Author: Deaver, Allen
Title: The Bone Collector, New York, New American Library, 1997.
Scene: This story takes place in New York City, New York in the mid 90's. While the UN conference is in town, a series of kidnappings has erupted and it's up to a team of forensic scientists to follow the clues and find the killer.
Theme: People who never give up what they started will always accomplish his/her goal.
Key Persons: Lincoln Rhyme, once a famous NYPD "criminalist" who is now a quadriplegic is brought back to work; Amelia Sachs, daughter of a beat cop who is first officer of the first kidnapping making her involved in the whole investigation; Lon Selitto, Lincoln's former partner; Jerry Banks, Selitto's partner; Mel Cooper, computer and science genius; Jim Polling, NYPD command chief; Fred Dellray, FBI commander; Dr. Berger, Lincoln's euthanasia doctor; Thom, Lincoln's aide; Dr. Peter Taylor, Lincoln's spine doctor.
Key Incidents:
1. After learning of a possible kidnapping, patrolwoman Amelia Sachs gets a dispatch about a homicide near "Thirty Seventh near Eleventh". She finds a dead body dug roughly in a grave. To protect the scene, she does all humanly possible to prevent any type of contamination.
2. Lincoln Rhyme, former head of Central Investigation and Resource Division, is persuaded by Lon Selitto and his partner to help the kidnapping investigation. In the mean time, the "Bone Collector" abducts another victim.
3. Being a quadriplegic, a person who is paralyzed from the waste down, Lincoln Rhyme wants to commit suicide. He hires Dr. Berger to help him with the suicide.
4. Rhyme assembles his forensic team to begin the investigation. On the team, he assigned Amelia Sachs, Mel Cooper, Lon Selitto, and Jerry Banks to the case. As they begin the investigation, the bone collector is torturing his captive.
5. Given the clues left by the scene, Rhyme figures where the captive, known as T.J Colfax, is. He sends Sachs over to the scene before T.J meets her fate. But by the time she arrives, it is too late. Colfax is found boiled to death by hot steam blown in her face. Through this horrific ordeal, Rhyme, as tranquil as ever, makes Sachs do her first Crime Scene Investigation. She finds more clues left by the bone collector.
6. As the first investigation is coming to a close, the bone collector is seen scraping the flesh off one of his victims' fingers; polishing it to the bone.
* Duncan, Vinny, and Wayne are all friends working - or wasting time - the summer before senior year in high school. Duncan is the soul, Vinny the brains, and Wayne the muscle. At the end of the previous summer, Duncan tried to save a drowning girl and failed. Not being a hero has really affected his life, particularly his relationship with his girlfriend Kim. Also, he is now terrified of swimming, especially when the nightmares come back. Duncan's summer job is with the public transit lost and found. While trying to make the hours go faster, Duncan looks through the items, especially the books and golf clubs. One day he discovers an unmarked journal with no name, which depicts sadistic animal torture experiments, boasts of arson fires, and the planning for the serial killings of three women. Duncan decides to make amends for his failure last summer by tracking down the owner of the journal by using clues left hidden in the diary. After talking with his friend Vinny, Duncan decides to turn the journal over to the police, but they do not take him seriously, so he decides to get help from Vinny, do some research at the local library, and find out where the killer works and lives so they can prove to the police the diary is for real. But in the process when Duncan finds the house of the serial killer, he decides to take a look in it but unfortunately at that very time the serial killer appears and chases Duncan to the subway station. They get into fight there and they both fell on the subway tracks in the station where they get hit by the train. Duncan luckily survives but the serial killer dies.
(New Orleans). All the evidence that was found is very unclear, but the next suspect in the murder is Joseph Mumfre.
The murder of JonBenet Ramsey has become one of the nation's notorious unsolved murder mysteries. A wide range of crime scene investigators and police officials have searched for clues for JonBenet's killer, but countless authorities have already considered this murder to be one of the most inexplicable cold-cases in America. As the world marks the twenty first year anniversary of the tragic event with still no standing suspects, an abundance of evidence proven through research points to one suspect in particular.
