2015 - SEX CRIMES ACADEMY

Forensic Solutions, LLC and the International Association of Forensic Criminologists are pleased to sponsor this three day training event, April 27-29, 2015. It is a basic sex crimes academy for those working in the criminal justice system as investigators or legal professionals (e.g., mandated reporters, attorneys, nurses, and mental health professionals). 

Course Text: Rape Investigation Handbook, 2nd Ed. by Savino and Turvey.

Note: The book for this course is, Rape Investigation Handbook, 2nd Edition, by Savino and Turvey. Registrants will need to purchase their own copy, available at the door ($60.00 USD), or online at Amazon.com.

Registration details below.

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DAILY SCHEDULE

DAY 1
Topic: Introduction 

• Human Sexuality and Sexual Deviance
• Sex Crimes
• Rape and sexual assault - legal constructs

Topic: The Investigative Response

• The First Investigative Response
• The Crime Scene
• Biological Evidence and the Medicolegal Exam
• Interviewing Suspects and Victims

DAY2
Topic: The Victim

• Forensic Victimology
• Eyewitness ID and Testimony
• False Allegations of Sexual Assault

Topic: Physical Evidence

• DNA for Detectives
• Reconstructing the crime

DAY3
Topic: The Offender

• Rapist Motivations
• Rapist Modus Operandi and Signature
• Investigating Serial Rape
• Sex Crimes on Trial

This course is open to the public, however it is intended primarily for front-line criminal justice professionals including:

Patrol officers Criminal investigators Sex crimes investigators Forensic Nurses Criminal Attorneys

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LOCATION

Education Service Center - Region 19
6611 Boeing Dr. 
El Paso, Texas 79925

SEMINAR DATES/ TIMES
April 27-29, 2015
8:00AM - 4:30PM Daily

CONTACT
Brent Turvey, PhD
Email: bturvey@forensic-science.com
Phone: 907-738-5121

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INSTRUCTORS

Lic. Manuel Esparza
fmr. Prosecutor

Lic. Manuel Esparza 
Forensic Solutions, LLC
Manuel Esparza was a Prosecutor and Investigator at the Chihuahua Attorney General's Office from November 1992 to November 2004. He also headed the Organized Crime Homicide and Women's Homicide Investigation Units between 1998 and 2004 in Juarez, Mexico.

He was assigned to Special Investigations by the Attorney General, focusing on Sexual Homicide, Domestic Homicide, Multiple Homicide, Serial Rape and Homicide where case linkage and crime analysis was required. He also handled Missing Persons Cases and headed the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program Initiative.

He worked as a private defense attorney from 2006 to 2010, both in the Inquisitorial and Adversarial Judicial System, handling cases in State Federal Court, and Juvenile Court, as well as the appeals and Habeas Corpus process when required.

He is a Diplomate of the Academy of Behavioral Profiling, and is currently a Junior Partner in Forensic Solutions, LLC involved in research, instruction and casework.

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Brent Turvey, PhD
Forensic Scientist

Brent E. Turvey, Ph.D.
Forensic Scientist/ Criminal Profiler 
Brent Turvey holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, with an emphasis on Forensic Psychology, and an additional Bachelor of Science in History. He went on to receive his Masters of Science in Forensic Science after studying at the University of New Haven, in West Haven, Connecticut. He also holds a Ph.D. in Criminology from Bond University.

Since graduating in 1996, Brent has consulted with many government agencies, law enforcement agencies, and private attorneys in the United States, Australia, China, Canada, Barbados, Korea and Scotland on a range of rapes, homicides, and serial/ multiple rape/ death cases, as a forensic scientist and criminal profiler. This includes cases under investigation, as well as those going to trial. He has also been court qualified as a forensic expert in the areas of criminal profiling, forensic science, victimology, and crime reconstruction, providing expert examinations and courtroom testimony in legal jurisdictions throughout the United states since 1996.

