The post-mortem as a source of information in the investigation of murder

Abstract

The research is concerned with how the post-mortem report can be used as a source of information in the investigation of murder cases to identify crime, individual crimes and trace suspects, etc. The understanding of the post-mortem report, and the information which can be obtained from it, will assist the police investigators to handle murder cases in a professional way. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the existing manner in which police investigators use post-mortem reports in their investigations, with the intention of determining its strengths and weaknesses, and considering how the usage can be improved. Secondly, the researcher wanted to explore how investigators use postmortem reports as a source of information in their investigations. To accomplish this, the researcher perused international and national literature in an attempt to explore the field. The researcher wanted to apply the new research knowledge in order to develop good practice in the field. This has been done by recommending new procedures to enhance performance and to improve the conviction rate in court cases.