After four years, a longstanding person of interest in the investigation of vanished Westmoreland County woman Cassandra Gross has been charged with her murder. Gross’ previous lover, Thomas G. Stanko, has been accused of her death (Guza, 2022a). He is also accused of tampering with evidence and abusing a body. State officers discovered her automobile torched along railroad tracks in Twin Lakes Park one day after she was reported missing (Guza, 2022b). Stanko is accused of Gross’ murder, but an expert on no-body homicide cases stated the lack of Gross’ body might leave many points unexplained and provide prosecutors with new hurdles (Guza, 2022b). The criminal lawsuit brought against Stanko includes scant information about the inquiry.
The report is a critical component of an inquiry, which is why it should withstand any examination from defense lawyers. Moreover, writing a report is a good technique to determine what material was missing throughout the investigation’s fact-finding phase. For example, an investigator might find something lacking in the report. It may be questions that were not asked of a witness or documentation that was ignored. This document is used as a summary of everything an investigator did and the evidence they obtained during the inquiry. As a result, the report must be precise, concise, and factual so that it may be used as evidence in court if necessary. The investigator may establish credibility by telling the witnesses that their information would be kept as secret as feasible with all parties involved. Next, to sustain credibility, one should maintain consistency in their interactions with all parties. Summary, scene (including a full body description of a death inquiry), processing, evidence obtained, and pending are the components of a criminal investigation report. The presented case contains all of these elements except for the body description since it has not been found, which causes significant issues in the investigation.
References
Guza, M. (2022a). Thomas Stanko, longtime person of interest in Cassandra Gross disappearance, charged in her death. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Web.
Guza, M. (2022b). In Cassandra Gross case, prosecutors seek homicide conviction without a body — a tall but not impossible task. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Web.