He is the author of Criminal Profiling: An Introduction to Behavioral Evidence Analysis, 4th Ed. (2011); and co-author of  Rape Investigation Handbook, 2nd Ed. (2011); Crime Reconstruction, 2nd Ed. (2011); Forensic Victimology, 2nd Ed. (2013); and Ethical Justice (2013) - all with Elsevier Science.

Brent is currently a full partner, Forensic Scientist, Criminal Profiler, and Instructor with Forensic Solutions, LLC (http://www.forensic-science.com), as well as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Sociology and Justice Studies at Oklahoma City University. He is a Diplomate of the Academy of Behavioral Profiling, and serves on the board of directors for the International Association of Forensic Criminologists.

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Paul J. Ciolino
Private Investigator

Paul J. Ciolino, Investigator
Paul J. Ciolino and Associates, Inc.

Paul J. Ciolino is an internationally known investigator who has specialized in catastrophic civil and high profile murder investigations for over thirty years. He has appeared on network and cable television stations as commentator, analyst, panel member, and expert on sex and murder cases on over one hundred occasions. He is also a paid investigative consultant for CBS News.

Mr. Ciolino is the author of In The Company of Giants: The Ultimate Investigation Guide For Legal Professionals, Journalists and The Wrongly Convicted. He is also a co-author of the best selling and critically acclaimed textbook Advanced Forensic Civil Investigations,  published by Lawyers and Judges Publishing Company. And he is the co-author of Advanced Forensic Criminal Defense Investigations.

Mr. Ciolino is a Diplomate of the Academy of Behavioral Profiling.

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REGISTRATION

Those interested in registering for this workshop may pay by check, money order, or Visa/ MC. ECC students can enroll for course credit. 

Visa/ MC
Click on the appropriate link below.

1. Law Enforcement/ Government
    Individual rate:                                 $50.00= Click here.

2. Law Enforcement/ Government 
    Group rate*:                                      $65.00 = Click here.

3. Student rate**:                                 $50.00 = Click here.

4. Non-Student/ Public:                      $100.00 = Click here.

*Group rate = 3 or more registrants from the same organization.
**Must be enrolled in an accredited college or university; student ID required.

Check or Money Order
Make all checks or international money orders payable to Forensic Solutions, LLC in US Dollars. Also, provide your name, employment/ student information, and contact information including phone and email so that we can contact you and send updates.

Mail to:
Forensic Solutions, LLC
P.O. Box 2175
Sitka, Alaska 99835 
Re: Sex Crimes Academy

THE ROLE OF FORENSIC VICTIMOLOGY

Except from Turvey, B. (2013) Forensic Victimology: Examining Violent Crime Victims in Investigative and Legal Contexts, 2nd ed., San Diego: Elsevier Science.

In cases where victim actions, history, or demeanor are relevant to legal proceedings, forensic examiners may be asked to examine victim-oriented behavioral evidence and contextualize it before the trier of fact. This is the forensic aspect of forensic victimology [fn12]. ...the rules of admissibility vary from state to state, court to court, and judge to judge — as the admissibility of victimology evidence is made by the court on an individual basis and based on a sometimes-unique interpretation of the law.

[fn12] The single feature that distinguishes forensic examiners from all others in the field is the expectation that they may be asked to provide expert testimony regarding their findings in a court of law. If they conduct examinations and render findings without this expectation hanging over their work, it is not being done in a forensic context, and subsequent conclusions may not be prepared with the same standards of confidence or certainty. Worse, findings may be overly confident, without the required scientific restraint.

The question arises as to the role of victimology in this venue. In general, forensic examiners should conduct themselves as both scientist and educator. It is their role to provide a cooling effect to the often-heated issues surrounding victim-oriented behavioral evidence. They must examine the evidence impartially, through the lens of the scientific method, and render conclusions related to victimology in accordance with their findings. When necessary, they must be able to explain their findings to the court and show how they achieved them.

For the small percentage of cases that do go to trial, there is an unavoidable vulnerability to the culmination of errors, improper motivations, and the zeal of advocates on either side of the courtroom. This is particularly true of information related to the victim. As described in preceding chapters, victimological information can be compiled ineptly, reported inaccurately, or provided in a biased manner—and that is when it is collected at all. The misinformation that follows may combine during court proceedings to have a tremendous impact.

