The Final Resting Place: Exploring Factors Predicting Homicide Body Disposal Locations

• In Event: Murder Investigations: Locations, Bodies, Scripts, and Arrests

Abstract

The timely recovery of a victim’s body is critical in homicide investigations as delays hinder forensic analysis and case resolution. While prior research has examined body disposal patterns, much remains unknown about the situational, environmental, and crime characteristics that influence body disposal site selection. Rational choice and crime pattern theories guided our study of 738 homicides from the Homicide Investigation Tracking System (HITS) database. Sampled cases involved those where the victim’s body was moved from the death site to a secondary disposal location. Multinomial logit regression analysis was conducted to examine spatio-temporal and crime-related factors that predicted location type (remote, roadway, activity space). The victim’s last seen site was found to influence body disposal location; patterns were consistent across all three site categories. Offenders typically disposed of a body in an environment similar to where the victim was last seen, suggesting limited travel. Victims of sexual assault were often found in remote areas, indicting premeditation. Killing method also influenced disposal location type. These findings suggest that offenders’ disposal choices are shaped by environmental constraints and available situational information. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of offender decision-making, offering police investigators insights for predicting and identifying clandestine disposal locations.

Authors

• April Chai, Douglas College

• Kim Rossmo, Texas State University

• Julien Chopin, University of Lausanne