Introduction
On the Mother’s Day of 2001, a murder incident occurred at a place called Antietam Creek. The body was found lying lifeless in the bushes of the creek. There was evidence to show that this was purely a murder incident because the manner in which the body of a young man was lying on the ground and also its condition was suggestive as such. At the bottom of a steep hill lay the body, with a pool of blood and evidence of some tussle on the ground. This showed that the young man must have struggled with his assailants before they succeeded in killing him.
The exact location of the body was just before a stationed power plant intake tube and also near some rapids that led to the turbine intake tube. There is however a challenge as to how the CSI and other detectors can successfully examine the scene and recover the body safely for further forensic examination. This paper will discharge the onerous task of stating the challenges and also suggest some ways in which the detective personnel can overcome the challenges and recover the body safely for further forensic investigations and also to apprehend the suspected assailants. In doing so, the paper will also be seeking to suggest some of the safety issues that need to be considered while the detectors work on the scene of the crime to detect the location of the body while trying their best not to interfere with any evidence that will assist them in apprehending the assailants.
The challenges
The body is located at the south of the bridge at Mt. Aetna Road. The terrain is steep due to the presence of a steep hill, and the topography is rugged. A power plant is surrounded by turbines and water flows along the river on whose bank the body is located. These are the challenges that the detectors have to grapple with and which shall form the crux of this session.
1. The steep hill
The presence of a steep hill poses a big challenge on the detectors of the scene of the crime and the CSI personnel. It remains to be seen which means they will make use of so that they reach the body that lies on the bank of the river. There is also a bridge but the bridge does not help much since the body is under the bridge. Due to its inclination towards a river, the steep slope is slippery, and this is another challenge on the part of the detectors.
2. The power plant and the turbines
The power plant is surrounded by big power turbines which have been installed to generate power from the water that flows therein. Presence of this power will be a mountain to climb for the detectors as they try to examine the body and safely recover it for further forensic investigations. It is, therefore, advisable not to touch the turbines as they may experience shock, as a result, of the power. This is aggravated by the fact that the turbines are planted on a river whose banks are steep and also slippery. As such, any reckless attempt aimed at recovering the body may cause more trouble on the detectors.
3. Decomposing body
The body has been here for some time and because the environment is conducive for decomposition, chances are that it may have been invaded by bacteria that aid in decomposition. As such, the way that keeps the detector's safe from the effects of a decomposing body is recommended.
Ways to overcome the challenges
There has to be a way in which the detectors will overcome the challenges that are ahead of them in order to recover the body. First of all, they need to put on shoes that have a firm grip so that they can go down a steep slope with ease. Alternatively, since the body lies on the river bank and since the river is full of water, the detectors and the CSI personnel may consider using a boat that will take them downstream to a place where the body is located. However, this is dependent on where the detectors come from. If they come from a place accessible on boat, then the boat will be the most convenient but if they choose to travel on Mt. Aetna Road all the way to the bridge, then they will have to arm themselves with shoes that have a firm grip to enable them to walk on a steep slope with ease.
Secondly, there is a need to find a way of overcoming the challenge posed by the power plant and the power turbines in the river. It is obvious that the detectors may experience a shock if they choose to recklessly get the body from the location without dealing with all the precautions that are involved therein. This paper suggests that they be accompanied with the experts in electricity who will either switch off the power plant for them to get the body with ease or show them an alternative way of getting the body (Kirk, 1974). If they do not get any expert in this sector, this paper advises that they should not touch the body with their bare hands but instead they should get some material that does not conduct electricity to enable them pull the body out of where it is located. That material must be a poor conductor of electricity, for example, an elastic rope, a piece of wood or even any plastic material. This will enable them to pull the body out of the power turbines.
Lastly, concerning the decomposing body, the detectors and the CSI personnel should have hand gloves and masks to reduce the effects of the odor and also the bacteria that are there. Having hand gloves will also assist them not to interfere with the fingerprints of whoever might have touched the body because they may be the assailants (Geberth, 1996). The prints will assist the forensic experts in apprehending the suspects and also know the exact cause of the death.
Safety concerns to be observed while at the crime scene
As pointed out earlier, the detectors and the CSI personnel must be conscious of the way in which they conduct themselves at the scene. This is because as they try to recover the body, they should not interfere with any evidence that is likely to assist police in apprehending the assailants of the victim or aid them in getting to know the truth of the matter. As such, the fingerprints, the photos they take while they are there and the means they use to recover the body should be professional enough and guided by expertise (Fisher, 1993). This paper will suggest that the detectors must be accompanied with forensic experts and investigative police to the scene so that they do all the tasks once and for all. This will aid all the departments concerned with a first-hand opportunity to get into the truth of the matter before any interference with the scene.
Conclusion
This paper has explored the challenges that detectors and CSI personnel are likely to face when they try to recover the body represented by the pictures in the instructions, and it is the position of the paper that the detectors are capable of recovering it because it falls in the ambit of the work that they do every other days. The paper has also explored the likely safety concerns while at the scene and to that effect the paper has suggested some ways in which the personnel can overcome the challenges as they deal with the safety concerns.
References
Fisher, B. (1993). Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation, 5th Edition. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press Inc.
Geberth, V. J. (1996). Practical Homicide Investigation Checklist and Field Guide. New York: CRC Press.
Kirk, P. (1974). Crime Investigation, 2nd Edition. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