Imagine a teenage boy who is isolated on a faraway island, without food or water. The hot and sticky weather is intolerable, but the rampaging storms are worse. He quickly develops malaria and diarrhea, and on top of that, blood-sucking insects and menacing reptiles lurch beneath his feet. He has no idea what is coming, but he needs to survive. This is the story of a young boy who has to travel to the other side of the world to realize that everything can’t go his way.
The murder of JonBenet Ramsey has become one of the nation's notorious unsolved murder mysteries. A wide range of crime scene investigators and police officials have searched for clues for JonBenet's killer, but countless authorities have already considered this murder to be one of the most inexplicable cold-cases in America. As the world marks the twenty first year anniversary of the tragic event with still no standing suspects, an abundance of evidence proven through research points to one suspect in particular.
Two detectives were assigned to the case: Harry Hanson and Finis Brown. [2] When they and the police arrived at the crime scene, it was already swarming with people, gawkers and reporters. The entire situation was out of hand and crowded, everyone trampling all over any hopes for good evidence. [2] One thing they did report finding was a nearby cement block with watery blood on it, tire tracks and a heel print on the ground. There was dew under the body so they knew it had been set there just after 2 a.m. when temperatures dropped to 38 degrees.
“Death's Acre” tells about the career of a forensic hero, Dr. Bill Bass, creator of the famous "Body Farm" at the University of Tennessee-the world's only research facility devoted to studying human decomposition. He tells about his life and how he became an anthropoligist. He tells about the Lindbergh kidnapping and murder, explores the mystery of a headless corpse whose identity surprised police.
...rown was convicted of murder due in part to bite-mark evidence, and freed after DNA testing of the saliva left in the bite wounds matched someone else.[20]
Hallcox, Jarret. Behind the Yellow Tape: On the Road with Some of America’s Hardest Working Crime Scene Investigators. New York: Berkley Books, 2009.
One of three women, whose cases the documentary-markers followed for a year, from the moment emergency phone calls were placed was Sabrina. The second was Helen, who met Lawrence 10 years ago. For a brief period of time he was nice to her and her son, however when her son turned 12, he was having to run for help to stop Lawrence’s beatings. In between those years, there were assaults, promises to change, letters begging forgiveness. Police photographs show the imprint of his shoe on her face. Jemma was punched, dragged and strangled to unconsciousness by Dwayne, who would wait for her to come around each time before he started
This episode of Miscarriages of Justice, veteran investigators reexamine the case of man named Tony Ford. Tony Ford was charged with murder and attempted murder, of four members of the Morelos family. Young seventeen year old Armando Morelos was the murder victim of focus, by which the charges were made in the city’s trial against Ford. This case bring the investors through a whirl wind of emotions regarding the case, when news on old evidence is brought into question just three months before Tony Ford is expecting to receive a date for his death penalty. As Tony Fords’ death row stay comes to an end after seventeen years, the viewer is reintroduced to the case and visits some key players in the trial.
Swanson, James L. Manhunt: the 12-day chase for Lincoln's killer. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2006. Print.
Police investigators continued to match dental records and other clues to help identify the remaining victims who were found on Gacy’s property. All but nine of the victims were finally identified.
Serial murder investigations are the most difficult cases for investigators. Serial murder investigations can become wide spread, and can include many challenges that will require time, money and resources. An example of the commitment required to investigate a serial murder case is that of Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber. One investigator worked the investigation full time for 11 years. The day he made the Arrest was the day he retired. Serial murder is one of today’s most terrifying crimes. The killing of multiple people within various jurisdictions can alter everyday life for people residing within these communities. The result is intense pressure from the public and media placed on investigators to track down and apprehend these killers who commit such horrific acts to unsuspecting victims.
In the quiet New York town of Savona, Eric Smith, age thirteen, intercepted four year old Derrick Robie on his way to a park recreation program and offered to show him a shortcut. Hesitatingly, Derrick set off with Eric. He never made it to the park. That same day the little boy's savagely beaten body was discovered outside the park area (Seifert 98).