Bad information can create a snowball effect: errors and omissions in the original information provided to police lead to errors in the investigation; leading to problems in the case assembled against the accused; leading to mistakes in the charges handed down and how the case is brought by the prosecution; leading to false perceptions by the judge, jury, and media. All these can have influence over whether or not a defendant is convicted and how he or she is sentenced. Generally speaking, one purpose of forensic victimology is to help prevent this snowball effect from happening. 

Victimological information should be gathered objectively and consistently, and then used to describe or evaluate the victims and their circumstances so that judges and juries are privy to information that may be relevant to their decisions. In this context, direct questions must be asked: was the victim using drugs; does the victim have a history of falsely reporting crime; what was the extent of the victim’s physical injuries; was the victim conscious during the attack; does the victim have a history of taking rides from strangers or letting strangers into his or her home; does the victim lock his or her door at night? The judge, who determines what is legally admissible, decides the issue of relevance for these and similarly themed questions. Then, as already discussed, the judge makes a ruling: sometimes everything about a victim is admissible, sometimes nothing, and sometimes the court “splits the baby” by admitting a percentage of victim information.

The more accurate and complete the victim information provided, the clearer the context of the crime. This is an investigative axiom. During an investigation, everything about the victim must be learned and documented, with nothing treated as trivial. Unfortunately, there is a tendency on the part of some investigators to avoid gathering some or all of the victimology, to deprive the court of contextual information that might sway their findings against prevailing case theories. The court should view this practice with dismay, as informed decisions about what to admit and what to keep out cannot be made in the absence of a complete investigative effort and record.

Presenting victimological information in court involves a different standard from the investigative effort. Investigative victimology gathers everything; the court decides admissibility based on that record in the context of the collective issues in a case. Typically, victimological evidence must serve a particular purpose related to a legal issue to be admissible. For example, victimological information may demonstrate that a crime has actually occurred or that the elements of this case meet the definition of the charges brought against the accused. Information about the victim will undoubtedly contextualize the crime and help to reconstruct exactly what took place and in what order. 

Information about the victim may also allow the judge and jury to better understand who the victim is/was, why that person was targeted, how the victim was acquired and harmed, and most importantly by whom. On the other hand, if there is a specific reason to doubt the victim’s credibility or the accuracy of particular statements, victimology may be introduced at trial to bring this to light. 

These are just some of the many possible scenarios, but the theme remains clear: to be admissible in court, victimology must be relevant to a factual matter or legal question, and not simply part of a smear campaign.

Recent high profile cases involving victimological evidence include:

Jodi Arias

Jodi Arias was charged with first degree murder in the killing of her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander. The killing took place at his home in Mesa, Arizona, in June 2008. Ms. Arias claimed she killed Mr. Alexander in self-defense. As part of her defense, she asserted that Mr. Alexander had become increasingly violent and more sexually demanding in the months before the confrontation that led to his death. She also claimed he was sexually interested in young boys. 

The prosecution, however, claimed that Ms. Arias killed him in a jealous rage, stabbing him at least 27 times. As part of her defense, explicit details regarding Ms. Arias’ sexual relationship with the victim were a constant feature of courtroom testimony.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK)

In late 2012, Dominique Strauss-Kahn reached a financial settlement with the hotel maid who claimed that he had sexually assaulted her. The former head of the IMF was accused of rape but then later the prosecution was dropped in 2011 when the victim was determined to be unreliable. She was not charged with making a false report, and sued him in civil court along with the New York Post.

Stacey Rambold

In 2013, District Court Judge G. Todd Baugh drew public ridicule after he sentenced former Billings teacher Stacey Rambold to a mere 30 days in jail for the 2007 rape of Cherice Moralez. A former Montana high school teacher, Rambold was convicted of raping the 14-year-old student. She later committed suicide.

Judge Baugh described Ms. Moralez as a troubled youth who seemed older than her years, explaining of Rambold's light sentence that she was "older than her chronological age" and "as much in control of the situation" as Rambold.

