Discuss What Information, Specifically About Timing, Is Provided by the State

question 107

Essay

Discuss what information, specifically about timing, is provided by the state of the following searched crime scenes.
a. A young woman is found dead near the front door of her home. She had not reported to work at 8 am. The morning newspaper is on the kitchen table next to a clean, empty plate. The decedent is found wearing pajamas and messy hair. Burned toast is found in the toaster.
b. A backpack and empty lunchbox belonging to a missing child is found on a couch in a mobile home owned by a 47-year-old single man with no family in the area. The backpack contains blank homework assigned to the child that day in school. The search reveals action movie posters, three video game systems, 25 video games, and drawers filled with candy bars.

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Definitions:

Costal Facet

A small, flat surface on a vertebra that articulates with the rib, contributing to the thoracic cage's stability.

Lamina

A thin layer, plate, or scale of organic material, such as the lamina of a vertebrate's bone or the lamina propria in mucous membranes.

Xiphoid Process

A small cartilaginous extension of the lower part of the sternum which is usually ossified in the adult human.

Costal Cartilage

The bars of hyaline cartilage that connect the ends of the ribs to the sternum, contributing to the elasticity and expansion capacity of the rib cage.