Importance+of+Determining+Time+Since+Death

Importance of Determining TOD Main Reasons for Determining TOD  ·  Closure for family and friends   ·  Legal implications   ·  To indicate the length of time a fraud has been perpetrated   ·  Success of an investigation  **Closure for family and friends** It is very, very important to determine the time since death, whether or not the death is criminal, not just for the investigation, but for the family and friends of their loved one. Understanding how, when and why a person has died helps to give closure to family and friends. <span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #7030a0; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">**Legal Implications** <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #7030a0; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In some cases, a person might have a life insurance policy that expired after the person was seen alive but before their remains were discovered. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #7030a0; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Case Study: A man drove deep into the woods and killed himself. He remains were not found until a year later. He was a soldier when he disappeared but once his remains were found, her tour of duty was over. He was crucial to know his time of death because he determined whether or not his family would receive a substantial pension. If he had died while he was still a soldier then his family would receive the pension, if he had died after he was a soldier, his family would receive nothing. Luckly, a forensic entomologist was able to determine the elapsed TOD which proved his suicide occurred while he was still a soldier so his family received their pension. <span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #7030a0; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">**To indicate the length of time a fraud has been perpetrated** <span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #7030a0; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">**Success of an investigation** <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #7030a0; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">When the death is caused by a homicide, learning the TOD is important to a successful investigation. It focuses police efforts, can support or refute a suspect’s alibi, provides documentation of time since death and helps in identification of an unknown victim. The TOD is crucial in determining the victim’s activities and associates in a period prior to the crime.

media type="youtube" key="PLJsXnTIS6Q" height="344" width="425" <span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #7030a0; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Get inside the head of a Forensic Entomologist!