TY - JOUR PY - 2024// TI - Counting the days: exploring the post-mortem interval factors in sexual homicides JO - Behavioral sciences and the law A1 - Chai, April Miin Miin A1 - Reale, Kylie S. SP - ePub EP - ePub VL - ePub IS - ePub N2 - This study explores the offender, victim, and environmental characteristics that significantly influence the number of days a sexual homicide victim remains undiscovered. Utilizing a sample of 269 cases from the Homicide Investigation Tracking System database an in-depth analysis was conducted to unveil the factors contributing to the delay in the discovery of victims' bodies. The methodological approach involves applying a negative binomial regression analysis, which allows for the examination of count data, specifically addressing the over-dispersion and excess zeros in the dependent variable - the number of days until the victim is found. The findings reveal that certain offender characteristics, victim traits, and spatio-temporal factors play a pivotal role in the time lag experienced in locating the bodies of homicide victims. These findings have crucial implications for investigative efforts in homicide cases, offering valuable insights that can inform and enhance the efficacy and efficiency of future investigative procedures and strategies.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 0735-3936 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2666 ID - ref1 ER -