What can a lack of evidence during an investigation indicate?

A lack of evidence during an investigation can suggest that something did not occur. When investigating a crime, evidence forms the basis of conclusions drawn by law enforcement. If there is no evidence to support that a crime took place, it may imply that the event in question did not happen at all. This scenario is not implying any specific fabrication or innocence of a suspect, but rather pointing to the fundamental absence of indicators that a crime occurred.

While it is also possible for evidence to be contaminated, that specific condition would not necessarily rule out the occurrence of a crime—it simply complicates the investigation into the details surrounding it. Therefore, recognizing that a lack of evidence may indicate the non-occurrence of the crime reinforces the importance of thorough investigative practices to ascertain the truth of any reported incident.