What is required to detain someone at a death scene?

To detain someone at a death scene, reasonable suspicion is the appropriate standard. Reasonable suspicion is a legal standard that allows law enforcement officers to stop and briefly detain a person if they have specific, articulable facts that lead them to believe that the person may be involved in criminal activity. This standard is lower than probable cause, which is required for arrests, and emphasizes the officer's intuition and experience based on the situation at hand.

In the context of a death scene, officers might observe behavior, circumstances, or other indicators that raise doubts or concerns regarding a person's involvement in the incident. Given that death investigations can be sensitive and critical, law enforcement must balance the need to investigate with individuals' rights, making reasonable suspicion a practical and legally supported threshold for detaining individuals for further questioning or investigation in such situations.