Mischief Nights Are Murder (A Poppy McAllister Mystery Book 8)

Dr. Michelle Dupree joining us, recognized forensic pathologist who shot to fame during the Alex Murdoch double murder trial, medical examiner, former detective, author of Money, Mischief and Murder, the Murdoch saga, the rest of the story. But for my purposes, she is also the author of Homicide Investigation Field Guide and Investigating Child Abuse Field Guide. She literally wrote the book.

Dr. Dupree, you and I have investigated and covered a lot of homicide cases. And to me, it's very significant that the scene was staged. It may be Maya's death. What do I mean by that? Anytime you move a body, touch a body, change a scene in any way, you have staged a scene. You may make the murder or the homicide look like a suicide. You may place a gun in the victim's hand. You may cover up the victim with a blanket. I've seen a case where a mother was shot dead and the killer put a wicker trash can over her head. I've seen bodies covered in leaves.

I've seen faces covered, just all sorts of staging. And this is staged. The baby is wrapped, as you heard Mitch Carter state, in a baby blanket and then in plastic and then hidden under debris. That tells me the killer knows the baby intimately. I want to hear what you have to say.

Absolutely, Nancy. This is what we often call forensic countermeasures, meaning that it is an attempt to cover up basically the crime. So they knew that this had happened. They knew that it was wrong. And they're trying to cover it up by wrapping the baby probably in a favorite blanket and then putting it in a plastic bag.

Dr. Dupree, I don't know how you would, since the baby wasn't reported missing for so long, this beautiful baby Maya with her light brown hair and her green eyes and her world before her, because she wasn't reported missing for so long, how can we tell when she was killed?