Studied by 2 people
What is the study of entomology?
examination and identification of arthropods collected from or near corpses
What is one method entomologists use in forensics?
use insects to determine time since death or use insects to determine what chemicals where in the body
What is the study of forensic anthropology?
The application of principles of skeletal biology to legal issues
What are some methods forensic anthropologists use?
construct biological profile from the remains to determine sex, age, and stature
What is forensic odontology?
the application of dentistry to criminal and civil law
What are some methods forensic odontologists use?
utilize teeth to determine age estimation and identity
What is forensic DNA analysis?
the analysis of DNA from blood, hair, saliva, urine, etc., to determine an identity
What methods for forensic DNA analysts use?
compare strands of DNA to determine an identity
What is forensic toxicology?
detecting and identifying the presence of drugs and poisons in body fluids, tissues, and organs
What methods do forensic toxicologists use?
screen for presence of poisons or alcohol
What is forensic chemistry?
detecting and identifying relevant chemical materials collected at the scene and reconstructing and identifying igniter mechanisms
What are some methods forensic chemists use?
analyzing burn pattern and materials to determine the cause and exact whereabouts of the fire.
what is ballistic analysis?
determining whether a bullet or cartridge was fired by a particular weapon
What are some methods ballistic analysis use?
analyzing the scraping pattern on a bullet and comparing it to the ridges in the chamber, analysis distance from bullet entry and burn mark to determine what kind of gun and gunpowder was used
what is fingerprint analysis?
the analysis of the fingerprint ridge pattern on a taken fingerprint to determine an identity
What are some methods finger analysts use?
comparing ridge patterns from taken and given samples
What is forensic psychology?
using the study of one's behavior to determine the motivation or understanding of one's reaction in criminal or civil law
What are some methods forensic psychologists use?
study a person's pattern or brain for injuries or illnesses and emotional state
What is individualization?
when something is unique and specific to each person (fingerprint, DNA, etc)
What are the basic protocols for evidence collecting and preservation for entomology?
collect each arthropod present and store in a airtight container as well as freeze them
What are the basic protocols for evidence collecting and preservation for anthropology?
collect every piece of bone even if one is to be believed for a rock, clean each bone, label, and keep on safe surfaces and boxes
What are the basic protocols for evidence collecting and preservation for odontology?
collecting every tooth, clean, label, and store in airtight containers
What are the basic protocols for evidence collecting and preservation for DNA analysis?
collect any blood, hair, tissue, body fluids, etc, in airtight containers and label each one
What are the basic protocols for evidence collecting and preservation for toxicology?
collect any poison or food samples in airtight containers and label each one with a hazard label
What are the basic protocols for evidence collecting and preservation for chemistry?
collect materials that are believed to be the cause of the fire, any liquid substances at the scene of the fire, and take pictures of all fire marks
What are the basic protocols for evidence collecting and preservation for ballistic analysis?
collect all bullets and shotgun shells, any materials that were shot through, and pictures of bullet entry and exit
What are the basic protocols for evidence collecting and preservation for fingerprint analsis?
dust for any fingerprint and pick up on tape, glue surface, etc and analyze in the lab without letting any dust or air touch it to keep the results true
What are the basic protocols for evidence collecting and preservation for psychology?
analyze the suspect carefully, make notes of every incident or trauma leading events, compare to others.
what are points of comparison?
the areas in which part of a fingerprint are the same with the collected samples and there is no minimum set of numbers for points of comparison due to the probability of pieces of the fingerprint missing
Firearms
any weapon that can send an object into another
handguns
any gun that can be set off with one hand (pistols or revolvers)
long guns
any gun that usually involves two hands and has a long barrel (shot gun or rifle)
gun barrel markings
the microscopic drill marks on the inside of the gun barrel that leaves unique scratches on each bullet
rifling
impressing the inner surface of the barrel with spiral grooves that are requires by manufacturers
caliber
the diameter of the gun barrel
striations
fine lines found in the interior of the barrel
If shells or bullets are examined for analysis, what are the analysts looking for?
the striation pattern on the bullet to compare to the rifling of the gun
How is distance determined in ballistic analysis?
the smoke ring around the bullet hole, if its bigger and darker, it was a direct contact hit and if it is missing, it was a far hit
Gun powder residue
the residue from gun powder from the firing of a gun. It is used to determine the distance of the shooter to the object being shot at
Tool marks
any impression, cut, gouge, or abrasion caused by a tool coming into contact with another object
primer residue
residue that is projected back to the shooter when a firearm is fired, and it used to determine the shooter
scene investigation
preliminary reconstruction of events that preceded the onset of death (blood splatter pattern, footprints, tire marks, fingerprints, etc)
autopsy
examination of a body after death
What evidence types are collected at an autopsy?
