Affiliation:
1. University of Winchester, UK
Abstract
Corpus delicti, or body of evidence, is a fundamental to criminal prosecutions. This contribution takes a more literal perspective by exploring the ‘no-body murder'. Body disposal is not a single event; it is a complex process that dynamically responds to social and environmental circumstances. This contribution explores the legislative response to no-body murders through the Prisoners Act 2020 and presents six dimensions explaining non-disclosure of location of victim remains. Four high-profile no-body cases are presented, demonstrating the complexities inherent in searching for the long-term missing, presumed dead. This chapter focuses on the offender deposition strategy, the operational response, and environmental dimensions that explain prisoner non-disclosure and the failures to detect clandestine depositions.