| -> | | | | are elevated above the surrounding area, whereas, |
| Suppose a person has been missing for quite some | | | | older ones are depressed due to the fact that as the |
| time and the boyfriend is the prime suspect as in the | | | | body decays the skeletal remains will collapse from |
| 1996 Cincinnati, Ohio case in which Vincent Doan was | | | | the weight of the dirt. |
| suspected of killing his girlfriend, Carrie Culberson. He | | | | - Making use of tracking dogs--When dogs smell a |
| committed the crime of murder and got rid of the | | | | sample of the victim's clothing, they may be able to |
| body with no trace whatsoever. He must be thinking, | | | | follow a scent trail to the burial site. |
| "no body, no crime, right?" | | | | - Variations in vegetation--Offenders usually disturb |
| In the case of a missing person, crime scene | | | | the soil conditions in areas where the grave is |
| investigators (CSI's) employ a few time-tested | | | | located. This could cause plants to grow on |
| methods for discovering the location of a missing | | | | gravesites where plants usually do not grow. |
| person. | | | | - Making an aerial reconnaissance--Using thermal |
| When searching for a missing person, forensic | | | | imaging from the air, freshly turned dirt appears |
| investigators use any and all evidence to eliminate a | | | | colder when scanned as compared to densely, |
| wide range of possibilities and focus in on pertinent | | | | compacted dirt. Conversely, a decaying corpse gives |
| information. For instance, a witness may have seen | | | | off heat which may show up on a thermal imager |
| the suspect's truck or found the victim's handkerchief | | | | - Checking for byproducts of decaying corpses--If a |
| in a remote area, pointing the investigation in a | | | | body is suspected to be in a particular location, |
| particular direction. | | | | special machinery can be used to detect the sources |
| Crime scene investigators use a slew of low- and | | | | of heat and the presence of nitrogen, both of which |
| high-tech methods when embarking on the search of | | | | are byproducts of the decaying process. |
| a missing individual. They include the following: | | | | - Checking for electrical conductivity--A decaying |
| - Looking downhill--Suppose that a body is believed to | | | | body adds moisture to the soil thereby increasing the |
| be interred near a remote stretch of road where the | | | | soil's electrical conductivity. By inserting two metal |
| land falls away on either side. Investigators could | | | | electrodes into the soil and passing an electrical |
| begin their search downhill because physics dictates | | | | current between them, an increase in the current |
| carrying a heavy object such as a body downhill is | | | | flow in this soil compared to soil in another location |
| much easier on the offender's shoulders than carrying | | | | may indicate the presence of a decaying body. |
| it uphill. | | | | - Making use of metal detectors--Using a metal |
| - Noting variations in the terrain--Freshly disturbed dirt, | | | | detector can disclose the location of the victim's |
| trenches, and elevations or depressions in the terrain | | | | jewelry or bracelet. |
| can be a good indication. Fresh gravesites, in general, | | | | |