Murder bag
Encyclopedia
A Murder bag is a forensics kit used by police officer
s at crime scene
s. It was developed by Sir Bernard Spilsbury
, a British forensic pathologist
known for his work on the Hawley Harvey Crippen case
in conjunction with Scotland Yard
in 1924.
The need for such a kit became apparent during the investigation into the Patrick Mahon murder case of 1924. The murder scene was particularly gruesome for the time period, as Mahon had carved his victim, Emily Kaye, into several pieces and attempted to burn them. After the burning had proved unsuccessful, Mahon boiled the body parts, and was later caught for throwing small pieces of the body out of a train
. Spilsbury was called to the scene to aid in locating and identifying several missing pieces. When he arrived, Spilsbury discovered a detective using his bare hands to scoop up bloodied flesh and deposit them in a bucket. When questioned about why he was not wearing rubber glove
s for the task, the officer replied that he never wore gloves, and that no one he knew had since the formation of the murder squad seventeen years ago. After returning to Scotland Yard, Spilsbury reported what he had discovered to the then head of the murder squad, Detective Superintendent William Brown, who proposed a standardised kit to be provided to officers in the field.
The subsequently produced kit was carried by all detective
s responding to a homicide
, and contained rubber gloves, tweezers
, evidence bags, magnifying glass
, compass
, ruler
and swabs
. The kit changed as needed to keep pace with changing advances in forensics.
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
s at crime scene
Crime scene
A crime scene is a location where an illegal act took place, and comprises the area from which most of the physical evidence is retrieved by trained law enforcement personnel, crime scene investigators or in rare circumstances, forensic scientists....
s. It was developed by Sir Bernard Spilsbury
Bernard Spilsbury
Sir Bernard Henry Spilsbury was an English pathologist. His cases include Hawley Harvey Crippen, the Seddon case and Major Armstrong poisonings, the "brides in the bath" murders by George Joseph Smith, Louis Voisin, Jean-Pierre Vaquier, the Crumbles murders, Norman Thorne, Donald Merrett, the...
, a British forensic pathologist
Forensic pathology
Forensic pathology is a branch of pathology concerned with determining the cause of death by examination of a corpse. The autopsy is performed by the pathologist at the request of a coroner or medical examiner usually during the investigation of criminal law cases and civil law cases in some...
known for his work on the Hawley Harvey Crippen case
Hawley Harvey Crippen
Hawley Harvey Crippen , usually known as Dr. Crippen, was an American homeopathic physician hanged in Pentonville Prison, London, on November 23, 1910, for the murder of his wife, Cora Henrietta Crippen...
in conjunction with Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
in 1924.
The need for such a kit became apparent during the investigation into the Patrick Mahon murder case of 1924. The murder scene was particularly gruesome for the time period, as Mahon had carved his victim, Emily Kaye, into several pieces and attempted to burn them. After the burning had proved unsuccessful, Mahon boiled the body parts, and was later caught for throwing small pieces of the body out of a train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
. Spilsbury was called to the scene to aid in locating and identifying several missing pieces. When he arrived, Spilsbury discovered a detective using his bare hands to scoop up bloodied flesh and deposit them in a bucket. When questioned about why he was not wearing rubber glove
Rubber glove
A rubber glove is a glove made out of rubber. Rubber gloves can be unsupported or supported . Its primary purpose is protection of the hands while performing tasks involving chemicals. Rubber gloves are worn during dishwashing to protect the hands from detergent and allow the use of hotter water...
s for the task, the officer replied that he never wore gloves, and that no one he knew had since the formation of the murder squad seventeen years ago. After returning to Scotland Yard, Spilsbury reported what he had discovered to the then head of the murder squad, Detective Superintendent William Brown, who proposed a standardised kit to be provided to officers in the field.
The subsequently produced kit was carried by all detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
s responding to a homicide
Homicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
, and contained rubber gloves, tweezers
Tweezers
Tweezers are tools used for picking up and manipulating objects too small to be easily handled with the human hands. They are probably derived from tongs, pincers, or scissors-like pliers used to grab or hold hot objects since the dawn of recorded history...
, evidence bags, magnifying glass
Magnifying glass
A magnifying glass is a convex lens that is used to produce a magnified image of an object. The lens is usually mounted in a frame with a handle ....
, compass
Compass (drafting)
A compass or pair of compasses is a technical drawing instrument that can be used for inscribing circles or arcs. As dividers, they can also be used as a tool to measure distances, in particular on maps...
, ruler
Ruler
A ruler, sometimes called a rule or line gauge, is an instrument used in geometry, technical drawing, printing and engineering/building to measure distances and/or to rule straight lines...
and swabs
Cotton swab
Cotton swabs or cotton buds or ear buds consist of a small wad of cotton wrapped around one or both ends of a short rod, usually made of either wood, rolled paper, or plastic...
. The kit changed as needed to keep pace with changing advances in forensics.
In popular culture
- The term "murder bag" became fairly recognisable to the British public after its use as the title of a popular television seriesNo Hiding PlaceNo Hiding Place is a British television series that was produced at Wembley Studios by Associated-Rediffusion for the ITV network between 16 September 1959 and 22 June 1967....
running from 1957 to 1959.