an investigator. We get used to the day-to-day calls and never put a lot of thought into the time we will be thrust into a large investigation. Whether that be a large, emotionally draining investigation or one that might be, or seem to be, above our ability to manage.

We can never prepare for everything. But we can do a lot to prepare for the unexpected. In this episode, I talk about having a preparedness mindset and how to prepare for the unexpected. This is an excerpt from a larger online course but is packed with real training and ready-to-use advice.

Check out the online course at this link.

https://www.ditacademyonline.org/courses/prepardness-mindset

We have revamped an old idea into an interactive monthly newsletter—best of all, it's totally free.

To learn more and subscribe, go to deathinvestigatormagazine.com

Support Services staff are trained professionals from various fields, including medicine, mental health, and law enforcement. The team is committed to providing sincere and compassionate support at a pace survivors are comfortable with. We maintain the highest level of confidentiality. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In the event of a death, Summit County provides support services to family and friends of the decedent. Services can include counseling, emotional support, financial assistance for burials, advocacy, help with paperwork, and referrals for other types of assistance.

To learn more about the Summit County, Colorado Program, go to https://summitcountyco.gov/1102/Survivor-Support

To learn more about the Death Investigation Academy and see what course you might be interested in, go to

https://ditacademy.org/

Check out the online course here:

https://www.ditacademyonline.org/courses/Suicide-and-Self-Harm

An initial exam while still on the scene is imperative for the overall determination of cause and manner of death as well as collecting time sensitive facts and evidence. This exam is only the first of two external exams. This one being on the scene and the second one at autopsy.

The on-scene exam documents what the investigator sees and what wounds, scars, tattoos, etc., are present on the body. At this stage, much of the trace evidence used in a case will either be located or preserved for future collection.