Transcript Introduction to Forensic Science

Introduction to Forensic
Science
Chapter 1
CSI effect video
CSI effect article
What is Forensic Science?

Definition


Physical vs. Natural?




Application of science to the law (both criminal and
civil laws)
Physical – deals with non-living
Natural (biological) – deals with living
Forensics?
Criminalistics?


Synonym to forensics
Technically – more descriptive for describing the
services of a crime lab
Basic Services of a Crime Lab
Physical Science Unit
 Biology



Firearms


Al Capone – 1929 – St.Valentine’s Day Massacre
Document Examination


Dr. Josef Mengele – Brazil/Germany – 1992
The Hitler Diaries – Germany - 1983
Photography
Optional Services of a Crime Lab

Toxicology


Caroline Grills – Australia - 1948
Fingerprints

Thomas Jennings – US - 1910
Polygraph
 Voiceprint
 Crime Scene Investigation

Outside Services


Pathology
Anthropology


Entomology



The Ken and Barbie Murders – 1991
http://huffmanconklin.blogspot.com/2011/08/and-dead-shallspeak-video.html
Psychiatry


John Wayne Gacy – 1978
The Hillside Stranglers - 1978
Odontology

Ted Bundy – 1978
Outside Services

Engineering



Timothy McVeigh – the OK bombing – 1995
http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/notorious/mcveigh/d
awning_1.html
Computer and Digital Analysis
History of Forensic Science

Many people believe that Arthur Conan
Doyle was the first to popularize forensic
science with his Sherlock Holmes
novels. The first, A Study in Scarlet, was
published in 1887.
Historical Pioneers
Handout!!
 Mathieu Orfila

Spanish born but did work in France
 Father of modern toxicology
 Published book on
poisons in 1814

Historical Pioneers

Alphonse Bertillon
1st personal ID method
 Anthropometry – measure bones

Anthropometry
The Bertillon system relied on a detailed
description and measurement of the
subject.
 Eleven measurements were necessary.
 These included height, reach, width of
head, and length of foot.

Anthropometry

The down fall of Anthropometry occurred in 1903 at Leavenworth
Federal Prison. A prisoner named Will West was brought to the
prison and had his measurements taken. His measurements
matched a prisoner already in the prison named William West.
Despite the system there was no way to tell the two apart. The
only noticeable difference between the two men was their
fingerprints. Thus the Anthropometry was abandoned and the
fingerprint (Henry) system was adopted.
Will West
William West
Historical Pioneers

Francis Galton
British Scientist
 1892 published the book “Finger Prints”



Contained the 1st statistical proof supporting the
uniqueness of fingerprints.
Laid the foundation of modern fingerprints.
Historical Pioneers

Leone Lattes
Italian Scientist
 Blood type (A,B,O) of dried bloodstains –
1915

Historical Pioneers

Calvin Goddard
Comparison scope
 Firearm ID expert
 Matched bullet to gun
 Helped establish FBI crime
lab in 1932

Historical Pioneers

Albert S. Osborn
Development of the fundamental
principles of document analysis


Walter C. McCrone

Utilized microscopy to examine evidence in
criminal and civil cases
Historical Pioneers

Hans Gross
Lawyer and Judge in Austria
 1st real life forensic scientist
 Methods of scientific investigation


Karl Landsteiner


Austrian who immigrated to the U.S.
Discovered that human blood
could be grouped and devised
the ABO blood groups – won a Nobel Prize in 1930
Historical Pioneers

Edmond Locard
The “Sherlock Holmes” of France
 1910 set up the first Forensic Lab in Lyons,
France
 Formulated the basic principle of forensic
science:


“Locard’s Exchange Principle”

Cross-transfer of evidence occurs when a criminal
comes in contact with an object or a person
 Basis of forensic investigation
 Led to trace evidence
Historical Pioneers

J.Edgar Hoover
Director of FBI (1924-1972)
 Professionalized the organization


August Vollmer
Created 1st forensic lab in US
 LA - 1923

Historical Pioneers
Dealing with Evidence CD
 Activity
 Assessment

Historic Timeline
http://www.forensicdna.com/Timeline020
702.pdf
 http://www.trutv.com/shows/forensic_file
s/timeline.html

Crime Labs

National (federal) Level

FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
 Originated around 1908-1910 during presidency
of Theodore Roosevelt
 The world’s largest crime lab

Crime Labs

National (federal) Level

DEA
Drug Enforcement Administration
 Developed in 1973
 Why?


