Homicide Investigation: Practical Information for Coroners, Police Officers, and Other Investigators (Paperback)

by Lemoyne Snyder (Author) "APPROXIMATELY 20 per cent of all persons die under circumstances that require an official inquiry into the cause of death..." (more)
Key Phrases: dermal nitrate test, scientific interrogation, scaled photograph, Russell Carrier, Homicide Due, Circle of Willis (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Charles C Thomas Pub Ltd (August 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0398064350
• ISBN-13: 978-0398064358
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,920,524 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Homicide...excellent source of information for crime buffs., August 28, 2006

By	Isaac Ho (Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I find this forensic manual to be very informative and absolutely indepensable not only for criminal investigators and coronors, but also serious crime buffs.

The books is profusely illustrated with graphic details of what to look for in discovering a cadaver which has either been mutilated, drowned in water, burnt with fire or killed with bullets.

The rich description of different homicides from many perspective make the book a source of constant reference to all those who are concerned with untimely death investigations.

This reference manual should not be considered as gory as homicide investigations are not pleasant affairs but for coroners, police officers, life insurance agents and last but not the least, serious crime buffs who want to read factual information. Go for it though the price may be a bit stiff.
There is no other homicide manual like it ever written...!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must have" for novice and seasoned investigators!, April 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Homicide Investigation: Practical Information for Coroners, Police Officers, and Other Investigators (Hardcover)

An indispensible source of death investigation both in word and photo. Murder is murder and even though written decades ago, the basics of evidence gathering and methodologies given will help the 'new' homicide investigator, ... as well as revisiting the 'tried and true' for the seasoned slueth. Kinda pricey, but worth every penny! This book will be one of the most referred to sources your home or station's library will hold.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Primer for the Police, December 6, 2006

By	Acute Observer (N. Jersey Shore) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Homicide Investigation: Practical Information for Coroners, Police Officers, and Other Investigators (Hardcover)

Homicide Investigations, by LeMoyne Snyder

LeMoyne Snyder is a member of the AMA and the ABA. The majority of serious crimes are committed by career criminals who are often identified by "lines of information". The majority of homicides are not committed by professional criminals. Scientific training is needed to distinguish homicides from suicides. This book was written to improve police investigations by preserving evidence so it is neither contaminated or destroyed, and to tell how to get scientific assistance to prepare a case for court. August Vollmer said it should be required reading for all policemen (p.vii). [Readers of true crime and mysteries could also benefit.] In the `Preface' LeMoyne Snyder said there were few organizations in the US or Canada like the medicolegal institutes in Europe and Latin America to investigate violent deaths [as of the 1940s]. The purpose of this book is to provide practical plans of procedure to adequately investigate deaths for those without scientific training. Each chapter contains a brief section on the medical aspects to aid a coroner prior to an autopsy and avoid serious errors of omission or commission. The `Acknowledgments' thank the many who contributed to this book, especially the group from Harvard Medical School. Erle Stanley Gardner also contributed (his novels often used little-known medical facts). Chapter 20 explains why this book was written. A dead body was found in a kitchen. No notes were made, no photographs taken, no search for fingerprints or other evidence. The autopsy was perfunctory. The crime scene was cleaned up. When a suspect was arrested the lack of evidence set him free. If only they knew what to do!

Chapter 5 discusses the identification of dead bodies, and tells of one case where Snyder recognized a dead friend after an apartment fire. The next day he found his friend was in fact alive (p.51)! A lip print can identify a person ("The Case of the Crimson Kiss"). A pelvis identifies the sex of an skeleton (p.62), and can indicate the age (p.63). Chapter 7 discusses gunshot wounds. Typically wounds of entrance are neat round holes. Wounds of exit are larger, ragged, torn, and bloodier (pp.106-107). Pages 113-116 note the effects of "tattooing". Chapter 13 deals with poisoning. It is very important to have an accurate history of the events preceding death to provide a clue to the type of poisoning. If a poison does not work other means may be used. Chapter 19 tells of the popular fallacies about murder. "Murder will out"? The number of unsolved homicides is enormous. The murderer rarely returns to the scene of the crime. A gunshot wound through the heart does not always cause instant death. Photographs can lie depending on the lens, the height of the camera, the type of film, or the distance from the object. Can a fortune teller give valuable information? Snyder knows of no such cases. A dead man can tell a tale if there was care and diligence in the investigation and the laboratory tests.

[This is from the 1950 edition.]