A homicide murder cases case involves someone killing another person. Some people may assume that homicide is illegal when mentioned, but some homicides are legal. Examples of legal crimes include situations in which someone killed their attacker while defending themselves from being sexually assaulted, a store owner attempting to defend himself from an armed robbery, a fatal car accident, etc.
In the meantime, there are a few criminal homicide cases involving murder, manslaughter, etc. If you want to know how to find old homicide cases, we recommend using Information.com’s criminal records check. For other options, refer to this article to know more.
What Kinds of Homicide Exist?
You might encounter various types when searching for how to find old homicide cases. It will make it more difficult to gather information about past homicides. In your research, you might read about five widely-known types of homicide. They are defined as follows:
- First-degree murder: An intentional murder that was carefully planned and punished.
- Second-degree Murder: A murder cases that takes place while a crime is committed.
- Third-degree murder: Any form of murder that is not first- or second-degree.
- Voluntarily killing someone: Killing that is both unjustified and provoked by the victim
- Unintentional manslaughter: Results from extreme carelessness or negligence.
How to find old homicide cases
There are some ways if you want to know how to find old homicide cases online that might help you locate family members or friends. It can be much simpler for people to:
Start with the fundamentals: name, year, and place
The best place to start a murder cases search is always with the fundamentals. Information also requires knowing the victim’s name, the murder victim’s year of death, and the crime scene’s location. There is a free website where people can go to access information about homicide cases going back. The Murder Accountability Project website is located here.
Look for articles in the newspaper or other online sources
The wonderful thing is that once a homicide case had occurred in each state, it would have made the news. Therefore, once you have the fundamentals, such as the victim’s name, the year they were murdered, and their location checking old newspaper articles will be helpful.
Once more, you can access a tonne of historical newspaper articles by searching online. It would be best to come across websites like Chronicling America: Historical Newspapers, Google Newspaper Archive, and others that offer online newspapers. Both Google Newspaper Archive and Chronicling America: Historic Newspapers offer free access to information going back in time. A person’s local library is yet another good location they can visit for a wealth of information.
People can also try searching on YouTube for information about the case, or they can go to regional news websites like CNN, NBC News, ABC News, etc.
Contact the District Attorney’s Office or the Police Department
The next best course of action is to get in touch with your neighborhood police force or the district attorney’s office. Once you supply relevant data, you might discover useful details regarding the homicide case.
Find out if your friends and family are aware of any local homicides that remain unsolved
Simply speaking with friends or family close to the murder cases victim can be a great way to learn about unsolved homicide cases. You might learn something by asking these questions that could be useful.
If all else fails, you might turn to locals in the vicinity of the homicide you’re researching. This method works best if you can visit the location you’re interested in, but you can still contact historians or establishments in the hopes of learning more. It can take more time than you expected.
Even so, you might come across someone who can provide you with an address, last name, date of birth, age, or even personal information that will allow you to see the homicide from a different angle. Using this strategy, you may find everything you’re looking for and gain a unique perspective that you might not have otherwise had.
Database searches for public records
Through the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act), people can obtain information using a variety of methods. People are supposed to be able to access public records information from government agencies under the 1967 FOIA law.
Another excellent way to gather information of murder cases is by looking through public records such as the court, statistics, bankruptcy, etc. Take careful note that you can obtain all the necessary information as long as the particular type of data you’re looking for isn’t restricted or exempt. You can find more information regarding the FOIA procedure here.
The Investigation of a Homicide Case
An investigation into a homicide is a very difficult process. The crucial task for law enforcement is to secure the murder scene and ascertain what happened by investigating the case, including looking for fingerprints, obtaining witness statements, etc.
The details given to law enforcement, such as what went wrong, whether the deceased is still on the ground, and whether first responders are present, are also crucial. The investigators’ information is crucial because they must search for and carefully gather all relevant evidence in order to determine how this homicide occurred.
The function of forensic evidence in homicide cases
It’s crucial to use forensic science to solve homicides murder cases. Scientists can gather DNA samples at a crime scene. It all depends on how the homicide victim is feeling. For instance, researchers can gather dental evidence if the corpse has decomposed. Additionally, scientists are able to gather information from the victims’ hair, nails, soil, weapon, and glass.
There are many ways in which forensic evidence is important in homicide cases. You can establish n individual’s guilt or innocence in a homicide case with sufficient forensic evidence.
Conclusion
The internet has a wealth of resources you can use to learn more about how to find old homicide cases, whether it was a first-degree crime that garnered national attention or a case of involuntary manslaughter that was relatively obscure. These include the National Archives, genealogical websites, Google Historical Newspapers, and public records.
Reach out to local historians, law enforcement, or the district attorney’s office directly if these options don’t work to aid you in your murder cases search.
Also read: Maddie Clifton: The Eight Year Old Girl Who was Brutally Murdered and Hid Under Bed