The Oklahoman: Report sparks debate over innocence of Karl Fontenot

Karl Fontenot was convicted in the 1980s for the killing of Donna Denice Harraway, a 24-year-old Ada woman. But a recent effort is underway to prove his innocence. Meanwhile, Pontotoc County District Attorney Chris Ross says the facts still prove Fontenot is guilty.

By Jaclyn Cosgrove Published: August 4, 2013

ADA — Chris Ross is the only person left in his office who was there when Donna Denice Haraway went missing. Haraway's murder was one of the first murder trials he worked on as a 27-year-old prosecutor.

Chris Ross, district attorney for Pontotoc County

And almost 30 years later, nothing has changed his mind on who killed Haraway.

Meanwhile, efforts are underway to free Karl Fontenot and Tommy Ward from prison, the two men convicted of the 1984 killing of the 24-year-old Ada woman.

The Oklahoma Innocence Project, an initiative based out of Oklahoma City University's law school, filed a brief in support of application for post-conviction relief on July 24 that outlines why the organization's legal staff believes Fontenot should be released from prison

“There were many inconsistencies throughout the investigation into Ms. Haraway's disappearance, many of which help our case for post-conviction relief for Karl,” Tiffany Murphy, the Oklahoma Innocence Project director, said during the July 24 news conference. “We firmly believe an innocent man has been in prison for nearly 30 years for a crime he did not commit."

And Ward, also convicted of Harraway's murder, awaits a similar brief to be filed.

His attorney Mark Barrett said he has been working on Ward's case for several years and anticipates that a brief will be filed for Ward. It will outline issues similar to what can be found in the Oklahoma Innocence Project brief, although it won't likely be identical.

Barrett said he believes that Ward and Fontenot are both innocence.

“You can expect something that will be filed on Tommy Wards' behalf not too far in the distant future,” Barrett said. “Exactly when, we're not sure.”

The state has 30 days to respond to the Innocence Project's brief, but Ross said he plans to ask for a one-year extension to respond.

But Murphy said she believes a year is too long of an extension.

“I have no disagreement that an extension can be had, and the statute allows for an extension of another 30 days,” she said. “So he's entitled to at least 60 days under the statute. The statute was built to accommodate the need for additional time. The statute was never built to accommodate a year.”

Fontenot and Ward were tried in court in September 1985. Both men were found guilty and sentenced to death. They were scheduled to die in January 1986. Fontenot's case was appealed, and he was granted a new trial.

During the time span of Fontenot's appeal, Haraway's remains were found about 30 miles east of Ada. In 1988, Fontenot was retried, convicted and sentenced to death a second time.

His sentence was later commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to the Oklahoma Innocence Project.

After talking to Ross, it becomes obvious there's little that he and Murphy would agree upon regarding the case.

Ross can spend hours outlining why he feels the men are guilty. Murphy has a 91-page brief that she and a team of lawyers and law students from OCU have worked on since last year.

The brief outlines “substantial evidence not presented during (Fontenot's) trial or appeals establishing not only his innocence but the incompetence of the police investigation which led to his false confession and violations of his state and federal constitutional rights.”

But after reading the brief, Ross is left with a growing Microsoft Word document with red notes throughout it, explaining how and why he disagrees with the Innocence Project.

“I have extreme confidence that nothing that they have presented in their brief would have changed a jury's verdict,” Ross said.

For one, Ross disagrees on how the Oklahoma Innocence Project presents Fontenot's alibi.

The Innocence Project argues that Fontenot told police during a lie-detector test that he was at a party the night that Haraway disappeared from her job at McAnally's, an Ada convenience store. Affidavits from partygoers along with police reports place Fontenot at the party for the entirety of the night, according to the Innocence Project brief.

“Both OSBI and Ada Police Department were aware of this party based upon several witness reports, dispatch records, and police reports,” the brief reads. “However, not only did this evidence not eliminate Mr. Fontenot as a suspect, it was impermissibly withheld from his trial attorney, George Butner, to use in building his defense.”

