The research used data from law enforcement agencies regarding all solved and unsolved murders in Washington from January 1981 through December 1986. The analysis focused on the 967 victims for whom case files could be located and who were involved in single victim-single offender cases. The analysis considered 467 items describing the characteristics of a murder and its investigation. The locations and times considered included the locations where and times when the victim was last seen, the offender initially contacted the victim, the initial kidnap or assault occurred, the murder occurred, and the body was found. The findings to date support the general proposition that the more information that is known about the times and distances among the locations of a murder incident, the more likely it is that a murder case will be solved. Tables and 35 references (Author abstract modified)