Closing the door on an active murder scene

"She had a lot going for her—living on the Presidio of San Francisco with a gorgeous view of the ocean, a husband in the US Army, two sons, and a good path forward. Little did she know, on one February day, people stood outside her front door waiting to kill her. When she opened it, she was shot seven times, beaten, and stabbed. If she’d had any hope of surviving the deadly encounter, those expectations were dashed when her attackers slashed her throat, from ear-to-ear." The Graveyard Shift Blog

I mention this for a couple of reasons. The first being I've had a few readers ask me why Jack has left his family home a crime scene. He moved out the night he came home and found his daughter and the family dog had been murdered, and his wife missing. When asked why I added this element to the storyline, I simply say, "What if investigators missed something?" "That's hardly likely to happen," is the usual reply.

Well, Jack isn't the only one to have closed the door to preserve an active crime scene. The house where the above woman had been murdered was treated exactly the same, only it had been closed for ten years. It was left nearly exactly as it had been found, except for the victim's body being removed and the evidence collected by the CSIs.

Why? The same reason as Jack's. What if investigators missed something? Until a case is solved and the assailant(s) brought to justice, having a 'live' crime scene left to go back to can take those investigators right back to the day the murder happened. Perhaps a new investigator will see something with fresh eyes or a virgin perspective.

This is part of why Jack left his family home a crime scene. No one's perfect. What had investigators missed? And what did HE miss simply because he was too familiar with his own home? Jack's counting on it to find his wife, and those who killed his daughter and her dog.

The other reason I bring his up as on the last post I talked about Lee Lofland and his annual Writers' Police Academy Murder Con, which has gone virtual this year.

David Alford, FBI agent

What other reason would I bring up the above murder and that the house had been closed up for ten years? Because one of his speakers is FBI agent, David Alford, who was an investigating office in that case. He'll be talking about the investigation, along with showing real crime scene photos, and tell attendees who committed this horrible crime during a piece called Case Study of the FBI—#4 of the above link.

During this murder con, David will also be discussing blood in a segment called “Spatter” or “Splatter?” Have You Written it Right, or Wrong That will definitely be interesting too!

This year's murder con is featuring several speakers, including the Guest of Honor, Andrew Child, brother of Lee Child who, already an established writer, has now donned his brother's crown to carry on the Jack Reacher series.

Registration to attend the murder con opens on Sunday the 14th of March. Bookmark this page to join:

https://writerspoliceacademy.com/wpa-murdercon-registration

If this is your first visit to my site, please take a moment to check out my series. Slaughtered will get the ball rolling! I'd love to hear your thoughts when you're done. You can use the little messenger thingy on the side bar. All email addresses are private and come to me directly. I promise to reply!