Penguin RushWithout A Trace (Updated)
In the hit series CSI (Vegas, Miami & NY), we see forensic experts battle against time, investigating crime and accident scenes. The investigations are carried out based on conditions of bodies or parts of bodies (like if there's a blunt trauma to the head or which stab wound causes the fatality) and the surrounding scenes (like if there is a strand of hair or fingernail or unidentified powder on and nearby the bodies or if a vehicle has been deliberately tampered with, that makes the road crash looks rather suspicious). However, in another hit series Without A Trace (WAT), also produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, there are no dead bodies to begin with and the first scene of investigation usually contains hardly any forensic evidence. This is because the persons simply......disappear without a trace.
The Missing Persons Squad of the FBI consists of Jack Malone, a no-bullshit Senior agent who is tough but compassionate; Samantha Spade, a blonde beauty whose complex personality lies under that charming exterior; Vivian Johnson, an experienced investigator who usually manages to calm agitated victims' families; Danny Taylor, a street-smart Latino whose emphaty never clouds his judgements and Martin Fitzgerald, whose father's connection helps him join the team but manages to build a reputation of his own.
So how does the team solve their cases? They use psychological profiling techniques to dig inside the layers of the victims' lives and trace their footprints (with regard to places that they have been) prior to their disappearance. The team can then work out the possibility whether they have been abducted, murdered, committed suicide or simply run away. The first 24 hours is the most crucial time, since the longer a person disappears, the less likely he/she is to be found (alive or not).
In the cases of abduction or murder, some forensic evidences may have been left behind; like traces of blood or shattered glasses on the floor or maybe some witnesses. The victims may or may not know their attackers.
People are usually abducted either because of vengeance or due to reputation of victims' families. In latter cases, it is common for the abductor(s) to request for a huge ransom of money, and at the same time, threaten the victims' lives should the families report to the authorities.
While in some cases, a person may go missing after being abducted by some (serial) psychopath. Such a case is much more complicated, as the victim (and his/her families) may not see it coming or even know the abductor(s). In the second episode of the first season, a child finds out that he is an adopted son (without letting the 'parents' know about his knowledge). He then seeks a man whom he finds from the internet and claims to be his real father, without knowing that the man is lying and a paedophile.
A person may be killed after a fight goes out of hand or it is a premeditated murder. The body is hidden by the culprit(s) and usually, the crime scene is wiped squeaky clean. This makes it difficult for the team to determine the nature of the case, as they are chasing a ghost here, unless the body is found soon.
However, in some cases, the (abducted/murdered) victims may just happen to be at the wrong place, and at the wrong time. Like in one episode (one of the most touching), a good kid is murdered by a disgruntled policeman who thought the boy had raped his daughter's friend. But it turns out, it is all a prank made by some wild teenagers (and the boy has no knowledge about the prank whatsoever). Therefore, it is actually a complete misunderstanding and the boy dies for doing nothing wrong.
But what causes a person to commit suicide or simply run away? I guess it's right then, that we can never know what goes on inside another person's head, even our very own closed ones (as I had commented in my entry dated 22/06/05 "What's Going On In There").
Sometimes, the families just can't accept the brutal truth about their missing family member who has been keeping secrets from them. In one episode, a husband whose dominant wife knows more stuffs than he does, secretly marries another and takes the role of a more knowledgable husband (based on what he learns from the first wife).
In another episode, a bullied boy decides to hang himself outside a girl's house after the girl (whom he likes very much) together with her bunch of friends, humiliates him greatly (but not everyone knows about this incident). The team and almost everybody else initially thought the boy is abducted, until the last minute when he leaves a goodbye message to a school friend.
NOTHING IN THIS WORLD LASTS FOREVER. WHEN THE TIME COMES, WE WILL ALL DEPART FROM THIS EARTH. IN THE CASE OF DEATH, PROPER BURIAL CAN BE ARRANGED AND THE DECEASED REMEMBERED. BUT FOR A PERSON TO BE MISSING, IT GIVES SO MUCH PAIN TO THOSE WHO ARE LEFT BEHIND; NOT KNOWING WHETHER THE PERSON IS ALIVE OR DEAD, HURT OR FINE, TO BE SEEN OR NOT AGAIN. LET US HOPE AND PRAY THAT WE AND OUR CLOSED/LOVED ONES WILL NEVER GO MISSING. BECAUSE THE PAIN OF WAITING IS JUST SO UNBEARABLE..........
NEXT: How a live video footage almost made me take a drastic measure. And how a recent similar video opens up my perception on certain things - some humans just make me SICK!
ALSO read about "Narnia, The Kong, The Fog and The Gardener" - reviews on The Chronicles of Narnia, King Kong, The Fog and The Constant Gardener. But beware, there'll be spoilers in my reviews.... COMING SOON !!!!!!!!!
Labels: TV shows
posted by The Pisces Man @ 11:39 am
1 people talked at The Boulevard
