So What Did Margie Say About...

   The 2/27/13 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode "Last Woman Standing" has left me at a loss for words.  I thought the evidence was well presented and the autopsy results were realistic.  I do however find troubling the methods they suggest for the deaths. 

 

    I have serious doubts that a plastic card thrown from a significant distance could find its mark and dig deep enough to sever the artery in the neck.  Especially when the time frame is within mere seconds of a closing door.  The victim's neck would have to be oriented in the right position and exposed with no clothes or hand blocking the area.  Could a small person have the strength behind the toss to perform this action?  Who's to say?

 

    I seriously doubt that the body would allow the swallowing or attempt to swallow a total of seven chicken hearts.  That seems a bit forced to me (no pun intended).  But again, who's to say?

 

    But I mean, REALLY, the force it would take to behead someone with one swing, especially with someone in a seated position is immense.  Although I guess it has been shown to be possible through hostage tapes of kidnappers performing the act of beheading.  Could the small female hold the large axe and swing it with such force to totally create the damage with only one swing?  Would the victim just sit there?  Sounds unlikely all the way around.

 

    Don't get me wrong, I like the fact that these shows are finally beginning to show some respect for the actual portrayal of the collection and significance of physical evidence.  I could do without the theatrics.  But then, it is television!

What Did Margie Say About...

The 2/25/13 Bones episode "The Fact in the Fiction" brought to light a few themes that I would like to talk about.

 

First, the FBI agent was squatting while taking photographs to document the crime scene.  Although this is fine for supplemental photographs, the mainstay photographs should be at something called natural perspective.  That is eye level when standing.  

One of my partners was 6'5" tall.  When he entered and viewed a scene, it was at quite a different viewpoint than my 5'4" height.  He could see things without assistance at a higher level than I could.  The first matter of business would be to document the scene as you would see it just walking in.  Then you do a much more thorough search to locate things outside your limitations - those things high or low.  That's when it's okay to squat or stand on something for your supplemental photographs.  You want to be able to testify in court that your mainstay documentation photographs accurately depict the scene as you saw it.  Document those first and then you can explain the other views due to your search.  

 

Secondly, all investigators deal with post crime scene interference on occasion.  The large aerator was more destructive potentially than average interference but things tend to happen.  Well meaning family members, curious passersby, pets or wild animals, weather, first responders, medical personnel - all of these could alter the potential evidence.  One must keep an open mind to explain the things that may not be in their "original" state.  Or even better, to recognize those things in the first place.

 

And last, but not least, I was so thrilled that they dismissed the idea of bagging a head in plastic.  This sounds basic but many don't think about the idea of condensation as mentioned in the episode.  This lends itself to mold and bacterial infestation.  Just think about buying a nice piece of steak and then leaving it sealed in plastic on the kitchen counter for a week.  Would you then go ahead and eat that?  I don't think so.  The same degrading that occurs in the meat will occur in the biological evidence.  The bottom line is always to maintain the integrity of the evidence and preserve it in the best condition possible.

 

Time travel, on the other hand, is a whole separate subject altogether.

So What Did Margie Say About...

The 2/20/13 episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation titled " Forget Me Not" highlighted the conflict between emotion and physical evidence.  There is a saying that physical evidence cannot be tainted, it does not lie, it is not prejudice, and it cannot be persuaded.  Only the people who interpret the meaning and importance of this evidence possess these qualities. 

 

At some point in the story line the detective was advised to "not read between the lines" but to rely on the physical evidence.  And boy was there evidence: a fingerprint on a wine glass and hair in the shower drain, not to mention the digital records of the hotel door log and the phone log.  How convenient that potential evidence like fingerprints and blood on the potential murder knife was washed away in the dishwasher and the bedsheets from the hotel room with possible evidence were missing.

 

And then how ironic that the same absence of evidence helped to corroborate the idea that CSI Sidle did not actually assault a potential stalker.  There was no trace or blood on her clothes to indicate that she had participated in any sort of beating.  Imagine that the absence of evidence was actually the evidence necessary to spur on the pursuit of further analysis and digging into the investigation.

 

Thankfully the CSI's followed their hearts and emotions and went the extra mile to search for the truth.

 

It does make one wonder though when does emotion help to encourage further search and testing.  Would they have done more if it hadn't involved a coworker?  I'd like to think that the ultimate effort occurs in every case regardless of budget cuts and deadline pressures.  I guess in reality we should all be thankful for the diligence of true professionals and organizations like "The Innocence Project".

So What Did Margie Say About...

Friend In Need Episode of Bones

The 2/18/13 Bones episode "The Friend in Need" brought to the forefront the age of technology.  Digital Forensics or Multi-media evidence is fast becoming a powerful tool in crime fighting and investigation. 

