Relative Importance of Instantaneous Death Detector in Resolving Death and Homicide Cases

Abstract

This study determined the relative importance of an instantaneous death detector in resolving death and homicide cases. The study employed the sequential explanatory design. The investigators and criminalists of the different law enforcement agencies in Southern Leyte were taken as respondents and informants. Complete enumeration was used wherein 35 respondents answered the study questionnaire. On the other hand, comprehensive purposive sampling was utilized for the qualitative data, with seven participants interviewed. The collection of data was completed over a month. Through descriptive statistics, the results revealed that the existing methods used by investigators and criminalists in determining the estimated time elapsed since the death of the cadaver are observations of the postmortem changes, interview of witnesses, and laboratory examination. Meanwhile, Collaizi’s descriptive phenomenological data analysis identified four themes, covering: 1) immediate location of the suspects; 2) speedy identification of the suspects; 3) capability of determining the time elapsed since the death of the cadaver beyond twelve hours; and 4) portability of the device. These findings indicate that the instantaneous death detector is critical in investigating death and homicide cases. Furthermore, it is significant in the identification and location of a running criminal since it can instantly display the time of death of the cadaver on its screen. Thus, the study suggests developing and utilizing the device in the province of Southern Leyte and the international arena.