In a not magic setting, if I kill a random hiker or hobo then take his stuff can police locate me?

You've already established he had a cellphone and that you didn't immediately ditch it, and with tracking software being what it is...

Additionally, if you met him/picked him up in a quiet area with no cameras around (good luck with that), you will be one of the few individuals seen heading into/out of the general area; if you picked him up in a busier area where you would have been one among countless others, then someone definitely saw you.

How did the killing go? Bullets are an obvious trace, knives less so, and killing with fists or strangulation takes long enough that the victim was liable to get *some* of your DNA in the ensuing struggle.

Ah yes, because dogs are known for poor tracking ability. A rinse and a change of cologne will definitely throw them off.

I have a feeling I'm going to be seeing a newsreel pretty soon or an episode of World's Dumbest Criminals that will include the phrase "asked for advice on Veeky Forums."

Checking the age of the corpse and asking nearby villages if they saw a murderhobo wander through during a given timeframe, or yes, just straight up tracking you if there is recent enough spoor, professional hunters tend to be extremely good at their job and hunting men is no different from hunting animals in terms of methodology, only difficulty. Tracking dogs still existed during this period too.

There's an account of serial child murderer being tracked down in Germany during the 1400's, after killing his victims in the woods and partially consuming them.

>You've already established he had a cellphone
I didn't, I just said that cellphones are nasty and I wouldn't take those.

I would met them literally in the middle of the road through, not a public park. Somewhere close to woodland area.

Also I would walk using a hood, so no problem.

Even if they got my DNA through, how would they track it to me without actually capturing me?

They have good tracks but not that good. They can definitively be fooled, as they have been in real life.

If it was immediately then it would be trouble, but when you have time to work then it's doable.

Bullets aren't terrible if you use a suppressor and police your brass.

Still, the first thing would be someone actually missing the person. That could take weeks. Second, is the police/guard/whatever go around asking people 'did you see someone suspect leave town' and are people going to remember 'yes I saw a dude between so many other dudes who gave me a bad feel?'

Yes, but where was that murderer hiding?

eventually the man will be reported missing and they will go looking for him.

Yes, but that would be like weeks. The body would be rooting when they finally found it and I would be far away.

well if you go far enough you can always get away with it, the only issue is that we mostly hear about people who went into hiding before doing stupid shit and getting caught
You'de probably be okay as long as you can kill him without letting them on your trail for the first weeks

>cellphones
>people may know he disappeared and where he was going
>eyewitnesses
Also most hiking paths are usually pretty busy (at least a few hikers every day) and if you are in a remote place chances are the terrain will be too shit to carry a dude anyway.

Dogs will smell a corpse from fucking far away, and vultures or crows will gather around it.

>if I kill a random hiker or hobo then take his stuff
Take what stuff ?
credit card ? get traced
car keys ? get caught
cellphone ? even easier
At best you'll kill a man for a sandwich or pocket money.

I see. Thanks.

Yes cellphones are dangerous.

Also I plan to look out witnesses, even through at maximum they could try to make a picture of my form (since I will be cloaked and wearing a mask). They could quickly call the law through, so if they actually see the crime it's more trouble.

Thanks user.

>OP kills someone in the woods
>doesn't know how to hide the body and the crime
>can only think of asking Veeky Forums but knows that fbi shitposts there
>"I know, I'll post it on Veeky Forums as a setting question!"

You mean in real life? No, probably not. Most murders that aren't crimes of passion done by a relative or acquaintance go unsolved.

Unless you use his credit cards, phone, tablet, etc. Those can be tracked.

Man if you get caught carrying a corpse in the woods you'll have the helicopters on your ass by 10 minutes, even in the deep ass-end of the wood in any first world country.

Pocket money, any food and other valuables. But I'm actually doing it more for roleplay reasons.

I'm trying to make the less detectable kill as possible since I know it's impossible a 100% hidden crime.

Yes, exactly one of those. It will be very calculated.

Thanks for warning me about those through.

Eye witnesses are the biggest trouble then. I'm good at perception through.

Have your character "practice" the corpse in woods phase by poaching game out of season a few times.
Once satisfied with that, then have them do victimless "dry runs" of the target acquisition phase, before several full rehearsals, NOT near actual target.
Finally, once they've practiced the whole thing without arousing suspicion, combine the planning with the detailed target research and location specific reconnaissance to commit the crime, after arranging an alibi and otherwise performing rituals to appease Murphy, god of foul-ups.

That's sound tight, but it could take too much time. And I'm racing against my character inner bloodlust.

If you kill a hobo it might take weeks. A Hiker would get reported missing an hour after he didn't arrive/call home. Everyone so would also know where he was going so it would be easy to just follow a trail until the dogs pick up a scent/rescuers find tracks.

Don't kill a Hiker, people will probably find the body in less than 24 hours.

You're playing a serial killer, huh?

Depends on the era.

If the setting is pre or early industrial, I'd doubt there being an advanced enough law enforcement to give a damn unless they're important people.

It also depends where you do it. You could probably pull that shit in say, rural modern indonesia and have a while before someone notices.

they *can*

if you're a drifter and nobody saw you and nobody's looking for the rando, and you did it outdoors like on the side of the highway or something, then probably not unless it's modern setting and you salivated/bled/ejaculated all over the corpse

other do's and donts:
>don't get covered in blood
>if you do, wash off somewhere private and isolated, burn clothes as soon as replacements can be procured
>don't try to sell anything you took off the rando that is easily identifiable unless it's to a reputable fence
>don't leave the murder weapon at the scene
>don't keep the murder weapon for long

In most pre-20th cent tech settings, if it was at night on an empty street in a bad neighborhood, just kick him down a sewer and you're fine.

Its more that runners or campers find the body then they start asking questions.