To enforce the controlled substances laws and
regulations of the US
Crime Labs

National (federal) Level

ATF
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and
Explosives
 Law enforcement organization dedicated to
reducing violent crime and protecting the public


Enforces laws relating to alcohol, tobacco, firearms,
explosives, and arson
Crime Labs

National (federal) Level

US Postal Service

Protect the US mail
Crime Labs

State Level

PA state police crime labs

Bethlehem, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Lima,
Wyoming, DNA Division
PSP Forensic Services
 ASCLD (American Society of Crime
Laboratory Directors) accredited labs:


http://www.ascld-lab.org/accreditedlabs.html#pa
Crime Labs

Local
Provides services to county and municipal
agencies
 Financed by local government
 Individual police departments

Autopsy

Coroner
Investigates the facts surrounding death
 County elected or appointed position


Medical Examiner (ME)
Physician – with degree typically in forensic
pathology – licensed to practice medicine
 Performs autopsy
 May also be coroner but does not have to
be

Autopsy

Duties of a ME
Determine cause and manner of death
 Establish identity of unknown corpses
 Determine time window of death
 Supervise collection of evidence
 Correlate wounds with weapons
 Certify or sign death certificate
 Testify in court

Autopsy

Cause of death
Main reason individual died
 Examples – heart attack, gunshot wound


Mechanism of death
Physiological change that caused life to stop
 Examples – Exsanguination (bleeding to death),
asphyxia (stoppage of breathing), sepsis
(infection of blood stream)


Manner of death

Root cause of the sequence of events that lead
to death
Manners of Death

Five manners of death

Natural



Accidental




By dead person’s own hand
Drug OD, GSW
Homicidal


Unplanned or unforeseeable sequence of events
Examples – car accident, fall
Suicidal


Workings of Mother Nature; Largest category
Examples – heart attack, stroke, cancer
By hand of someone else
Undetermined

Cannot accurately determine category
Manners of Death

Several manners can be associated with
one cause of death!!!

Gunshot wound could be accidental,
suicidal, or homicidal!
Forensic Autopsy

Performed to determine manner, cause, and
mechanism of death

Who gets autopsied?


Depends!! See website.
Recommendations:
 Violent
 Traumatic
 Unusual - suspicious
 Sudden and unexpected
 Employment related
 Prison/psychiatric inmates
 Threat to human health
Science, Technology
The Real CSI
http://www.deathreference.com/A-Bi/Autopsy.html
Forensic Autopsy

Four Basic Steps:
Determine Time of Death
 External Exam
 Internal Exam
 Autopsy Report

Forensic Autopsy
Step One: Determine Time of Death

Rigor Mortis

Shortening of muscle tissue and then the stiffening of body
parts


Manifests in first 24 hours and disappears within 36 hours
If the body feels:





Warm and not stiff: Not dead more than three hours
Warm and stiff: Dead between 3 and 8 hours
Cold and stiff: Dead between 8 and 36 hours
Cold and not stiff: Dead more than 36 hours
Livor Mortis

Settling of blood in areas closest to ground



Skin appears dark blue or purple
Begins immediately and continues for up to 12 hours after death
Determining if body position has been changed
Forensic Autopsy
Step One: Determine Time of Death

Algor Mortis

Loss of body heat
 Estimates time of death
 Body will lose 1-1 ½ ° per hour until body
reaches environmental temp
State of Decomposition
 Dealing with Evidence CD
 Potassium Levels

In ocular fluid
 Amounts can determine time of death

Forensic Autopsy
Step Two: External Exam

External exam

Basics
Height, weight
 Age, sex, race, hair/eye color


Photograph
Both clothed and unclothed
 Frontal and profile
 Scars, birthmarks, tattoo

Forensic Autopsy
Step Two: External Exam

External exam

Check clothing
Trace evidence
 Damaged clothing correlate to weapons?
 Removed and sent to lab

Forensic Autopsy
Step Two: External Exam

External exam

Exam injuries

Lacerations and contusions





Stab wounds



Lacerations – cuts and slices
Contusions – bruises
Defensive wounds – scattered; defending body
Photograph and measure – search for weapon fragments
Width, thickness, depth of each
Hesitation wounds – accompany suicide attempts
GSW

Measure entry wounds
Forensic Autopsy
Step Three: Internal Exam

Internal Exam

Dissect body using “Y” incision


Remove heart and lungs


http://www.nlm.nih.gov/visibleproofs/galleries/me
dia/autopsy/index.html
Removed as one unit
Examine abdomen
Each organ weighed and examined
 Tissue samples taken for microscopic
examination

Forensic Autopsy
Step Three: Internal Exam

Internal Exam

Collect samples
Stomach – toxicology (may reveal drug use)
 Ocular fluid - toxicology
 Bile (gall bladder) – toxicology
 Urine
 Liver tissue
 Hair – heavy metals (poison)
 Blood

Forensic Autopsy
Step Three: Internal Exam

Internal Exam

Assess head and brain


Head trauma?
Open skull




Examine brain in place
Then remove for thorough inspection
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/visibleproofs/galleries/media
/autopsy/index.html
Return organs and suture


Baseball stitch
Release body to family for burial
Forensic Autopsy
Step Four: Autopsy Report

Autopsy Report
Legal
 Includes:

Description of body
 Description of injuries
 Description of any illness
 Description of internal exam (detailed)
 Results of all lab tests
 Pathologist’s opinion
