Death and Disposal Locations of Serial Homicides: The Effect on Recovery Timeframes

• Date: 01 May 2022
• Author: Cody Raymer,Brendan Chapman,David A. Keatley
• Published date: 01 May 2022
• DOI: 10.1177/10887679211006852
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/10887679211006852

Homicide Studies

2022, Vol. 26(2) 199 –215

© 2021 SAGE Publications

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DOI: 10.1177/10887679211006852

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Article

Death and Disposal Locations

of Serial Homicides:

The Effect on Recovery

Timeframes

Brendan Chapman1,3 , Cody Raymer1,

and David A. Keatley2,3

Abstract

Many factors affect the solvability of homicides, including body disposal location and

time between death and recovery. The aim of this exploratory study was to probe

a number of spatiotemporal variables for trends across a subset of solved homicide

case data from 54 North American serial killers, active between 1920 and 2016 (125

solved cases) to identify areas for further research. We investigated murder site and

body disposal site as location variables with eight subcategories across eight discrete

time series, seeking insight into how these factors may affect the early stages of an

investigation and (therefore by inference) solvability. The findings showed that bodies

recovered after 48 hours are more likely discovered outdoor while those discovered

within 24 hours, within the victim’s residence. This has implications for the ability to

recover forensic evidence when bodes are located after a prolonged time since death

as well as in more hostile environments.

Keywords

homicide, serial killer, solvability, body disposal, forensic, criminology

Introduction

When conducting homicide investigations, it is crucial to be thorough and explore all

avenues of inquiry to prevent them from becoming cold cases (Allsop, 2017). Cases

are generally considered cold when all lines of inquiry have been explored and there

1Medical, Molecular and Forensic Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia

2School of Law, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia

3Cold Case Review, Perth, WA, Australia

Corresponding Author:

Brendan Chapman, Medical, Molecular and Forensic Sciences, Murdoch University, 90 South Street,

Murdoch, WA, 6150, Australia.

Email: brendan.chapman@murdoch.edu.au

1006852HSXXXX10.1177/10887679211006852Homicide StudiesChapman et al.

research-article2021

200 Homicide Studies 26(2)

are no further investigative opportunities. The actions taken within the early stages of

an investigation are therefore critical to their solvability (Allsop, 2017). Within homi-

cide investigations, many factors have been identified that substantially influence

solvability, including the victim-offender relationship, marital status of the offender

and victim, distance between the incident site and body recovery location, time taken

to locate the body, and the availability of resources within police departments (Brown

& Keppel, 2007, 2012; Mouzos & Muller, 2001; Reale & Beauregard, 2019). Of these

factors, time has been identified as one of the most critical components in the resolu-

tion of homicide investigations, with a significant emphasis in law enforcement train-

ing placed on the first 48-hours of an investigation (Brown & Keppel, 2007, 2012;

Reale & Beauregard, 2019). This period is particularly crucial due to evidence degra-

dation; finding leads and apprehending offenders and loss of information and evi-

dence. This is even more so in instances where bodies have not been located

(Beauregard & Martineau, 2014; DiBiase, 2014).

In some cases, the body of a victim may be the only physical evidence available.

Some prosecutors decline progressing cases to trial without a body, placing significant

importance on physical evidence in court trials (Godwin, 1998; Reale & Beauregard,

2019). The absence of a body, or limited evidence on it when found, may be due to

several factors regarding the location in which it was disposed of, including the rate of

decomposition, weather conditions, or submersion in water (Ferguson & Pooley,

2019). Without the identification of a body and subsequent disposal site, there are

limitations for evidence collection. Even if these sites are located, they may have

already suffered from tampering or contamination (Ferguson, 2011; Ferguson &

Pooley, 2019; Reale & Beauregard, 2019).

The environment in which a body is found has a marked effect on its rate of

decomposition, with temperature and moisture being significant contributors to the

biochemical processes of decomposition (Ferguson & Pooley, 2019). In addition to

temperature and humidity, exposure to insect activity and larger victim body weight

will hinder interpretation of details such as wound analysis and time of death estima-

tion. These can be crucial in aiding investigators to identify whether a death is ruled

a homicide, to link similar cases, or to establish movements of suspects at the time

of the offence (Ferguson & Pooley, 2019; Reale & Beauregard, 2019). The time

taken to locate deceased remains, along with its location—being indoors or out-

doors, all have a significant impact on the collection of fingerprints, shoe outsole

impressions, or DNA evidence (Cockle & Bell, 2015). Exposure to outdoor condi-

tions such as rain or lengthy ultraviolet radiation may ultimately degrade or obliter-

ate evidence. Individualizing characteristics of impressions, fingerprints, or DNA

may all be adversely affected by these natural conditions (Cockle & Bell, 2015). By

contrast, victims located indoors may have better preservation of evidence with

reduced opportunity for scene modification or contamination (Cockle & Bell, 2015;

Ferguson & Pooley, 2019).

There is a lack of research explicitly investigating the interplay between the time of

death, time of body recovery, murder location, and disposal location (particularly

involving bodies of water) and therefore their effect on solvability. The aims of this