"NO BODY CASES
Since the 1800s there have been 501 murder trials across the United States where the body of the victim was never recovered.
The data has been collected by Tad DiBiase, a former federal prosecutor who tried a “no body case” and was successful. He now works as a consultant to law enforcement who are investigating a homicide without a body.
The data is up to date as of January 2018. Florida is No. 2 with 34 no body trials. California, the top state, has 99 cases.
“Florida is definitely a high number just based on population alone,” DiBiase said.
Fifty percent of the trials since the 1800's have occurred since 2000, he said.
It’s becoming easier to determine whether someone has died— because of technology and the fact that people “leave behind such distinct electronic trails.”
In the case of children, it’s usually easier to convince a jury that the child is dead, he said.
“One as young as 9… it’s unlikely they walked away,” DiBiase said.
Prosecutors don’t necessarily need the body to prove murder, said Tamara Lave, a University of Miami law professor and a former prosecutor in California.
They can use confessions, statements and other evidence. And, Lave said, grand jury proceedings are not adversarial.
“It’s just a prosecutor with the jurors,” Lave said. “The standard of proof is low.”"
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