Identifying Patterns and Links

Stage 9 - Identifying Patterns and Links

In this stage of the investigation the police look at the intelligence collected in order to identify any patterns or links that may provide new leads to investigate or information and advice from other agencies.

They will share the relevant information with other forces and agencies, such as; parole boards, youth offender groups, victim support etc to ascertain if there is a link to a crime committed in another region, a recently paroled offender who fits the profile of the crime or other victims discovered which may provide new information or a description of the suspect/s, all or some of which may be linked to the crime they are investigating.

It is a significant stage as it allows the police to re-cap everything.

In the case of Aileen Wuornos the pattern, although discovered at a late stage, enabled the police department to be aware of the fact that the patterns and links that were identified in this case were the age and sex of the victims, the murder weapon used was the same .22 calibre pistol, each victim was shot more than once, the position of vehicles driver’s seat, the majority of victims were found naked while two were found with their pockets turned out, all of the victims had been robbed, all of the bodies had been discovered in secluded areas, the fact that cans containing alcohol, cigarettes and condoms were found at the majority of the crime scenes and two of the police forces, Marion County and Citrus County, had compared evidence regarding ongoing murder investigations that had similar characteristics.