Ross said he does not believe police suppressed evidence nor does he think witness statements add up to place Fontenot at the party.

“If we can use common sense — let's say me and you are charged with a crime, and me and you say we know that we're at a party the time that crime was committed — how do the police and prosecutors keep us from telling our attorneys that?” Ross said. “They can't.

Ross said three partygoers who were initially interviewed told police that Fontenot wasn't at the party, or that they didn't know when the party was or that they didn't know who Fontenot was.

Murphy said the Innocence Project staff still continues to look for DNA to test to add to its case for Fontenot's innocence.

“The primary reason there's nothing to test is because the police destroyed it,” Murphy said.

Murphy said, for one, police did not properly collect evidence at the convenience store the night Haraway disappeared.

So far, the Innocence Project staff hasn't found anything to send off for DNA testing, but Murphy does not think they're finished looking.

Meanwhile, Ross said he has always had an open-book policy, allowing anyone to test anything he has for DNA.

“I think there is zero percent chance that there's any DNA,” he said. “DNA (is) what we believe to be a certainty, what we're taught is certainty, and past that, there is no certainty — short of crimes committed on videotape.”

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While this is an even handed article, it misses many of the important forensic issues in the case, or perhaps avoids them entirely.

For the Forensic report by the author (Brent E. Turvey, PhD) filed with Fontenot's application for relief, see: Investigative and Forensic Assessment: Abduction and Homicide of Donna "Denice" Haraway.

For the complete filing by attorney Tiffany Murphy, see: Karl Fontenot v. State of Oklahoma, District Court of Pontotoc County State of Oklahoma, No. CR-88-43. Brief in Support of Application for Post-Conviction Relief.

SEX CRIMES ACADEMY

Forensic Solutions, LLC and the International Association of Forensic Criminologists are pleased to sponsor this three day training event, in conjunction with Elgin Community College in January of 2014. It is intended to be a basic sex crimes academy for those working in the criminal justice system as investigators and legal professionals. 

Course Text: Rape Investigation Handbook, 2nd Ed. by Savino and Turvey.

Note: Each registration fee includes the cost of the textbook, Rape Investigation Handbook, 2nd Ed. by Savino and Turvey. Copies will be provided to registrants at the door. Registrants do not need to purchase their own copy.

Registration details below.

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DAILY SCHEDULE

DAY 1
Topic: Introduction 

• Human Sexuality and Sexual Deviance
• Sex Crimes
• Rape and sexual assault - legal constructs

Topic: The Investigative Response

• The First Investigative Response
• The Crime Scene
• Biological Evidence and the Medicolegal Exam
• Interviewing Suspects and Victims

DAY2
Topic: The Victim

• Forensic Victimology
• Eyewitness ID and Testimony
• False Allegations of Sexual Assault

Topic: Physical Evidence

• DNA for Detectives
• Reconstructing the crime

DAY3
Topic: The Offender

• Rapist Motivations
• Rapist Modus Operandi and Signature
• Investigating Serial Rape
• Sex Crimes on Trial

This course is open to the public, however it is intended primarily for front-line criminal justice professionals including:

Patrol officers Criminal investigators Sex crimes investigators Forensic Nurses Criminal Attorneys

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LOCATION

Elgin Community College
1700 Spartan Drive
Elgin, Illinois 60134

SEMINAR DATES/ TIMES
January 9-11, 2014
9:00AM - 5:00PM Daily

CONTACT
Brent Turvey, PhD
Email: bturvey@forensic-science.com
Phone: 907-738-5121

Shawn Mikulay, PhD
Email: smikulay@elgin.edu
Phone: 847-214-7963

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INSTRUCTORS

Det. John Baeza 
(pictured right, circa 1995).

Det. John J. Baeza, NYPD 
Manhattan Special Victim Squad (ret.)

John Baeza is a retired NYPD Detective. He worked on patrol in Harlem's 32nd Precinct and then was transferred to Manhattan North Narcotics where he worked as an undercover police officer/ Detective. He then worked in the Manhattan North Narcotics Major Case Unit as both an investigator and undercover.

