Forensic Final

Midterm: - CSI/examination forms • How to approach a scene • What to do with evidence (evidence collection & processing) - Chain of custody • Documentation • The main goals of forensics is getting evidence into court - Human remains • Human remains/clandestine burials - Decompositions • Process (chemical) • Early changes (pH, skin changes) • Late (mortises) • Autolysis • Putrefaction • Disintegration/liquefaction • Skeletonization • Stages (police). • Fresh • Bloat • Active • Advanced • Skeletonized - Physical evidence • Types of evidence (demonstrative, etc) • Transfer evidence (locard, how long does it stay) • Analysis physical evidence • Individual vs class • Vehicle (airbags) • Glass/fibre • Common • Specific collection technique : Probative alue (ubiquitous - it is everywhere, how unique it is) Post midterm: - Firearms • Class -> individual > analysis • Lab examination of firearms • Safe to fire? Accidentally fire? • Test fire (comparison microscope) 1. Examine shell/bullet found on scene 2. Suspect weapon 3. Test fire suspect weapon 4. Examine test fired shell/bullet • Distance cetermination • Lethality/wounding potential • Bullet trajectory (scene) - Anthropology • Skeleton • Skeletal features • Purpose of a skeleton • Human vs animal • Biological profile (info about a deceased person) 1. Sex (pelvic, etc) 2. Age 3. Ancestry 4. Height (femurs, long bones) 5. Other - disease, prosthetics - Other impression evidence • Evidence collection • Casting vs lifting impressions - Mycology/palynology • What are they? • mushroom, pollen, spore, diatoms, generally plant material, etc • What intrinsic feature makes them useful? • Able to identify them to their taxon/species • Highly resistant to decay • How are they used by forensics? • Used as transfer evidence (corroborative/associative evidence) • Unique species at location • Location of graves • Illicit drugs - Serology • Study of body fluids (Saliva, semen, blood) • specific "markers" for each • specific ways of identification • Useful info? - DNA analysis • What is it? • How it interfaces with forensics? • RFLP vs STR (pro/con, restriction) • PCR • Power of DNA profiles/multiplexing (product rule for high discrimination) • Nuclear vs mitochondrial DNA - Fire investigation • Origin & cause determination (destructive nature of evidence) • Evidence left behind tells us how fire progressed (work way backwards) • Fire patterns • Beveling • V-shape • Heat-horizons • Fire tetrahedrons (starting requirements) • Heat transfers (conduction, radiation, convection) • Ignition temperature • Conductors • flashovers - Entomology • Largely used for PMI • Life cycle and successional colonization • Factors that affect life cycle (accumulated degree days ADD) • Temperature (base and max temperature) • Maggot mass & body • Entomotoxicology