Earlier this month, Yale graduate student Annie Le went missing after she entered the research building she worked in but never walked out. Still, the building was left open during the investigation up until her body was found in the basement on Sunday.

In a series of interviews conducted yesterday, law enforcement experts from around the country said they were surprised and concerned that authorities did not seal the research facility on Amistad Street as soon as it became clear that Le was missing and that a crime could have been committed inside the building.

…

“Generally it’s a good idea to prevent people from coming into and out of a building where a crime occurred,” said Larry Williams Sr., a forensic security consultant and retired New Orleans police detective. “I would be very reluctant to let anyone go in that building or go out of that building.”

The police department states that they decided to leave the building open because they thought it was only a missing person case, and “..you can’t shut down a building for that.”

I think it was very unprofessional for them to leave the building open while it was still unsure what had happened. Even as a missing person case, evidence for what happened could have been tampered with. And now that it was discovered to be a murder, the fact that news reporters and students could move in and out of that building could invalidate any evidence they do find. This is a lack of competence on their part.

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