darren dake

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…

Read More

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…

Read More

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…

Read More

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…

Read More

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…

Read More

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…

Read More

Structuring for Cold Cases

Subsequent to the original murder case Cain vs. Abel, there has always been a small percentage of murders that were unsolved for a variety of case-specific reasons. There have also always been detectives who’d occasionally look back at “the one that got away,” but the idea of dedicating a group of professionals to work solely on…

Read More

Bloodhounds ep 206

Reprint Article by Linda Cole The Bloodhound is usually unfairly ranked as less intelligent than many dogs, but that doesn’t mean the breed isn’t smart. Finding people is where a Bloodhound outshines most dog breeds. They may not be the easiest breed to train, but if you’re lost in the woods this dog can put…

Read More

Native American Burial Rituals ep205

Most Native American tribes believed that the souls of the dead passed into a spirit world and became part of the spiritual forces that influenced every aspect of their lives. Many tribes believed in two souls: one that died when the body died and one that might wander on and eventually die. Burial customs varied widely…

Read More

National Coroner Week ep 204

Coroner Recognition Week  January 27th – February 2nd with the focus day being January 29th.  The first American Coroner was Thomas Baldridge of St. Mary’s, Maryland Colony appointed on 29 January 1637. The National Coroner Recognition week and the thin line color purple is a project focused on bringing awareness to the job of a…

Read More