Forensic Pathology, Fingerprints, and Forensic Biometrics

Comprehensive review flashcards covering forensic pathology, post-mortem intervals, fingerprint classification and development, and biometric identification databases.

What are the primary duties of a forensic pathologist?

They work with a medical examiner or coroner to investigate unexpected or suspicious deaths, perform autopsies, and determine the cause and manner of death.

What are the two parts of a forensic autopsy?

The external examination (inspecting the outside of the body and clothing) and the internal examination (examining the internal organs).

What specific incision is made during an internal autopsy examination?

A Y-shaped cut from the shoulders down to the pubic area.

How is the cause of death defined in a forensic investigation?

The event or injury that started the chain of events that eventually caused someone to die.

What is the difference between a blunt force injury and a sharp force injury?

A blunt force injury is caused by a non-sharp object (such as a bat or pipe) causing bruises or skin damage, while a sharp force injury is caused by a sharp object (such as a knife or blade).

What are the five manners of death?

Homicide, suicide, accidental, natural, and undetermined.

Under what condition is a drug overdose classified as a suicide rather than an accident?

It must be shown that the person intended to die.

What is algor mortis?

The post-mortem process where the body slowly cools down until it reaches the temperature of its surroundings.

What is livor mortis?

The settling of blood in the lowest parts of the body after death, causing the skin to turn bluish-purple.

What is rigor mortis?

The stiffening of muscles that occurs after death.

How can eye fluid and stomach contents be used to estimate time of death?

Potassium levels are measured in the eye fluid, and food in the stomach is examined to estimate when and where the last meal was eaten.

Which human bones are primarily examined in forensic anthropology to estimate sex and height?

The pelvis and skull help estimate sex, while long bones (especially in the legs) help estimate height.

How do forensic entomologists estimate how long a body has been dead?

By studying the age and developmental stage of fly larvae (maggots) and identifying the succession of different insect species arriving at stages of decomposition.

Where on a dead body do insects typically appear first?

In moist body openings or open wounds.

What are the three fundamental principles of fingerprints?

Fingerprints are unique (no two people share the same), permanent (remain unchanged throughout life), and classifiable (grouped by patterns).

What are the three primary fingerprint patterns, and how do their ridge lines flow?

Loop (lines enter from one side, curve around, and exit the same side), Whorl (lines form a circular or spiral pattern), and Arch (lines move across from one side to the other, rising in the middle like a hill).

Which specific ridge details are analyzed by the FBI's AFIS database?

Ridge endings (where fingerprint lines stop) and bifurcations (where one line splits into two).

What defines visible, plastic, and latent fingerprints?

Visible prints are visible to the naked eye (left in blood, paint, ink, or grease); plastic prints are impressions left in soft materials (such as wax, soap, putty, or dust); latent prints are invisible deposits of sweat and body oils requiring enhancement.

How is superglue fuming used to develop latent fingerprints?

Glue fumes are applied to non-porous surfaces like plastic, metal, and leather, making prints visible as white deposits.

What must investigators do immediately upon discovering a fingerprint before attempting preservation?

Take a photograph of the fingerprint.

What occurs during the enrollment and template generation stages of biometrics?

In enrollment, biometric features are scanned and saved to a database; in template generation, the computer organizes this raw data into a standardized, simplified format for storage and comparison.

What is the FBI's NGI system?

Next Generation Identification, an FBI identification system integrating fingerprints, facial recognition, names, ages, and other personal data.

What is an IrisCode?

A unique digital code generated from scanning the patterns in the colored part (iris) of a person's eye.

What are the three mathematical techniques used for facial recognition cited in the text?

Principal Component Analysis, Linear Discriminant Analysis, and Elastic Bunch Graph Matching.

What is the National Palm Print System (NPPS)?

An FBI database that stores millions of palm prints used to identify individuals in criminal investigations.

What is the FBI's Interstate Photo System (IPS), and what proportion of its photos are criminal?

A database of approximately 30 million front-facing mugshots where more than 80% of the photos represent criminal identities.

How do the database sources of FACE Services differ from the Interstate Photo System (IPS)?

While IPS consists primarily of criminal arrest photos, FACE Services searches government databases mainly containing civil photos (such as visa applications and driver's licenses), accessing over 411 million facial photos.