NCJ Number
168419
Journal
Journal of Forensic Identification Volume: 46 Issue: 4 Dated: (July/August 1996) Pages: 403-406
Date Published
1996
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The use of visual identification as the sole means of identifying an individual at autopsy, in police line-ups, and by witnesses to a crime must be used with caution, as demonstrated by two case examples.
Abstract
The first case involved a 25-year-old male who was struck by a transit train and received massive injuries. Nothing was present on the victim to assist in his identification. Police officers contacted the suspected victim's close friend who was also his employer and requested he make a visual examination at the medical examiner's office. The friend had no difficulty in positively identifying the deceased. The family was then notified and asked to come in for a visual identification. Later, another police officer happened to meet the girlfriend of the identified victim and noted she did not appear to be depressed. The girlfriend said she had just left the supposed victim at a motel. The police officer learned another male fitting the same description as the actual victim had just been reported missing. The second case involved a 19-year-old male who was killed following a long motorcycle chase. He had multiple head and body injuries but his facial features were preserved. The mother was informed of the death and she came to the medical examiner's office to verify the victim's identity. A few hours later, a disk jockey returning from work noted his motorcycle was missing and contacted the police. The mother then received a call from her son and realized she had incorrectly identified the actual victim as her son. Both cases demonstrate innocent individuals can be convicted of crimes based solely on visual identification.