DEATH INVESTIGATIONS

Was it suicide, accident, or homicide? Appropriately, our questioned & suspicious Death Investigations provide Medicolegal Consultations and legal investigations for criminal, civil attorneys, and families in suspicious or questioned death and serious injury cases.

At Top Gun Investigations, our lead investigator is also an attorney. More importantly, one of only two (2) Board Certified Forensic Death and Serious Bodily Injury Investigators in Florida.  As a result, he is the only dual licensed practicing attorney and licensed private investigator in the state. Therefore, your case will receive the benefit of both legal advice and private investigation experience.

Forensic Death Investigations –
Medicolegal Analysis and Investigation

Attorneys and families typically seek our Medicolegal analysis and investigation when the death is violent, traumatic, unexpected or the result of abuse or neglect.  Also, deaths resulting from careless or reckless behavior in a care facility or while in legal custody are traumatic events. And, these events may result in serious criminal charges or extensive civil litigation. Furthermore, Top Gun Investigations analyzes all provided documentation. Then they identify any missing evidence necessary to conduct a comprehensive and thorough death investigation.

Comprehensive Examinations for Death Investigations

We conduct a comprehensive examination of the official death investigation.  More importantly, our expert review and analysis of the primary documents including the Law Enforcement Report and photos, Medical Examiner Report and photos, Autopsy Report and photos and Death Certificate can show inconsistencies and mistakes. Consequently, this may change the initial time, cause and manner of death cited in the official death investigation.

Death Investigation Protocols

Forensic death investigation protocols like analyzing official death reports, evidence and photos determine if a death is suspicious. This, combined with clues and outcomes of prior suspicious death cases, will help Top Gun Investigations refute the findings in prior cases with the official death report.  Just as important, communication with the law enforcement and the coroner/medical examiner investigators is a critical component of a detailed suspicious or questioned death investigation.

Classifications of Death

Ninety-five per cent (95%) of deaths are natural.  By comparison, the other legal classifications of death are accident, suicide, homicide and undetermined.  These classifications allow for the possibility for criminal charges or civil lawsuits arise.

Analyzing Prosecution Discovery for Death Investigations

Top Gun Investigations’ specialized training and certification in advanced criminal defense investigations enables us to review and analyze prosecution discovery specific to death and serious bodily injury.  Consequently, our advanced training in decedent and death scene assessment is invaluable to criminal defense attorneys.

Expert Review of Death Investigations

In criminal cases where a defendant is charged with homicide, our goal in review of the official findings is to discover any mitigating or exculpatory evidence leading to the reduction or even dismissal of charges.  Surprisingly, sometimes a homicide is a suicide or accident.  Top Gun Investigations conducts an expert review of all the prosecution’s evidence to determine if there are any inconsistencies that may help the attorney with the defendant’s case.

Insurance Companies and Life Insurance Policies

In civil cases, the terms of the decedent’s life insurance policy, the time, cause and manner of death is important. The results of this information can result in the family being financially secure, or destitute.  Unfortunately, all insurance companies have a duty to their stockholders to do everything in their power to deny claims. Specifically, claims that might fall under an exclusionary provision in their policy such as suicide or other form of contributory negligence.

The Top Gun Process

Top Gun analyzes all evidence and scrutinizes how the coroner/medical examiner determined the time, cause and manner of death. In addition, Top Gun looks at how additional or missing information may complement or contradict the death scene and autopsy results.  As a result, our time-tested process helps determine whether the insurance company is justified in denying payment of a claim.

We Get You Answers

The sudden, unexpected death of a loved one typically leaves the family with many questions. Most importantly, our investigators answer these questions so you can have closure. Also, we know that suicides, accidents or homicides can all have life changing repercussions for the family. Therefore, Top Gun investigators work diligently to find answers in difficult cases where the death is suspicious, or questioned or criminal activity is suspected.

Experience & Expertise Matters

Top Gun Investigations is a highly rated Tampa, Florida based and nationally recognized investigative agency.  Accordingly, our owner and lead investigator has decades of experience in criminal law, personal injury, family law and general civil litigation.  He is also a Board Certified Tampa Private Investigator. Not surprisingly, no other Florida private investigation agency has similar credentials.