Identification of Primary Crime Scene from Secondary Crime Scene through Soil Evidence in a Crime Concealment Case: An Interesting Exhumation Report

Abstract

Currently crime scene investigators are facing many challenges to solve the mystery since the criminals use many techniques during their operations and to confuse the investigations. The confusion becomes more complex whenever missing of persons followed by dead body recovery in the form of crime concealment. The recovered body may be either in open places or in subsoil. The recognition of physical evidence is a vital step during crime scene investigation and the physical evidence can either be big as cot, knife or traces invisible to naked eyes. The examples of trace evidence include bloodstain, hairs, fibers and soil. Some of the investigators underestimated the value of trace evidence and neglected even in the initial stage of investigation that ended with unsolved crime. The case of crime has been presented herewith concealment wherein, a person was murdered in one place (home, primary crime scene) and the body was transported to another area and subsequently buried (dried canal, secondary crime scene). The burial site came to the notice of police who triggered the investigation with the help of forensic crime scene expert, forensic autopsy expert along with revenue officer and solved the mystery forensically. The forensic crime scene expert noticed a clay soil on the body, the only promising evidence that led to identify the primary crime scene and accused. The forensic medicine expert conducted spot autopsy in the crime scene itself and confirmed the act of homicide.

Keywords

• crime scene investigation
• exhumation
• trace evidence
• primary crime scene
• identification