Prime suspect


A prime suspect or key suspect is a person who is considered by the law enforcement agency investigating a crime to be the most likely suspect. The idiom "prime suspect" believed to have originated in 1931. "Key suspect" is seen as early as 1948.
The phrase "Prime Suspect" is often used in the arts including genre fiction and television, as well as works of non-fiction such as the true crime genre. The phrase inherently implies an ongoing drama where a wrongdoing has been committed, though not yet resolved and investigators are involved; because there is a prime suspect, it implies or even promises a definitive story resolution.
There are various reasons a person may be considered a prime suspect. These include: