Case Studies with Questions and Answers
Chapter 02: The First Response
Jack and Ruth Johnson are recently retired, and they have decided to celebrate their new freedom by taking a two-week winter cruise in the Caribbean. Ruth's elderly parents live alone in a home a short distance from Ruth's, and, although the parents are healthy and independent, Ruth checks in on them frequently. Ruth is mildly concerned about leaving, but they assure her they will be fine, and that friends will stop in frequently in her absence. She promises to call each day, and she and Jack leave for their trip.
Eight days into the cruise, Ruth calls to check on her parents, as she has each day thus far. She gets no answer, so she leaves a message on the answering machine and sets a time to call the next day so she won't miss them. After the second day with no response, she becomes worried and calls a friend to stop by to check on them. The friend gets no response at the door, although there are indications that they are at home. She calls Ruth to explain the situation, and Ruth's worry becomes dread. The friend calls 911.
The police and EMTs arrive at the scene a short time later. They walk around the perimeter of the home in an attempt to see in a window, but curtains and shades are drawn. A television is on in one of the rooms, and the alarm system keypad, visible through the front door, shows that the system is armed as though the home owners are at home. Emergency dispatchers have recorded no alarms at the residence. The decision is made to force entry into the home.
The officers gain access through a door at the rear of the attached garage. As they proceed through the garage, they notice the presence of two vehicles, one with the driver's side door partially open. They continue into the house through the kitchen, where they encounter a medium-sized dog-dead. As all the rooms are searched, the carcass of a second, smaller dog is located by the feet of the dead body of Ruth's father, who is sitting in a chair in front of the television. Ruth's mother's body is found moments later in her bed. No blood is visible around any of the victims, human or animal.