Over the course of the career of most police officers and detectives, the likelihood of being sent to a report of a suicide is much greater than that of most other scenes involving the death of a human being. The suicide crime scene is one of the most difficult crime scenes to investigate. This crime scene carries with it the temptation to make a determination of the cause of death as suicide, long before the facts and available evidence can support that determination.

The emotional impact of suicide on the surviving family members and friends makes this scene even more difficult to investigate than some homicide scenes. No one wants to believe that someone they loved has resorted to an act of self-destruction. Rather than face this unpleasant truth, surviving family members and friends will believe that the investigator has reached the wrong conclusion. They believe that the investigation was conducted poorly, incompetently, or unprofessionally.

The detective conducting this crime scene investigation needs to be ready to have his or her work questioned by the surviving family of the victim. A crime scene that has been processed correctly will assist the detective in answering those questions.

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