Steve Kardian and I talked about Denise Vernier as her body was recently found after she went missing in September from Ontario, Canada. Steve Kardian has over 30 years experience as a career law enforcement officer, detective, sergeant and chief criminal investigator. Steve shares his thoughts with us:
From a law enforcement perspective, I find it extremely out of the ordinary under the circumstances that the authorities have publicly stated that they do not believe that foul play was involved in the death of Denise Vernier. Denise was found in an area obviously not very accessible to the public, the time period she’s been missing is lengthy, the couple was separated according to her brother, and her husband may have been the last person to see her alive.
The possibility exists that the remains were found in such a way that it may appear to have been an accident, however, the autopsy will likely yield the cause of death (accidental, intentional, natural causes or inconclusive). Dental records are the fastest way to determine a person’s identity and I suspect that her body was in a fairly advanced state of decomposition due to the the fall weather, plus wildlife may have got to her. It’s always easier from a LE prospective to go from a suspicious death investigation to non-suspicious rather then the other way around. A lot of evidence can be lost in the process.
That being said law enforcement will refrain from labeling someone a person of interest or suspect until they have exhausted most, if not all of their attempts to extract information/cooperation from a subject. The old adage keep your friend close and your enemies closer is true to life. LE wants to be your friend for as long as possible and before you retain counsel. Often the guilts party believes that he is smarter than LE and we want him to keep thinking that way!
Thanks, Steve!!
Steve Kardian is one the nation’s go-to experts on issues of women’s safety, crime prevention and risk reduction. Steve is a national media consultant for Inside Edition, CNN, Fox News, The Morning Show, CBS, NBC, Men’s Journal, the New York Times, Best Life Magazine, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and Sports Illustrated. Steve Kardian is called upon by the national media to offer solutions and interpretations to many of the nation’s most high profile cases.