He transferred to the Detective Bureau where he worked in the Manhattan Special Victims Squad. There Det. Baeza was involved in the investigation of thousands of cases and related crime scenes, including: sex crimes, rapes, serial rapes, sexual homicides, child abuse, false reports, and other felony crimes. He was also temporarily assigned to the Manhattan North Homicide Squad for six months.

Now retired from the NYPD, John Baeza recently worked as the Director of Security for the Ron Paul 2012 United States Presidential Campaign. He served in this capacity, on the road, for fifteen months working with federal, state, local, and campus police.
John Baeza is currently a Criminal Case Analyst, providing consulting on the investigative review of the following: Criminal Profiling, Criminal Investigative Procedures, Homicide, Rape, Child Abuse, False Reports, Linkage Analysis, and Proper Interview of Victims and Suspects. He is involved in both trial consultations and post-conviction review.

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Brent Turvey
Mexico City (2013)

Brent E. Turvey, Ph.D.
Forensic Scientist/ Criminal Profiler 
Brent Turvey holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, with an emphasis on Forensic Psychology, and an additional Bachelor of Science in History. He went on to receive his Masters of Science in Forensic Science after studying at the University of New Haven, in West Haven, Connecticut. He also holds a Ph.D. in Criminology from Bond University.

Since graduating in 1996, Brent has consulted with many government agencies, law enforcement agencies, and private attorneys in the United States, Australia, China, Canada, Barbados, Korea and Scotland on a range of rapes, homicides, and serial/ multiple rape/ death cases, as a forensic scientist and criminal profiler. This includes cases under investigation, as well as those going to trial. He has also been court qualified as a forensic expert in the areas of criminal profiling, forensic science, victimology, and crime reconstruction, providing expert examinations and courtroom testimony in legal jurisdictions throughout the United states since 1996.

He is the author of Criminal Profiling: An Introduction to Behavioral Evidence Analysis, 4th Ed. (2011); and co-author of  Rape Investigation Handbook, 2nd Ed. (2011); Crime Reconstruction, 2nd Ed. (2011); Forensic Victimology, 2nd Ed. (2013); and Ethical Justice (2013) - all with Elsevier Science.

Brent is currently a full partner, Forensic Scientist, Criminal Profiler, and Instructor with Forensic Solutions, LLC (http://www.forensic-science.com), as well as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Sociology and Justice Studies at Oklahoma City University. He is also the Secretary of the Academy of Behavioral Profiling, as well as a member of their board of directors.

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Paul J. Ciolino
Private Investigator

Paul J. Ciolino, Investigator
Paul J. Ciolino & Associates, Inc.

Paul J. Ciolino is an internationally known investigator who has specialized in catastrophic civil and high profile murder investigations for over thirty years. He has appeared on network and cable television stations as commentator, analyst, panel member, and expert on sex and murder cases on over one hundred occasions. He is also a paid investigative consultant for CBS News.

Ciolino is the author of In The Company of Giants: The Ultimate Investigation Guide For Legal Professionals, Journalists & The Wrongly Convicted. 

He is also a co-author of the best selling and critically acclaimed textbook Advanced Forensic Civil Investigations,  published by Lawyers and Judges Publishing Company. And he is the co-author of Advanced Forensic Criminal Defense Investigations.

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REGISTRATION

Those interested in registering for this workshop may pay by check, money order, or Visa/ MC. ECC students can enroll for course credit. 

Visa/ MC
Click on the appropriate link below.

1. Law Enforcement/ Government
    Individual rate:                                 $355.00 = Click here.

2. Law Enforcement/ Government 
    Group rate*:                                      $295.00 = Click here.

3. Student rate**:                                 $275.00 = Click here.

4. Non-Student/ Public:                      $375.00 = Click here.


*Group rate = 3 or more registrants from the same organization.
**Must be enrolled in an accredited college or university; student ID required.


