Diggability field survey for the assessment of the most suitable site for a clandestine homicide grave

In criminal cases of clandestine homicide graves, the criminal behavior and mental map of an offender may be influenced by several geographical, botanical, and geological features. Among these factors, diggability assumes for a concealer a predominating role in the concealment act because an easy and efficient digging of a hole requires that the ground is diggable. The diggability (the ease and efficiency with which soils and sediments may be dug and reinstated in a grave) may vary from very easy to difficult, and forensic geologists may qualitatively and relatively evaluate it by using a T-metal bar for offensive and defensive search purposes. Results of a diggability survey were processed in the GIS platform, reconstructing contour maps, Inverse Distance Weighting, Kriging, and Thin Plate Spline with Tension maps of a crime scene. The interpolation of the data by Thin Plate Spline with Tension rendered the best results. The diggability survey demonstrated that the pit fell in a suitable area for concealment, being one of the easiest diggable and thick sectors of the search area.