Legal Experts Say a Suspect Can Be Charged With Murder Without a Body but the Case Is Tough To Prosecute

“These ‘no body’ cases are challenging in part because of an ancient legal concept known as ‘corpus delicti,’ which posits that the government needs to prove that a crime has occurred before charging anyone with it," Professor Daniel Medwed tells The Boston Globe. "Compelling circumstantial evidence can still yield a conviction in such a case."