Unlike other such manuals, this one combines specialized info from dozens of scientific and investigative references in one handy volume. A must for detectives, pathologists, attorneys, crime scene technicians, reporters, EMTs, PIs and mystery buffs.

This expanded and updated edition brings death investigation up-to-the-minute. It contains 50 percent more material than the original and reveals all the new scientific and technical developments in the field of death investigation, including the very latest on DNA, cold cases, bioterrorism, mass disaster sites, illuminating sources for revealing stains, profiling secrets and much, much more. Interest in forensic medicine has never been higher. Professionals are faced with the need to solve more cases in less time and with fewer resources, and through popular television shows, movies and true-crime and mystery books, the public has become fascinated with every aspect of homicide investigations on the scene and in the lab. If you want to know more about the art and science of crime-scene processing, forensic evaluations and investigative techniques, go to the source that professionals use to catch real killers: Death Investigator's Handbook.

The numerous case studies and crime scene photographs included in the book are actual cases and serve to illustrate an example or reason for the methods described in the text. The guiding theme of this handbook is that teamwork in the investigation of various aspects and causes of death is essential if viable and effective solutions are to take place."--BOOK JACKET.

Death Investigator's Handbook quickly became an essential addition to every law enforcement library when it was first published in 1993. Ten years later, veteran homicide investigator Louis Eliopulos completely updated and expanded it to include all the latest scientific and technological advances in the field of death investigation, including DNA, cold cases, bioterrorism, mass-disaster sites, trace evidence recovery, blood spatter, forensic odontology and much more.To make the manual handier for working professionals, we have divided the book into three seperate volumes: crime scenes (Volume 1), investigations (Volume 2), and scientific investigations (Volume 3). If you want to know more about the art and science of crime-scene processing, forensic evaluations and investigative techniques, go to the source that professional use to catch real killers.

This is not just a new edition but a different book, emphasizing trauma and wound analysis. The addition of a new co-editor, Dr. Francisco J. Diaz, has brought new ideas to this fifth edition. A chapter by Doctor Jan Leetsma, world-renowned neuropathologist, has also been included. Doctor Leetsma’s vast experience in forensic neuropathology will certainly enhance this book. Several chapters have been eliminated that are no longer applicable or which are adequately covered in other publications. Over time, in the past 48 years, since this book was first published, Medicolegal Investigation of Death has been dubbed the “Bible of Forensic Pathology.” The fifth edition includes over 600 case reports and hundreds of color photographs. The cases are from files the authors have personally handled. According to author Spitz, “We have found many times analysis of small wounds will lead to understanding of a giant case—like the case in Hawaii, where a body was found under a full-size van, with a thread mark on the cheek consistent with having been hit with a black pipe used for gas lines that were found in a bucket in the rear of the van. As it turned out, this was a murder, not an accident.” The book is full of such cases. This book will help you understand the details of injuries and how a person was injured and how they died and how these injuries, perhaps at first blush possibly seemingly insignificant, can shed new light on a case. Medicolegal Investigation of Death now embraces not just basic forensic pathology but also includes death during restraint, conscious pain and suffering and new concepts related to the interpretation of injuries by detailed wound analysis. The continued use of simple, non-technical terminology makes this book a truly unique treatise and source of information.

The analysis of plants, insects, soil and other particulates from scenes of crime can be vital in proving or excluding contact between a suspect and a scene, targeting search areas, and establishing a time and place of death. Forensic Ecology: A Practitioner’s Guide provides a complete handbook covering all aspects of forensic ecology. Bringing together the forensic applications of anthropology, archaeology, entomology, palynology and sedimentology in one volume, this book provides an essential resource for practitioners in the field of forensic science, whether crime scene investigators, forensic science students or academics involved in the recovery and analysis of evidence from crime scenes. Forensic Ecology: A Practitioner’s Guide includes information not only on the search, location, recovery and analysis of evidence, but includes sampling strategies for diatom analysis, pollen and soils samples and entomology and provides guides for good practice. Each chapter provides background information on each discipline and is structured according to pre-scene attendance (what questions should the scientist ask when receiving a call? What sort of preparation is required?), scene attendance (including protocols at the scene, sampling strategies, recording), scientific examination of analysis of the evidence up to the stages and guidelines for witness statement and presenting evidence in court. The book is written by specialists in all fields with a wealth of experience who are current forensic practitioners around the world. It provides an essential and accessible resource for students, academics, forensic practitioners and police officers everywhere.