What is the meaning of the legal maxim "Corpus Delicto"?

body of the crime ownerless goods let the buyer beware mutual consent

body of the crime

Corpus Delicto: It literally means "body of the crime" in Latin. The phrase body here does not only pertain to a possible corpse, but actually relates to any form of evidence, so it is important to remember that there is both a literal and figurative association. In regards to criminal investigations, this concept means that there should be enough evidence to prove that a crime occurred in order for an individual to be charged for the offense. Corpus delicto in Western law, is the principle that a crime must be proved to have occurred before a person can be convicted of committing that crime.The rule began in part to prevent the government from punishing individuals for a crime solely based on their confession, which in many cases were false and driven by coercion. In modern practice, corpus delicti requires that the government have enough evidence showing that the essential parts of a crime occurred before they can even charge an individual. If the corpus delicti bar has not been satisfied, the government cannot prosecute an individual.