Det. Clay Peeler
Detectve Peeler retired after 35 years in law enforcement, to include state and local agencies; 24 with St. Louis County Police Department. His positions included supervisory levels, tactical units, fugitive and warrants, field training instructor since 1987 (patrol and crime scene) and crime scene investigation for 20 years. He earned a Bachelor of Science from Southeast Missouri University. He is a board certified Senior Crime Scene Analyst with highly specialized backgrounds in death investigation, blood spatter interpretation, shooting reconstruction, accident reconstruction, arson and explosions, clandestine gravesites, pattern injuries, scene reconstruction, and event sequencing. He is a recognized expert witness in crime scene investigation. He has instructorships in numerous disciplines since 1985, but has specialized in basic and advanced Crime Scene Investigation for 18 years at area training facilities and police academies. In addition to managing investigation scenes for St. Louis County and area police departments, task forces, Greater St. Louis Area Major Case Squad, and officer involved shooting teams; he has worked closely with both St. Louis County and St. Louis City Medical Examiners’ office pathologists for autopsy documentation.
After retiring, he opened CP Crime Scene Consulting and Seminars to provide training in numerous law enforcement areas.
During the COVID pandemic Det. Peeler was asked to return to the St. Louis County Police Department Office of Emergency Management to facilitate fatality management.
Det. Peeler retired from the St. Louis County Police Department again in January 2021.
Det. Marc Hillen
St. Louis County Police Department. Crime Scene Investigator and Instructor. Scene Diagram Specialist. Blood Spatter Instructor. Crime Scene processing and evidence collection. Death Investigator. Photography Specialist.
Marc recently retired from St. Louis County Police Department after 30 years of service. Prior to becoming a Police Officer he served in the United States Marine Corp. After leaving the Marine Corp and while working as a Police Officer he continued his education at Webster University.
Marc spent 10 years in crime scene investigation. During that time he trained in the forensic labs at Kansas University, Iowa State University and Marshall University. He frequently worked on cases with the FBI and United States District Attorney’s Office. He was an invitee of the Blood Spatter Symposium held every two years in Iowa.
His professional associations are SWGSTAIN (scientific work groups for blood stain patterns) and IABPA (international association for blood pattern analyst).
Before leaving the Crime Scene Unit Marc was commended by the Chief of Police for his body of work which included more than 4000 crime scenes and more than 150 homicide investigations.
Several letters were sent on his behalf by Prosecuting Attorneys praising his professionalism and court room testimony which lead to successful prosecutions.
Peter Sansone
Peter Sansone is a 22 year veteran of Public Safety, serving as an auxiliary firefighter, EMT, and the past 17 years, as a police officer for the St. Charles City Police Department. His current department assignments include Crime Scene/Forensic Identification Officer and Accident Reconstruction Team Officer. Sansone is an adjunct instructor at the St. Charles Eastern Missouri Police Academy. Past department assignments include: Patrol Operations, Bicycled Unit, Business Liaison Officer, Field training Officer, and St. Charles County Regional Drug Task Force Narcotics Detective.
Sansone graduated from Columbia College with a Bachelor of Science degree. He earned certifications in Crime Scene/Forensic Identification from the St. Louis County and Municipal Police Academy and Northwestern University’s Center for Public Safety. These certifications are in the area of crime scene investigation, crime scene reconstruction and analysis, medico legal death investigations, and homicide investigation. He obtained certifications from the Missouri State Highway Patrol in accident reconstruction, basic and advanced crash investigation, crash reconstruction, commercial motor vehicle reconstruction and motorcycle/pedestrian crash investigation. Sansone is a current member of the Illinois Association of Technical Accident Investigators.
Theodore ”Tad” Heitzler
Theodore ”Tad” Heitzler received his Bachelor Science Degree in Administration of Justice in 1978 and Master of Arts Degree in Political Science at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, 1980. He began his law enforcement career in January 1981, upon joining the St. Louis County Police Department, where he held positions as a Patrol officer, Bureau of Drug Enforcement Undercover Detective, and Bureau of Crimes Against Persons Robbery/Homicide Unit Detective. In 1987, he was hired as a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent and served his 26 year career in St. Louis. As a Special Agent, he held varying assignments, including the St. Louis Armed Career Criminal St. Louis Police Department Task Force, the St. Louis Armed Narcotic Traffickers Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force, and the United States Attorney’s Office Racketeering Task Force. He held expertise as a Certified Explosive Specialist and Fire Investigator, investigation over 700 fire and explosion scene, resulting in numerous criminal convictions for bombings, arson and insurance fraud. This expertise led to his instructing federal, state and local fire and explosive investigators and prosecutors, as well as training at the St. Louis County and Municipal Police and Fire Academy, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, (FLETC) and the ATF Explosive Center, Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia.
After retiring from ATF in December 2012, he opened TJH Fire and Explosion Investigations, LLC, holding IAAI Certified Fire Investigator and Pro-Board Certifications. He holds a Missouri State Private Fire Investigator’s License and Illinois Private Detective License which he utilizes to conduct Origin and Cause determination examinations for the insurance industry and law firms in Missouri and Illinois. He continues to provide expert testimony in civil and criminal court proceeding provides consultation and testimony for state and local prosecuting attorney’s offices.