tissues, organs, bullets, clothing, swabs (vaginal, anal, buccal, and hands), hair combing from head and pubic, fingernail scrapings
rigor mortis
shortening of muscle tissue and stiffening of the body
algor mortis
body temperature adjusts to environmental temperature
livor mortis
blood settling in areas closet to the ground
External examination
broad overview of the conditions of the body and clothing as well as any injuries that can be seen from outside the body
internal examination
weighing, dissecting, and sectioning's the organs of the body
cause of death
the specific injury that caused the death (gun shots, blunt or sharp force trauma, etc)
manner of death
the offense that took place during the death (homicide, suicide, etc)
natural manner of death
death from disease, environmental abuse, age
accidental manner of death
no intent to cause harm through gross negligence on the part of a perpetrator or the victim (car crash, etc)
undetermined manner of death
a rational classification cannot be established
homicide manner of death
when someone kills another human being
suicide manner of death
when someone kills themselves
base pairs
nitrogen bases that connect to an assigned nitrogen base (adenine to guanine, and cytosine to thymine)
short tandem repeats
locations on the chromosome that contain short sequences that repeat themselves within the DNA molecule
PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)
the remake of millions of copies of DNA
Double helix structure of DNA
the two strands of DNA wrapping and twisting around each other
CODIS
a tool that compares D N A types recovered from crime scene evidence to those of convicted sex offenders and other convicted criminals
DNA replication as it relates to PCR
PCR makes millions of copies of DNA that can be used, if put together correctly, to replicate DNA
Genes
the fundamental unit of heredity
Alleles
the alternate form of a gene
chromosomes
a long DNA molecule
mitosis
the growth and repair of cells
meiosis
the growth of gametes
RFLP
length differences associated with relatively long repeating DNA strands
Product Rule
The combination of the frequencies of each STR
Likelihood ratio
compares the probabilities of the evidence originating from two different events
Mitochondrial DNA
DNA found in the mitochondria
Sources of DNA evidence
Blood, Semen, Saliva, Skin cells (touch DNA), Hair, Bone
Three basic fingerprint principles
A fingerprint is an individual characteristic because no two fingers have yet been found to possess identical ridge characteristics.
A fingerprint will remain unchanged during an individual’s lifetime.
Fingerprints have general ridge patterns that permit them to be systematically classified
Basic ridge pattern types
loop, whirls, arches
ridge
lines on a fingerprint that attaches to sweat glands underneath
bifurcation
the division of a ridge that branches into two ridges
enclosure
when a ridge opens into two ridges then connects back together
ridge island
when a ridge opens up around another ridge and cuts off the inner ridge and forms back together
type line
The pattern area of the loop is surrounded by two diverging ridges
delta
the ridge point at or nearest the point were two type lines diverge
core
the approximate center of the loop pattern
ACE-V
Analysis (identify points of comparison and external factors), Comparison (compare the questioned print at 3 levels), Evaluation (determine a conclusion), and Verification (the examiner’s conclusion is confirmed by a second examiner)
Primary classification
the method of comparing multiple fingerprints and classifying them into groups of points based on (a) print type and (b) points of comparison
AFIS
Automated Fingerprint Identification System
latent fingerprints
fingerprints invisible to the naked eye
Arson investigation
examine the physical attributes of a fire scene
accelerant
a substance used to accelerate a process (such as the spreading of a fire)
oxidation
the combination of oxygen with other substances to produce new substances
combustion
The heat and light released when a substance burn
ignition point
the lowest temperature at which a combustible substance in air will ignite and continue to burn
flash point
the temperature at which a particular organic compound gives off sufficient vapor to ignite in air
glowing combustion
emission of heat and light without a flame
conduction
the movement of heat through a solid object
radiation
the transfer of heat energy by electromagnetic radiation
convection
the transfer of heat energy by the movement of molecules within a liquid or gas
indicators of arson
Evidence of separate and unconnected fires
The use of "streamers" to spread the fire from one area to another
An irregularly shaped pattern on the floor resulting from the pouring of accelerant onto the surface
head space
vapor
flashover
when all the combustible fuels simultaneously ignite to engulf the entire structure.
vapor concentration
a charcoal strip is placed in the airtight debris container when it is heated and absorbs the vapors
gas chromatography
chromatography employing a gas as the moving carrier medium
