hosa

Mathieu Orfila

(1787-1853) Founder of forensic toxicology, studied poisons and worked on the Marie Lafarge poisoning case

Sir Francis Galton

(1822-1911) Developed the first classification system for fingerprints, published the book Fingerprints in 1892 and described the loop, arch and whorl of fingerprint patterns

Hans Gross

(1847-1915) Generalist who believed in diverse approaches to forensic science and published the first forensic science textbook, Criminal Investigations, in 1893.

Victor Bathazard

(1852-1950) Paris Medical Examiner who advanced fingerprint, firearm and hair analysis, showed that fingerprint are unique to the 10^60 and used photography to help identify bullets

Alphonse Bertillion

(1853-1914) Developed anthropometry and was the first to solve a case using fingerprints

Edmond Locard

(1877-1966) Established a forensic lab in Lyons France in 1910, founded the Locard Exchange Principle and focused on trace evidence

Calvin Goddard

(1891-1955) Established the study of firearms evidence in the US, established a variety of police labs in the US and invented the comparison scope.

Anthropometry

System of identification of suspects involving 11 body measurements + descriptions + photos

Criminalistics

Describes forensic analysis of physical evidence

Locard Exchange Principle

Every Contact Leaves a Trace

Juan Vucitech

(1891) Who began the first fingerprint files

The Henry Classification System

Classification for fingerprinting in all European Countries

1 in 64 billion

Sir Francis Galton's odds for two fingerprints being the same

The scientific method

System in which forensic scientists work

The adversarial system

System in which lawyers work

Finder of fact

Judge or jury who determines "right" in a case

Civil Cases

Occur between individuals and must show a preponderance of evidence (51%)

Criminal Cases

Occur when laws have been broken, the government in the prosecutor and and guilt but be shown beyond a reasonable doubt (99%)

Felony

Serious criminal case, possibility of greater than 1 year in prison

Misdemeanor

Minor criminal case, possible of a fine or less than 1 year in prison

Voir Dire

Qualifications of a scientists given in a court of law

Subpoena

A statement requiring someone to appear in court and stating the when and where the trial will be held

Gilbert Thomas

(1882) Who used fingerprints officially in the US for the first time

Dr. Henry Faulds

(1880) First to come up with a classification system based on fingerprints

1892

When was the first fingerprint identification made

1901

When was the idea of fingerprinting introduced to England/Wales

Karl Landsteiner

Discovered ABO blood typing and received the Nobel Prize in medicine for this work in1930.

Alec Jeffreys

Geneticist who developed DNA testing

Colin Pitchfork

First criminal convicted by DNA evidence

William Hershel (1856)

The first to use fingerprinting as a method of identification

Forensic Nurse

Trained to treat trauma patients (assaulted), take blood and tissue samples, collect evidence, photograph and measure wounds

Rules of Evidence

Exclusionary rules that filter out irrelevent/prejudiced information

Frye Standard

New methods must be generally accepted by scientists

Federal Rules of Evidence

Allows expert witnesses to explain techniques in court

Daubert Trilogy

Judge becomes gatekeeper to determine the admissibility of evidence while following a court framework

Direct Evidence

Evidence that establishes something without further work (eyewitness testimony)

Circumstantial Evidence

Evidence that requires reasonable inferences to be drawn (DNA found at a crime scene)

Class characteristic evidence

Evidence that doesn't indicate a specific individual (shell casings, sneaker prints)

Individual characteristic evidence

Evidence that does indicate a specific individual (fingerprints, DNA)

Associative Evidence

Things found at the crime scene that can be matched to an exemplar (standard)

Biological Evidence

Human (or other) tissues used to identify a person or animal. Includes DNA testing.

Chemical Evidence

Includes drugs, explosive, toxicology ect...

Trace Evidence

Random stuff left at a crime scene and taken from a crime scene due to Locard's Exchange Principle

Fingerprint Evidence

Fingerprints and their identification and developments

Impression Evidence

Impressions on the ground caused by footwear, tires, ect...

