Can a Detective Testify That the Defendant Should Take the Police to the Missing Body As Victim's Mother Needed Closure ?

In Alston v. State, 723 So. 2d 148 (Fla. 1998), a detective testified at the suppression hearing that he felt the victim's mother needed closure because her son was still missing and he mentioned the fact that Alston had a daughter. See 723 So. 2d at 155. The detective mentioned that if someone took Alston's daughter and he did not see her again, he would not get any closure. See id. The detective concluded by stating the victim's mother could get some closure if Alston took the police to the victim's body. See id. In rejecting a claim of coercion, this Court cited Hudson v. State, 538 So. 2d 829 (Fla. 1989), stating: "We do not find Detective Baxter's statement that appellant should show them where the body was located because Ms. Coon needed closure was sufficient to make an otherwise voluntary statement inadmissible." Id.