Done!

I'm confused by how B finds A and why B doesn't call the cops.

Is there a particular reason A couldn't be identified? Too little info.

Does B know A? I would hope so, because I don't think the average person would think, "Hey! I found a body. I should investigate." I also agree with cornflake, why not just call the police?

Caligulas said:

What I'm working on right now is how the police would connect the pieces behind the scenes in my story that has a few interlocking plots.

Character A is killed and buried in the woods at a rental cabin far from where Character A lives.
Character B, who is looking for Character A, finds Character A's buried body and goes on a search for who killed Character A.
Character B is also spotted by the grave site of Character A and has taken most notable evidence from the scene.

What will be some of the most likely steps the police will take at this point? Again, this is all behind the scenes, it just all needs to add up and intersect eventually. I want to know how they would 1) figure out who Character A is 2) begin connecting the dots to the real killer.

Just looking for some basics as I have a lot of room for manipulation here.

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Police would first question Character B, assess whether B had motive, alibi and why B was messing with the crime scene, if they could ascertain that B was indeed messing with the crime scene.

They would then begin work on identifying A, probably partially by arresting and interrogating B if B was observed doing shady stuff where A was buried. They would look in missing persons reports, they would of course take DNA samples and look to see if A was in any DNA databases. They would take dental records, and if A still had them, fingerprints, and check those against databases, too.

They would check the rental records for the rental cabin and begin interrogating whoever rented it, and they'd look through the records there as well. They would of course look on her person for ID papers such as driver's license, passport, credit cards, debit cards, a phone, anything that could potentially be used to identify the body.

They would canvas the neighborhood around where the body was found to figure out if anyone saw or heard anything. They might go so far as to check traffic and security cameras from around the area. If they found a cell phone but could not get into it, they might start checking with the cell company to see which towers her phone checked in with last, and likely the phone company would be able to tell who she was from the phone, even if they couldn't get into it.

As a last resort, they would begin circulating her image to see if anyone could help identify her.

They'd search for identification. Then they'd search for personal items that could help identify the body like tattoos, distinctive jewelry or clothing. Once they knew the how long the body had been there and the relative age and gender, they'd search through the missing persons. They might possibly do a news story asking for information.

Depends on the case, I would assume. Some times, its fast. Sometimes it's slow. And sometimes its not a huge news item. I often see articles that say "Human remains found. Police are investigating. If you have information, please call 555-5555." and then there is never a follow up.

Caligulas said:

Again, that's plot details. A and B don't matter to what the police would do. I'm not looking to explain my background plot. I only want to know what the police would do with the information they have. They're a different entity outside of A and B.

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Yeah, they do. Cops don't work in a vacuum.

Investigations follow logical steps.

How does the set of circumstances come to the attention of the police? Who reports it? Why is he/she there? Is this a witness or a potential person of interest? Everything that person says will be corroborated or refuted.

Who is the victim? Why this location? Cause of death? Time of death? Next of kin? Victim's activities prior to death? Relationship to witness/potential person of interest?

How do you plan to introduce character B to the rest of your cast?

This is an oversimplified view of what answers the police will seek at the outset of the investigation; the scrutiny will only get more intense. Your character B is going to have some explaining to do, to say the least.

I came in here late in the day, just minutes after you edited your original post.

Now nothing in the thread makes any sense, and others who might have been able to offer suggestions can't.

Caligulas said:

Sorry, I wasn't clear. Character B is spotted, but not by police. Character B is out of state likely before police get any ground on the situation at all.

What kind of DNA databases might Character A be on? He's not a criminal. A normal early 20-year-old.

Thanks a bunch! All of that is really helpful.

Oh also, any idea on how long this would take? I remember seeing stuff on how the first 48 hours is crucial.

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There are lots of non-criminal DNA databases. Some people voluntarily put their children into one. Some people are looking for genealogy. There are many, many databases, and the conspiracy theorist in me believes the government has access to most if not all of them.

taraesque said:

Depends on the case, I would assume. Some times, its fast. Sometimes it's slow. And sometimes its not a huge news item. I often see articles that say "Human remains found. Police are investigating. If you have information, please call 555-5555." and then there is never a follow up.

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As a 30-year journalist, I can tell you police VERY RARELY ask the news media for help.

More often, the stories you're referring to here are generated by the media, hearing from a source "there was a dead body over at so-and-so." and then the journalist digging and getting the police to admit "we have no clue who this is."