Firearm and Tool Mark Evidence

Fired bullets, casings, Gun Powder Residue, impressions left by tools ect...

Questioned Documents

Examining documents for forgery

Primary Crime Scene

Site of first criminal activity in a case

Secondary Crime Scene

Site of following criminal activity in a case

Macroscopic Crime Scene

The whole crime scene

Microscopic Crime Scene

Small, contained parts of the crime scene

Link Search

One type of evidence leads to another ( most common)

Line Search

Work horizontally across an area with large groups of volunteers (Best outdoors, requires a large amount of man power)

Grid Search

Work horizontally and vertically across an area with large groups of volunteers (time consuming but effective)

Zone Search

Divide the area to be searched into zones and assign each person/team a zone (Best used in houses on search warrents).

Wheel Search

Spread out like spokes on a wheel from the center. (best used in a small circular crime scene, uncommon)

Spiral Search

Work outwards in concentric circles (Limited best used in the water)

Coroner

Government agent responsible for performing death investigations. Typical in rural areas

Medical Examiner

Appointed to work on death investigations. Required to be licensed to practice medicine

Cause of Death

Diseases/trauma that was the direct cause of death

Mechanism of Death

Specific occurrence that caused death

Manner of Death

How the cause of death came about (Natural, Accidental, Homicide, Suicide)

Rigor Mortis

Stiffening of the muscles after death

4-36 hours after death

Time frame for rigor mortis

Livor Mortis

Discoloration of the body after death due to settling of the red blood cells

12-36 hours

Time frame for Livor Mortis

Algor Mortis

Cooling of body after death

37 C

Normal human body temperature

1.5 F per hour

Time frame for cooling of a nude body a 20 C

Incised wounds

Injury produced with a sharp instrument and characterized by lack of surface abrasion and bridging vessels/nerves

Autopsy

Dissection to determine cause of death

Mechanical Trauma

Occurs when something with force breaks tissues

Sharp Force Trauma

Occurs when a sharp object breaks tissues. Produces incised wounds

Blunt Force Trauma

Occurs when a dull object with a large amount of force breaks tissues. Produces lacerations

Penetrating gunshot

Gunshot with no exit wound

Perforating gunshot

Gunshot with an exit wound

Contact gunshot

Leaves large lacerations, blackened skin, and carboxymyglobin.

Distant gunshot

Circular hole in skin, defective and abraded skin

Exit wounds

Typically the larger and more lacerated gunshot wounds, except in contact gunshots

Chemical Trauma

Deaths resulting from drugs/poisons

Thermal Trauma

Deaths resulting from excessive temperatures

Hypothermia

Excessive cold

Hyperthermia

Excessive heat

Electrical Trauma

Passage of electricity through a person

Ventricular Fibrillation

Quivering of the heart, can be caused by low voltage electricity

Tetany

Sustained contraction of the heart, can be caused by high voltage electricity

Asphyxias

Interruption of oxygen to the brain

Drowning

Water in lungs, diatoms in bone marrow

Manual Strangulation

Fracture of thyroid cartilage, bruised strap muscles

Ligature Strangulation

Leaves no fracture of thyroid cartilage only signs are asphyxia and furrow on neck

300 g

Normal heart weight?

Cadaveric Spasm

Forceful muscle contraction at the moment of death

Autolysis

When internal organs, including the brain, self loosen after death

Adipocere

Waxy, grey fat that occurs when bodies are in water

Macerated

Softening and breaking down of skin from prolonged exposure to water

Arteriosclerosis

Hardening of the arteries

Myocardial Infraction

A blockage of the heart that results in the death of heart muscle

Epidural Hemorrhage

Hemorrhage due to trauma between the Dura mater and the skull

Arachnoid

Two thin, filming transparent membranes that cover the brain directly below the mater

Leptomeninges

Almost inseparable combination of the delicate archnoid mater and the pia mater