Graduation Semester and Year
Spring 2027
Language
English
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Social Work
Department
Social Work
First Advisor
Morgan E. PettyJohn
Second Advisor
Kathleen M. Preble
Third Advisor
Jaya B. Davis
Abstract
Hidden homicides occur when a perpetrator alters, conceals, or misrepresents a homicide to make it appear to be a suicide, accident, or other non-homicidal death. Although intimate partners are often identified as perpetrators, research on hidden homicides within intimate partner violence (IPV) remains limited and inconsistent. This scoping review examined existing research on hidden homicides involving intimate partners. Following scoping review methods and the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR), seven academic databases were searched using terms related to staged crime scenes, staged homicides, staged suicides, concealed femicide, suspected victim suicide, hidden homicide, and staged murder. Grey literature and additional sources were also reviewed. Twenty-eight publications met the inclusion criteria, including 21 peer-reviewed studies. Twenty studies provided information on at least 57 individual IPV hidden homicide cases. Victims were primarily women, and perpetrators were most often current or former male intimate partners. Hidden homicides were commonly staged as suicides or accidents, with other strategies including body relocation, fabricated suicide notes, altered crime scenes, and missing-person scenarios. Broader studies of hidden or staged homicides found that intimate partners accounted for approximately 38% to 92% of perpetrators, depending on the sample and study design. Overall, the literature used inconsistent terminology and relied mainly on descriptive and case-based research, with limited attention to social work. Findings support the need for interdisciplinary research, standardized terminology and data collection, and greater attention to hidden homicide in IPV prevention, assessment, fatality review, and professional education.
Keywords
Intimate Partner Violence, Homicide, Hidden homicide, Staged Suicide, Intimate Partner Suicide, Crime Scene Staging
Disciplines
Social Work
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Arriaga, Ronaldo, "Hidden Homicides in Intimate Partner Violence: A Scoping Review" (2027). Social Work Theses. 9.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/socialwork_theses2/9