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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/48798
License name: CC BY-SA 4.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/48798
License name: CC BY-SA 4.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Yes, a citizen can investigate a murder. They don't have the tools of the police or courts, for example they can't force a store to release security tapes, or reveal employee records.

But if they do find evidence (and can prove it isn't fake) they can bring that to the police and possibly it will be useful in the apprehension or trial of that individual.

For example, they might trace the movements of the deceased, and with some effort and guesswork informed by their relationship with the deceased, find their path, and develop new suspects.

Private investigators usually have to be licensed (five US States do not require a license), but they are not police, cannot make anything but a Citizen's Arrest, and cannot compel somebody to produce records, they can't get a search warrant from a judge, etc.

But they can still ask people questions and investigate deaths, both murder and accidental. So can a normal person, you still have freedom of speech, freedom to look through public records, make connections.

I know from personal experience (two murders of people I know, separate incidents) that all those Law Enforcement shows are just fiction, most murders get very short shrift, without a witness the **majority** of murders go unsolved, forensics is sparse, police detectives hit a dead end and (if the case is not high profile) they move on to the next one, because there is an endless supply. There are clues that can be interpreted.

If you are talking about a fictional character, it would help if they have money. It is not illegal to pay somebody to talk to you. You can't pay them to be a witness, obviously, but it is my understanding (and I am not a lawyer) that you also cannot violate the privacy of a dead person.

Original score: 1