Forensics Unit 2 Crime Scene

Pathologist/medical examiner

A medical doctor who examines tissues, body fluids, and organs to diagnose diseases (pathologist) and/or performs autopsies to determine the cause and manner of death, particularly in suspicious or unexplained cases (medical examiner).

Anthropologist 

A specialist in the study of human remains, often involved in analyzing skeletal remains to determine age, sex, ancestry, and trauma, aiding in forensic investigations.

Toxicologist

A scientist who studies the effects of chemicals, drugs, and toxins on living organisms, often to determine their potential hazards and contribute to forensic investigations.

Serologist

A scientist who studies bodily fluids, primarily blood, to identify and analyze substances that can provide evidence in forensic contexts.

Document Examiner

A forensic specialist who analyzes and verifies the authenticity of documents, handwriting, and printed materials to detect forgery or alterations in legal cases.

First responder

The individual who is first at the scene of a crime or emergency, responsible for securing the area, providing initial aid, and preserving evidence until specialized personnel arrive.

Steps of processing a crime 

1. Scan the scene for safety and evidence, document the scene, and collect physical evidence.

2. Aid victims if necessary, preserve the integrity of the scene, and facilitate the investigation.

3. Secure

4. Photograph

5. Sketch

6. Collect

7. Release

Pattern evidence

Physical evidence that shows the relationship berween objects and their physical environment/ carries a pattern that can be compared and identified.

ex: fingerprints, shoeprints, tire tracks, firearms, tool marks.

Trace evidence

tiny microscopic materials that are exchanged between people, objects, or the environment during a crime scene

ex: hair, fibers, paint chips, glass fragments

Direct/testimonial evidence

photograph, video, eyewitness

Transient Evidence

physical evidence that is temporary or quickly disappears.

ex: temperature

Circumstantial/indirect/physical evidence

indirect proof of a fact that requires a logical inference or leap to reach a conclusion. It doesn't directly prove the material fact at issue but suggests that the fact is true.

ex: fingerprints, DNA, witness statements about a suspect's prior threats, or evidence of motive

Class vs individual evidence 

Physical evidence that can only be associated with a group or category, not a single source. 

ex: paint chips, fibers, small glass fragments, hair, tire marks

Accomplice

A person who helps someone comitt a crime.

Alibi 

A claim by a person accused of a crime that they were somewhere else when the crime was committed, making it impossible for them to have committed it.

Rough and smooth crime scene sketches (similarities; differences)

Chain of Custody

Chronological documentation and process of tracking evidence from its collection to its final disposition

MMO 3 facets of guilt, means, motive, opportunity

Framework investigators use to build a case against a suspect.

Paper bindle/druggist’s fold

Used to collect evidence

Locard’s Exchange Principle 

every contact leaves a trace