***Attention Patrol Officers, Crime Scene Technicians, Detectives, Dive Team Members, CPS, Medical Examiners, Coroners, and Prosecutors***

Aquatic & Equivocal Death Investigation Course

October 10 - 12, 2017USF Marshall Center, Room 2708

4103 USF Cedar Circle, Tampa, FL 33620

The Florida Institute for Forensic Anthropology & Applied Sciences (IFAAS) and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office at USF is hosting a 3-day course on methods and best practices for investigating equivocal deaths, with special attention on water-related deaths and homicidal drownings. Numerous case studies will be presented throughout the course.

Drowning is the second leading cause of “accidental” death of children in the U.S., and the third leading cause for adults. As many as 20% of these drownings are the result of foul play, but quite often the circumstances surrounding these events go undetected! It is unlikely that there will be signs of trauma, signs of a struggle, or any other easily recognizable sign of foul play, so it is critical that investigators know what to look for.

Just as investigations of motor vehicle fatalities require specialized skills and knowledge, water-related death investigations call for specific training. From the first responding officer to the crime scene technician, those who are involved in these cases should be trained to recognize the red flags and have a working knowledge of water dynamics to evaluate whether a witness statement is credible.

The same holds true with death scenes that are staged to look like an accident, suicide, or natural death. These cases are among the most difficult to solve, each with its own challenges to overcome. Equivocal deaths are those that are open to several interpretations, and so investigators should be aware of the dynamics of a staged scene and what can be done to further these cases.

Through an in-depth study of case histories, attendees will learn state-of-the-art investigative procedures to investigate drownings, near-drownings, postmortem disposal, evidence disposal, and death investigations in which an offender attempted to mislead the investigation.

This three-day workshop meets from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on day 1 & 2 and 8:00 a.m. to noon on day 3, for a total of 20 contact hours for CEU credits. A certificate of completion will be awarded at the end of the workshop.

Homicides are going undetected!

Instructors:

To register, visit forensics.usf.edu.Class size is limited. Register early! Registration fee: $425For more information, contact Cpl. Thomas McAndrew: thmcandrew@gmail.com, 570-233-3212

Andrea Zaferes is a noted innovator in aquatic death investigation procedures. She is a medicolegal death investigator with Dutchess County Medical Examiner’s Office, has over 100 publications of articles and books, has presented at over 75 forensic and 150 rescue/diving conferences, serves as an expert witness for aquatic accidents and deaths, conducts research on aquatic deaths, and has received acknowledgements including the Beneath-The-Sea Diver of the Year Awards.

Corporal Thomas McAndrew has over 23 years of experience investigating homicides. He is President of the Pennsylvania Homicide Investigators Association and member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts, the Middle Atlantic Cold Case Homicide Investigators Association, the American Investigative Society of Cold Cases, and the Vidocq Society, an internationally recognized group of experts who provide pro bono services to homicide investigations world-wide. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a Master’s degree in Investigative Forensics.

Andrea Zaferes

Thomas McAndrew