When the parent is the suspect in child murder: part 2

Research has shown that when a child is murdered, a parent is commonly found to be involved in the child's death. However, when a child is abducted prior to being murdered, the likelihood of a parent's involvement decreases significantly. Despite these findings, there are many instances in...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Forensic examiner 2013-09, Vol.22 (3), p.48
Main Authors: Treffers, Stefan R, Burgess, Ann W, Burgess, Allen G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Anthony, Casey
Behavior
Children & youth
Decomposition
Evidence
Human remains
Kidnapping
Mother and child
Mothers
Murder
Murders & murder attempts
Sex crimes
Trauma
Trials
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Research has shown that when a child is murdered, a parent is commonly found to be involved in the child's death. However, when a child is abducted prior to being murdered, the likelihood of a parent's involvement decreases significantly. Despite these findings, there are many instances in which parents have become primary suspects in investigations of child abduction homicides. This two-part series examines four cases of child murder that involved an element of abduction where investigators immediately suspected parental involvement. In three of the four cases, the parent suspects were eventually exonerated by DNA evidence after experiencing extensive scrutiny and persistent suspicions of guilt by police. The outcomes of these cases highlight the importance of carefully examining the crime scene by using victimology and crime scene classifications to differentiate between types of child murders. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:1084-5569