Australian no-body homicides: Exploring common features of solved cases

Ferguson, Claire; Pooley, Kamarah

doi:10.1016/j.jflm.2019.06.007

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…For example, in the present series, a cause of death was not determinable in 5 of cases (19%) due to marked putrefaction and skeletonization. In situations where a body is simply not found, the circumstances and police investigation of the case assume greater significance, as pathological evaluation is obviously not possible 14 . Hiding a body may also be undertaken under the mistaken belief that charges of murder cannot be laid without the physical evidence of a corpse.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Concealed Homicides—A Postmortem Study and Review

Byard

2023

Am J Forensic Med Pathol

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A study was undertaken at Forensic Science SA, Adelaide, South Australia, of all cases of homicide (January 2003–December 2022) where the victims' bodies had been concealed. Three hundred twenty-six homicides were identified, which included 27 cases where bodies had been deliberately hidden (8%) (age range, 2–82 years; ave, 34.9 years; M:F = 1.5:1). Deaths were due to blunt force trauma (n = 11), sharp force trauma (n = 4), asphyxia (n = 4), gunshot wound (n = 2), and a combination of drowning and asphyxia (n = 1). In 5 cases, the cause of death was not determinable. The methods of concealment (which were sometimes overlapping) included the following: dumping at a hidden/isolated location (n = 8), burial (n = 7), dismembering (n = 3), incinerating (n = 3), hiding in a wheeled garbage bin (n = 2), disposing in garbage resulting in the remains being located at waste disposal facilities (n = 2), hiding in a shed (n = 1), under a concrete floor (n = 1), in a suitcase (n = 1), in a river (n = 1), in a mine shaft (n = 1), and in a septic tank (n = 1). Although it has been asserted that concealed homicides are rarely encountered in forensic practice, the current study has demonstrated that the bodies in at least 8% of victims of homicide in South Australia have undergone some form of concealment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Concealed Homicides—A Postmortem Study and Review

Byard

2023

Am J Forensic Med Pathol

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“…Similar findings have been observed in the literature on DA and CSS. For example, research by Ferguson and Pooley (2019a, b) revealed “no-body” cases in Australia commonly involved homicides where the victim was reported missing and deemed a low-risk of harm initially. Cases such as these were commonly unclassified as homicides for a significant period.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection avoidance and mis/unclassified, unsolved homicides in Australia

Ferguson

McKinley

2019

JCP

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to begin to explore whether and how the use of detection avoidance (DA) by offenders leads to a so called “dark figure” of unsolved homicides that have been mis/unclassified. Design/methodology/approach Australian Coronial data and inquest findings are used to examine how DA impacts on determining homicide, and cases remaining unsolved. Findings Results show DA behaviours perpetrated by offenders may be catalysed by other challenges, and may lead to homicides being mis/unclassified and unsolved. Findings indicate there is a small dark figure of mis/unclassified homicides which eventually become known and investigated as homicides in Australia. The number of unsolved homicides may be greater than official data reveals, due to some cases remaining mis/unclassified. Research limitations/implications Results are likely to underestimate the prevalence of mis/unclassified homicides due to the invisibility of cases and the difficulty establishing rules to include suspected but unproven homicides. The variable nature and impact of DA behaviours also limits results, along with jurisdictional differences in Coronial data. Practical implications This discussion explains DA behaviours impact on determining and investigating homicide and the necessity of future research. Originality/value Mis/unclassified homicides as unsolved homicides have not been discussed previously. This discussion is the first to conceptualise mis/unclassified homicides as a dark figure of unsolved cases, and the first to attempt to gauge the problem.

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“…This creates a difficult hurdle to overcome. Prosecuting no-body homicides (NBH) can be difficult [ [1] , [2] , [3] , [4] ]; always in the mind of the jurors is the possibility that there is no victim, there is no crime – the MisPer is alive. In contrast, families of victims cannot rest until their loved one is found, and case progression without a body often stalls.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Finding the here in where: Keatley’s Winthropping in missing persons and no-body homicide cases

Keatley

2024

Forensic Science International: Synergy

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Australian no-body homicides: Exploring common features of solved cases

Cited by 8 publications

References 13 publications

Concealed Homicides—A Postmortem Study and Review

Concealed Homicides—A Postmortem Study and Review

Detection avoidance and mis/unclassified, unsolved homicides in Australia

Finding the here in where: Keatley’s Winthropping in missing persons and no-body homicide cases

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