When establishing a connection between a crime and a suspect, as well as between the primary and secondary crime scenes, physical evidence is crucial.
Primary Crime Scene
The primary Crime Scene is the location/area where the crime, homicide, or suspected homicide occurred, or the dead body was discovered. It is the location where the crime was actually committed. Primary crime scenes typically offer more relevant evidence than secondary crime scenes. Only one primary crime scene will exist.
Secondary Crime Scene
Any region or site outside of the original crime scene where there may be signs of criminal activity is considered the secondary crime scene. It is a location that is connected to the crime but is not the scene itself. In some cases, this is the only scene that the detectives are aware of. Numerous secondary crime scenes may exist.
Also Read: Essential Points in a Proper Sketch of Crime Scene
The primary crime scene is the location where the crime took place, while the secondary crime scene is where the victim’s body was; Relevant evidence may be the murder weapon or related crime accessories found to be directly related to the crime.
Let us understand this with an example:
Three friends were roaming outside, suddenly a fight broke out between them. One of them hit the other very hard, causing the victim to hit his head on the rock causing profuse bleeding and eventually death. The other two panicked and thought nothing and started taking the body to another place where they could hide the body so that they would not be caught. Now, in this case, they’ve made two crime scenes. The first one was the primary crime scene where a fight happened and the victim was killed, then they brought the body to the second place where they buried it. That’s our secondary crime scene.
Also Read: Search Method Used in Crime Scene Investigation
Keywords: Primary Crime Scene, Secondary Crime Scene, Crime Scene
Reference:
- Moorthy NT. Identification of Primary Crime Scene from Secondary Crime Scene through Soil Evidence in a Crime Concealment Case: An Interesting Exhumation Report. J Krishna Inst Med Sci Univ 2020; 9(4):98-103
- Henry C. Lee, Elaine MP. Forensic evidence and crime scene investigation. J Foren Inves 2013; 1(2):1-5.
- Michael H. General crime scene and death scene investigation, bibliography. 2019; Crime scene project DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.33225.39522.
