Citation

Ferguson C, Pooley K. J. Forensic Leg. Med. 2019; 66: 70-78.

Affiliation

School of Justice, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jflm.2019.06.007

PMID

31228773

Abstract

Offenders successfully disposing of a homicide victim's body creates challenges to the criminal justice process, yet no research literature exists on no-body homicide cases. We explored 25 solved homicides in Australia where no part of the victim's body was recovered. Coroners' findings, case law, and media reports from 1983 to 2017 were examined qualitatively and descriptively. Features of the cases differed based on whether the homicide was related to organized crime, serial sexual offences, or domestic violence. Challenges posed by each type of case are discussed and opportunities for solving these cases are examined.

Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Body disposal; Coroner's inquest; Death investigation; Homicide; Missing person