Deck 10: Death Investigation

Question 1

With regard to homicides, ______.

A) most involve the use of a firearm
B) most occur in conjunction with other felonies
C) nationally, more than 90 percent are solved or cleared
D) most involve victims and offenders who are strangers

Answer 1

most involve the use of a firearm

Question 2

When staging occurs at a homicide crime scene, it is most common that a ______.

A) murder is made to look like death by natural causes
B) suicide is made to look like murder
C) an accident is made to look like murder or suicide
D) murder is made to look like an accident or suicide

Answer 2

murder is made to look like an accident or suicide

Question 3

PMI refers to ______.

A) the estimated time of death
B) pattern migration information
C) the relationship between the victim and the offender
D) DNA analysis results

Answer 3

the estimated time of death

Question 4

Following death, the body goes through a series of changes:

A) algor mortis, livor mortis, veral mortis
B) algor mortis, livor mortis, rigor mortis
C) corpus delicti, livor mortis, veral mortis
D) corpus delicti, livor mortis, rigor mortis

Question 5

To establish that a murder has occurred, there must be evidence of a ______ and that another person ______.

A) dead body; willfully caused that person's death
B) motive; killed the victim
C) malicious intent; caused the death of the victim
D) dead body; observed the killing happened

Question 6

All death can be explained in one of four ways:

A) algor mortis, livor mortis, rigor mortis, and veral mortis
B) natural causes, accidents, suicides, and homicides
C) autopsy, physical evidence, testimonial evidence, and investigative effort
D) none of these

Question 7

It is usually most difficult to differentiate suicides from ______ or suicides from ______.

A) homicides; accidents
B) accidents; natural causes
C) natural causes; homicides
D) none of these

Question 8

After death, when the muscles (joints) of the body become stiff, this is known as ______.

A) algor mortis
B) rigor mortis
C) livor mortis
D) veral mortis

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a method used to estimate the time of death?

A) livor mortis
B) potassium levels found in bone grafts
C) the degree of decomposition
D) insect and animal activity

Question 10

Information developed from a ______ might be incredibly useful in determining the manner and cause of death through an internal examination and external examination.

A) neighborhood canvass
B) crime scene analysis
C) SANE examination
D) autopsy

Question 11

Cold cases are difficult because ______.

A) investigators often face cooperative witnesses
B) investigators easily locate witnesses
C) the suspect is deceased or immune from charges
D) DNA results often help to solve cases

Question 12

Which of the following should not be a consideration when determining the manner of death?

A) the nature of the injuries sustained by the decedent (the cause of death)
B) the characteristics of the decedent
C) the circumstances of the death
D) the investigator's gut reaction to the scene

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT an indicator of autoerotic death?

A) evidence of solo sexual activity
B) the presence of a suicide note
C) evidence of prior autoerotic presence
D) evidence of sexual fantasy aids

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT an indicator of suicide?

A) the presence of a weapon
B) wounds that could have been self-inflicted
C) a suicidal motive
D) the presence of defensive wounds

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT true about murder?

A) It is a relatively frequent crime.
B) Most victims and perpetrators share the same characteristics.
C) Most victims and perpetrators know each other prior to the incident.
D) Homicides have the highest clearance rate of any index offender.

Question 16

Homicides most often occur as a result of ______.

A) gang wars
B) stranger confrontations
C) drive-by shootings
D) argument

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT a basic question that needs to be answered in a death investigation?

A) Who is the decedent?
B) What was the cause of death?
C) Who committed the murder?
D) Why was the murder committed?

Question 18

Who committed the murder cannot be identified through ______.

A) circumstances of the incident and characteristics of the victim
B) establishing a motive
C) physical evidence
D) the amount and type of insects on the body

Question 19

Which of the following activities is NOT included in the internal examination of an autopsy?

A) photographing of the victim's clothes
B) opening of the chest
C) opening of the skull
D) inspecting internal organs and injuries related to the cause of death

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT a way to establish motive?

A) analyzing the victim's diary
B) reading the victim's e-mails
C) asking relatives
D) inspecting the body

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT true about the time of death?

A) Estimating time of death can be done through witnesses.
B) Estimating time of death can be through conditions of the body.
C) Estimating time of death is essential to the identification of a suspect.
D) Estimating time of death is useful in developing themes for witness interviews.

Question 22

What is not correct in regards to task forces as an investigative response to serial homicides?

A) They are temporary.
B) Different investigators from the same agency are forming a task force.
C) It is a high-profile investigative response.
D) Task forces are very common in investigations of serial crimes.

Question 23

Which of the following scenarios describes characteristics of a serial homicide?

A) a murderer who was caught after the first homicide and said he might have committed more
B) an offender who seems to be very static and not mobile at all
C) a well-planned crime that left a lot of evidence at the crime scene
D) a homicide that seems not to have a traditional motive and appears to be random

Question 24

What is correct in regards to cold cases?

A) Most homicides solved within 24 hours lack certain characteristics like an eyewitness.
B) The amount of elapsed time solely determines whether the crime is solved.
C) When a crime is not solved within the first 24 months the chances of it ever being solved fall drastically.
D) Caseload and time pressure often lead to cases being set aside.

Question 25

In what stage of human decomposition will a human body be when the muscles become stiff?

A) algor mortis
B) rigor mortis
C) livor mortis
D) veral mortis

Question 26

The most common circumstance in which homicides occur are arguments between the victim and the perpetrator.

Question 27

The overwhelming majority of murder victims are murdered by strangers.

Question 28

Usually, one of the most difficult tasks for investigators in homicide investigations is determining the identity of the decedent.

Question 29

The presence of defensive wounds on a dead body is usually indicative of homicide as the manner of death.

Question 30

After death, if insects found on the face are at the same stage of development as those in the pelvic region, it may mean that there was trauma to the pelvic region.

Question 31

Wounds inflicted after death are generally more attractive to insects than wounds inflicted before death.

Question 32

PMI estimates time of death through the changes a body goes through after death.

Question 33

Cutting wounds present holes in the skin tissue.

Question 34

Blunt force trauma is characterized by irregular or rough-edged lacerations, bruising, and possibly broken bones in the contact area.

Question 35

Asphyxia is when a person is unable to breathe due to an action or material.

Question 36

Ligature strangulation occurs through the use of hands.

Question 37

Poisoning most often occurs as a result of a homicide.

Question 38

Drug-overdose deaths are often about determining who supplied the drugs to the victim.

Question 39

What are some of the ways that investigators determine the identity of the decedent?

Question 40

Discuss the evidence involved in gunshot victims.

Question 41

Discuss the ways in which investigators determine who committed a murder.

Question 42

Discuss the investigation of serial homicides and the unique challenges they present to investigators.

Question 43

Discuss the challenges that cold cases present investigators.