Suicide Death Investigation Course | Scenario-Based Forensic Training

A structured, scenario-based training course on suicide death investigation, scene evaluation, and determining intent in medicolegal death investigations.

Suicide death investigations are among the most complex and sensitive cases a death investigator will encounter. Determining intent, evaluating scene evidence, and documenting findings in a clear and defensible manner requires both structured methodology and investigative experience.

This course provides a practical, scenario-based approach to suicide death investigation, guiding you through how investigators analyze scenes, interpret evidence, and establish manner of death in real-world cases.

Built from experience investigating thousands of deaths—including hundreds of suicide cases—this training is designed to help you think critically, document effectively, and approach these investigations with professionalism and accuracy.

No prior experience required • Fully online death investigation training • Self-paced learning • Lifetime access included • Certificate of completion provided • Based on real investigative experience • Learn at your own pace • Forensic training built on structured methodology •

Course Features – Online Suicide Death Investigation Training

This suicide death investigation training course is supported by a comprehensive companion guide designed to reinforce each section of instruction and serve as a long-term investigative reference.

✔ Includes 10 structured, scenario-based case investigations designed to reflect real-world suicide death investigations.

✔ Approximately 7 hours of scenario-based instructional content

✔ Video lessons with lesson notes and key investigative takeaways

✔ Structured modules focused on suicide-specific investigative approach and classification

✔ Scenario-based case analysis reflecting real-world suicide investigations

✔ Open discussion access on most modules

✔ Downloadable certificate of completion

✔ Includes the Suicide Death Investigation: A Scenario-Based Approach training guide (course companion book)

All materials are designed to reflect how suicide death investigations are conducted in professional medicolegal settings, with an emphasis on evaluating intent, interpreting evidence, and documenting findings in a clear and defensible manner.

Suicide Death Investigation Course Overview

Enrollment

Professional-level training in suicide death investigation designed for death investigators, law enforcement personnel, forensic professionals, and individuals seeking a structured understanding of how suicide cases are investigated and classified.

This course provides a step-by-step investigative framework focused on evaluating intent, analyzing scene evidence, and documenting findings in a clear, defensible manner consistent with real-world medicolegal practices.

Enrollment Includes

Full access to the complete online training course
Companion textbook download: Suicide Death Investigation: A Scenario-Based Approach
Structured video lessons with scenario-based instruction
Knowledge checks throughout the course
Real-world case study applications
Final assessment
Certificate of completion

What You Will Learn in this Suicide Death Investigation Course

This course provides both foundational and applied knowledge of suicide death investigation, focusing on how investigators determine intent and classify manner of death.

Students will learn how to:

Determine suicide vs. accident, homicide, or undetermined deaths
Evaluate scene evidence, body position, and environmental factors
Identify common suicide methods and their investigative indicators
Interpret medical history, mental health background, and contributing factors
Establish and document suicidal intent based on totality of evidence
Conduct structured suicide death investigations from start to finish
Handle family interactions and investigative communication
Recognize when a case requires further investigation or reconsideration

You will also be able to explain:

The five manners of death and how suicide is classified
Why intent is critical in suicide determinations
How incomplete or biased investigations lead to misclassification
How to document findings in a clear, defensible manner

This course is designed to change how you approach suicide investigations—moving from assumption-based thinking to structured, evidence-based analysis.

CSI Recertification Credit Information – Suicide Death Investigation Training

The Suicide Death Investigation Training course is approved for Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) recertification credit hours through the appropriate forensic certification board review process associated with the International Association for Identification certification system.

Because this course is conducted online, approval applies to recertification hours only and does not satisfy initial certification qualification requirements.

This course was developed to support the continuing education and ongoing professional development of individuals working in forensic and investigative disciplines, including:

Bloodstain Pattern Analysis (BPA)
Crime Scene Investigation (CSI)
Medicolegal Death Investigation

Why This Course Supports Professional Recertification Training

✔ Covers suicide-specific investigative methodology used in real casework

✔ Focuses on evaluating intent through scene evidence, history, and investigative findings

✔ Reinforces structured, evidence-based manner of death classification principles

✔ Addresses complex investigative challenges commonly encountered during suicide investigations

✔ Designed and instructed by a certified Bloodstain Pattern Analyst and experienced death investigator

✔ Provides documented instructional hours for professional training and recertification records

✔ Supports critical thinking, scene interpretation, and defensible investigative decision-making

Although this course is accessible to individuals outside of forensic professions, the instructional material is designed to reflect professional investigative practices, medicolegal responsibilities, and evidence-based investigative methodology used during real death investigations.

Instructional Hours

This course includes approximately 7 hours of structured, scenario-based instruction that may be used toward professional recertification training documentation and continuing education records, subject to individual certification and agency requirements.

Who Is This Suicide Death Investigation Course For?

Professionals & Students

Death investigators (coroner / medical examiner offices)
Law enforcement personnel
Crime scene investigators
Forensic science students
Legal professionals

Content Creators & Researchers

True crime podcasters
YouTube creators covering investigations
Writers and researchers
Journalists covering forensic and criminal cases

General Interest & Education

Individuals interested in forensic science
Anyone seeking a real understanding of suicide death investigations
Those looking for online suicide death investigation training

This is not general-interest content.

This is professional-level training based on real investigative experience involving suicide death investigations.

The subject matter is sensitive, complex, and often misunderstood. This course is designed to provide a structured, evidence-based approach to help investigators properly evaluate and document these cases.

Start Your Suicide Death Investigation Training

Learn how to evaluate suicide cases using a structured, defensible investigative approach.

Lifetime Course Access

$100

Gain the ability to:

Assess intent with confidence
Interpret scene evidence accurately
Document findings that withstand scrutiny

Death Investigation Course FAQs

Suicide death investigation is the systematic process of determining whether a death resulted from intentional self-harm through the evaluation of scene evidence, medical history, investigative findings, and indicators of intent. It requires a structured, evidence-based approach to accurately classify the manner of death.
Investigators determine a suicide by evaluating the totality of evidence, including scene conditions, body position, physical evidence, medical and mental health history, and any indicators of intent such as notes or prior behavior. A suicide classification should only be made after other manners of death have been reasonably excluded.
Intent is the key factor that distinguishes suicide from other manners of death. Without sufficient evidence of intent, a death may be classified as accidental or undetermined. Establishing intent requires careful analysis of all investigative information, not assumptions or isolated findings.
This course includes scenario-based training covering common suicide methods such as hanging, firearm deaths, overdose cases, and carbon monoxide exposure, along with complex cases where the manner of death may be unclear or contested.
This course is designed to be accessible to beginners while still providing professional-level instruction. It is appropriate for death investigators, law enforcement personnel, forensic students, and anyone seeking a structured understanding of how suicide death investigations are conducted.
No. This course provides structured education and practical understanding of suicide death investigation, but classification authority is determined by jurisdictional policies and professional roles. The course is designed to support training, not replace official certification or legal authority.

About the Instructor – Jeffrey Gentry

Jeffrey Gentry is an ABMDI-certified medicolegal death investigator and IAI-certified Bloodstain Pattern Analyst and Senior Crime Scene Analyst.

With over 18+ years of experience, he has:

Investigated 4,000+ death cases
Worked 1,500+ unnatural deaths
Investigated 300+ homicides and 350+ suicides
Prepared thousands of official death investigation reports

His work reflects real-world medicolegal death investigation practices, with training focused on structured, defensible methodology.