Darren Dake

Infant Death – Scene Arrival First Contact

When it comes to all death investigations, but especially where an infant or child is involved, you should be led by the thinking that you only get one chance at your first chance. The trouble with infant death, more so than any other type of death, is the body is always moved from the place…

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Infant Death Investigation – Foundations

When it comes to all death investigations, but especially where an infant or child is involved, you should be led by the thinking that you only get one chance at your first chance. The trouble with infant death, more so than any other type of death, is the body is always moved from the place…

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Having a Preparedness Mindset

We all have talked about it, some people even think they have it. But having a preparedness mindset is critical as an investigator. We get used to the day-to-day calls and never put a lot of thought into the time we will be thrust into a large investigation. Whether that be a large, emotionally draining…

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Survivor Support Programs

Support Services staff are trained professionals from various fields, including medicine, mental health, and law enforcement. The team is committed to providing sincere and compassionate support at a pace survivors are comfortable with. We maintain the highest level of confidentiality. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In the event of…

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Suicide Investigations – What can the Body Tell Us?

Suicide Investigations – What can the Body Tell Us? Check out the online course here: https://www.ditacademyonline.org/courses/Suicide-and-Self-Harm An initial exam while still on the scene is imperative for the overall determination of cause and manner of death as well as collecting time-sensitive facts and evidence. This exam is only the first of two external exams. This…

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Suicide Victimology

Suicide Victimology Check out the online course here: https://www.ditacademyonline.org/courses/Suicide-and-Self-Harm Victimology is the collection and assessment of any significant information as it pertains to the victim and his or her lifestyle. Investigators must know the victim and complete a victimology study on every suicide, you cannot properly investigate a death without it.  Ultimately you need to…

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Suicide Statistics Degrees of Certainty

Suicide deaths account for nearly 46,00 deaths in the United States, about one death every five minutes.  The number per year has continued to grow for the past several years.  Investigators face many challenges in this death, including when to rule a death a suicide and what degree of certainty must be obtained before making…

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Genealogy DNA Case Study

Put simply, IGG describes the process of using information about genetic similarities and known family relationships to generate investigative leads. The basic information used in IGG falls into two categories: genetic relative information, which is generated by a genetic genealogy database based on its internal comparison of SNP profiles in the database; and genealogical and…

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Challenges of locating NOK in a transient society

. In this episode, Darren and Wendy discuss the Evolution and challenges of locating and notifying NOK in a transient society. With the modern age we live in it is getting harder to located next-of-kin in some cases.  Issues such as homelessness and a transient lifestyle of a deceased can create huge obstacles.  In addition…

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Challenges of social media in death investigations ep295

In this episode, Darren and Wendy discuss the good and bad of Social media as it relates to death investigations.   Social media can be a big help in certain areas and a huge obstacle in others.  We discuss the pros and cons and give some caution in how best to use and manage social media…

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