Hello, I searched extensively in vain for an answer to this question. Astonishingly enough, I couldn't find a more specific forum for something like this. Any who, here we go. There is a serial kill loose in a metropolitan are, and like most SKs, he has a very specific M.O. He's killed twice and now the third set of victims have been discovered. There is a female victim on the ground and the daughter buried next to here. It's obvious he did this again because you can see the disturbed soil and slight mound. When the detectives come to the scene, along with the forensics team, who exhumes the child? Is it someone on the forensics team or is it a PhD in an office that comes out specifically for buried victims?
Generally it will be a scenes of crime tech of some description... serial killers aren't that big a deal, the FBI suggest that on average there's between 5 to 10 operating in the states at any given time, so they don't roll the specialists unless you've got a major crime on your hands (lots of victims, or the relative of someone with power and influence)
Forensic technicians examine the scene of a crime so I'd assume they'd be the ones to dig up dead bodies, but the coroner would be the one to take it away.
Are you saying the serial killer's MO is to kill two people, leaving one on the ground and the other in a shallow grave?
I'll bet procedure varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but here the coroner would have to be present at the exhumation. Sent the question to my daughter who is a police detective somewhere else. She texted back, "Uh... the coroner? I dunno wtf kind of question is that? lol" Guess the situation hasn't come up in her part of the country.
Got a better answer from my daughter: the state bureau of investigation would probably come out with the coroner to do the investigation. Colorado Bureau of Investigation, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, etc. Look up State Bureau of Investigation for more general information and the specific SBI for information specific to the locale in your story.
I agree with Catriona Grace’s first post. If in the US, then it will vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. And not all State Bureaux of Investigation are created equally. For example, California’s has no original jurisdiction - they would have to be asked in by the sheriff or local police. In Texas, the Rangers would have to be asked in as well. In Boston, I don’t think the State Police would have jurisdiction either, but Boston PD would; however, if in a smaller town, it’s would be the State Police.
