# Let's do this criminal thing "out in the desert" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 30, 2021, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-do-this-criminal-thing-out-in-the-desert/939043 "2021-03-30T19:59:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-do-this-criminal-thing-out-in-the-desert/939043/162 "2021-04-06T21:36:22Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > Having access to a restaurant kitchen does help. [This chef in my neck of the woods](https://www.dailybreeze.com/2014/07/23/court-upholds-murder-conviction-of-lomita-chef-david-viens-who-killed-boiled-his-wife/) boiled his wife’s body for 4 days, poured the sludge down the grease trap and threw the bones in the dumpster. Her body was never found. Just make sure your victim doesn’t have gallstones or false teeth. > **[The History Press | The ‘Acid Bath’ murders](https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/the-acid-bath-murders/)** > > How 'Acid Bath Murderer' John George Haigh committed five 'perfect' murders – by dissolving his wealthy victims in sulphuric acid. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2021, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-do-this-criminal-thing-out-in-the-desert/939043/163 "2021-04-07T00:49:52Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > Having access to a restaurant kitchen does help. [This chef in my neck of the woods](https://www.dailybreeze.com/2014/07/23/court-upholds-murder-conviction-of-lomita-chef-david-viens-who-killed-boiled-his-wife/) boiled his wife’s body for 4 days, poured the sludge down the grease trap and threw the bones in the dumpster. Her body was never found. [Mmm, mmm, good](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtmcW8MsCH8&t=2s) ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2021, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-do-this-criminal-thing-out-in-the-desert/939043/164 "2021-04-14T02:47:24Z")
Even when a body isn’t found, the long arm of the law may catch up with you, eventually. > **[Suspects arrested in murder of long-missing California college student...](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/suspects-arrested-1996-murder-california-college-student-2021-04-13/)** > > Police arrested a longtime suspect on Tuesday for the murder of Kristin Smart, a 19-year-old college freshman who went missing from her California university 25 years ago, but said her body had not yet been found. I’m a little surprised this case made the national news, but I’m glad it did. I lived in San Luis Obispo County when Ms. Smart disappeared. I worked for the courts, so we paid particular attention to progress – or lack of same – on this case. Turns out Ms. Smart was the first disappearance/murder of 3 college students occurring close in time. Even though we eventually learned Ms. Smart’s disappearance was unrelated to the other two (which were related), the entire community was terrorized and traumatized by them. From the beginning, Mr. Flores was the prime suspect. Law enforcement never gave up on nailing him for the crime. Looks like they finally have enough evidence to charge him – even if they never locate the body. I’ll be very interested to learn what evidence they located in the search of the suspect’s father’s home. In my experience, you know who gets away with murder? It’s not the people who try to get rid of the body. It’s those who manage to successfully make the murder look like an accident, or manage to leave no trace of themselves at the scene of the crime. They leave the body where it falls. I can think of 3 such cases in my career with the court. In 2 instances, there was simply no evidence that led to a suspect. In 1 instance, law enforcement had a prime suspect, but they had no proof the death was anything other than an accident. Tell me, though. Have you ever heard of 2 dogs pulling their owner over a cliff, bringing about their own deaths as well? Me, either. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-do-this-criminal-thing-out-in-the-desert/939043.md?page=8)