Check or Money Order
Make all checks or international money orders payable to Forensic Solutions, LLC in US Dollars. Also, provide your name, employment/ student information, and contact information including phone and email so that we can contact you and send updates.

Mail to:
Forensic Solutions, LLC
P.O. Box 2175
Sitka, Alaska 99835 
Re: Sex Crimes Academy


Registration fee includes the cost of the textbook, Rape Investigation Handbook, 2nd Ed. by Savino and Turvey. Copies will be provided to registrants at the door.

FALSE REPORTER HAS HISTORY

Law enforcement investigators have a hard job, no doubt about it. They are required to make difficult decisions under stressful situations in a very short period of time which can have grave consequences. So there will be mistakes. One way reduce the number of those mistakes is by ensuring that decisions are as informed as possible. 

To that end, prior to responding to any call, whether it is a domestic disturbance or a complaint of sexual assault, a preliminary assessment of the actors involved is necessary. It involves little more than a quick database search for wants, warrants, and criminal convictions - much like is done during an average traffic stop. This simple act can better inform decisions and determinations that must be made at the scene. This includes, but is not limited to: who was more likely the aggressor in a domestic disturbance by virtue of history; who has a history of being armed; who has a history of being under the influence of a controlled substance; and who might have a history of falsely reporting crime.

Problems caused by the failure to investigate and establish the history of those involved in criminal complaints, on both sides, are discussed throughout Forensic Victimology (2008; p.293):

False reporters span all ages, all walks of life, and are capable of staging both injuries and evidence to support their claims. A thorough investigation of the evidence has traditionally been the best way to reveal the false reporter, who is more likely to confess when confronted with logical inconsistencies in his or her statements and behavior. Unfortunately, law enforcement resources are drained away from actual victims by such cases. Innocent citizens are exposed to the possibility of false accusations and damage to their personal and professional lives. Legitimate victims of sexual assault are exposed to the possibility of encountering overtaxed law enforcement resources that are inadequate to the task of investigating their cases thoroughly or competently. Building owners, private companies, and insurance companies are exposed to the threat of costly liability lawsuits. As stated in Gross (1924, 14): "Not only must the self-made victim be exposed, but innocent people who may be suspected must be protected."

A recent example illustrates the kind of problems that can averted by delaying action for just a few moments while stories are checked out and backgrounds are made clear. In involves Elisa LaCroix, a false reporter with a history.

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Child's mother faces charges for making false report

Attorney calls it a spur-of-the-moment plan that grew out of control.

By JULIA O'MALLEY

jomalley@adn.com

March 2nd, 2009

Elisa LaCroix appeared in court Monday on charges related to what police say was the staged abduction of her 3-week-old son Saturday.

LaCroix is charged with making a false report -- a misdemeanor -- as well as violating probation on a 2006 burglary conviction. She's also facing charges for faking a sexual assault in January.

She blamed the rape and, at one point, the abduction on an ex-boyfriend, prosecutors say. He was later cleared in both cases.

Each charge carries the possibility of up to a year in prison, up to a $10,000 fine and up to 10 years of probation, according to her attorney, Rex Butler. Her bail was set at $5,000, he said.

LaCroix has two children, including the 3-week-old, and both are in the custody of a family member, Butler said.

"That is what she wanted," Butler said.

He said she is also in counseling.

The abduction report led law enforcement to issue the state's first Amber Alert for a missing child overnight Saturday. The charges against her say that investigators later discovered that LaCroix handed her infant out a bedroom window to a friend because she was worried that her husband, who is due to deploy to Afghanistan, would try to take custody of him. The friend didn't know that she was part of a scheme and was not charged.

In a live interview on KTUU Channel 2 Monday evening, Butler said LaCroix, desperate to keep custody of her son, made a spur-of-the-moment plan that got out of hand. He called her a victim.

"The public doesn't know the whole story," he said.

Attempts to reach LaCroix's husband, Kaid LaCroix, on Monday were not successful.

________________________________________

Brent E.Turvey, MS, also author of Criminal Profiling, 3rd Ed. with Elsevier Science (2008), can be reached at bturvey@forensic-science.com.