A Deserted Desert Discovery - The Homicide of Dr. Thomas Burchard

Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan

On March 7, 2019 a man is driving down the road with his children in Las Vegas Valley when they notice a car with a rock thrown through its window. They call the police, and upon further inspection, a body is found in the trunk of the car with blood everywhere. The man is identified to be Dr. Thomas Burchard, a beloved child psychiatrist from Salinas, California.

In this episode of Body Bags, forensics expert Joseph Scott Morgan and Jackie Howard discuss the blood patterns, the evidence found inside the car, how many pieces of evidence are gathered from a crime scene, where Dr. Burchard was in his final days, and more.

Show Notes:

0:00 - Intro

2:25 - Background and overview of the case

5:12 - Blood patterns

7:15 - Determining the cause of death from blood patterns

12:10 - Gloves found inside the car

16:15 - Arson investigation

18:30 - How many pieces of evidence can be generated from a crime scene?

21:40 - The state the body is found in

25:40 - Tampering with the crime scene

27:30 - How did investigators figure out the victim had been beaten?

33:28 - Discovering where Dr. Burchard was during his final 3 days of life

37:00 - Investigators start to piece together the evidence

39:12 - Transfers of blood, swears, and wipes

42:38 - Wrap up

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