 

Even though someone deletes information, it may not be gone. 

 

Or the idea that it is not deleted but shared on the Internet is a daily occurrence.  Take for instance the many images displayed from the party.  As many as 50 attendees with cell phones shared their images.  And these images, good or bad, could be available for a long, long time.

 

Just watch the news and you will see the results of cell phones and surveillance cameras which document everywhere and all the time.

 

If you have just recently gotten a driver's license photograph, they ask you not to smile.  This is to help them with facial recognition.

 

In the episode, they kept returning to the on-line images to follow the participants in the story line.  Not only did this digital documented information help them determine a time line of events but it also helped to establish identities which led them to a rapist and a killer.

 

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

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What Did Margie Say About...

The 2/13/13 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode "Exile" reminded me how important the role of the Medical Examiner is in an investigation.

They begin with an external examination.  They look for trace evidence like fibers or hairs and for foreign substances on the outside of the body that could be potential evidence.  They document scars and tattoos which could assist in identification.  They may take fingerprints or check dental records for positive identification.

Then they should do a work up on any injuries, wounds, bruises, scrapes, etc. that may help tell the story of the demise of the victim.  These findings may help to determine a potential weapon or at least a possible shape, weight, and size of the weapon.  The location and depth of wounds may help to indicate a right or left handed perpetrator and the strength necessary to create the wounds.

Internal examination will help to exclude natural causes as the reason for the death and also further documents the injuries caused by unnatural means.  The tissue and potential bleeding under the surface of a bruise or a cut may be viewed to help determine a potential time line or a potential action needed to create this damage.  The viewing of the windpipe may determine soot or stomach acid or poison.

Stomach contents may assist in a time line, possibly establishing what was eaten and how far along digestion has developed.

If the Medical Examiner responds to the scene then things like rigor mortis (the stiffening of the body muscles), livor mortis (the settling of the blood in the body which creates a purple color), and algor mortis (the internal body temperature) also help to establish the PMI (post mortem interval - time since death).

Of course, their training in medical aspects help with the interpretation of things like the influence of blood loss and shock in relation to the state of the body.  Questions like: Could the victim have been mobile after the injuries?  How long could the victim live with these injuries?  Which wounds are fatal? may be answered by the Medical Examiner.

Yes, it is always beneficial to have a good working relationship with the Medical Examiner!

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So What Did Margie Say About...

The 2/11/13 Bones episode titled "The Shot in the Dark" was a unique one.  I seriously doubt that frozen blood bullets will soon become the wave of weaponry any time soon.

 

However, there was a statement in the episode that struck a cord with me.  It was stated that 'they never test the blood in a pool near the body'.  Unfortunately this is often truer than not.  The rule of thumb at crime scene is, or at least should be: when in doubt, collect it.  It goes along with the theme that it is always better to have it and not need it than to need it but not have it.

 

Investigation theories may take several twists and turns during the investigation and what could be considered evidence at one point in time may not necessarily be pivotal but something taken on a second thought may actually be one of the most important pieces of information that makes or breaks a case.

 

Over the many years of bloodstain analysis, unfortunately I have inherited several cases that initially were simply considered a suicide but years later more information pointed toward a potential homicide.  If all cases were worked as if they were a homicide to begin with and all possible evidence collected initially then there is no harm, no foul.  However, if the crime scene investigator becomes tunnel visioned and does the bare minimum because it is just considered a suicide...well you can see the potential problems.

So What Did Margie Say About...

As a Bloodstain Pattern Analyst, the Part 1 of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode "In Vino Veritas" shown on 2/6/13 gave me some mixed feelings.

 

There were numerous references to bloodstain pattern analysis: a bloody shirt under a bed, large circular stains on the floor of a jewelry store, spatter and a drop in a wine warehouse, and stains on a passenger seat of a vehicle.  I am always encouraged when this mostly unknown and often misunderstood discipline of forensic science is promoted right up there with fingerprints and DNA.

 

Bloodstain patterns indicate what type of event may have caused the stain patterns and it relies heavily on size of stain, shape of stain, and the distribution of the stains within a pattern.  Take for instance the larger stains on the floor of the jewelry store.  Larger stains means a larger volume.  This means either a heavy flow or a hesitation where the stain is located so the blood can accumulate.  Neither of these scenarios makes sense for a "trail leading out of the jewelry store".

 

Again, looking at size and distribution, what was termed "high velocity spatter" did not display the proper sizes or the pattern stain placement to indicate a gunshot.  Even though the term "high velocity spatter" is not a common phrase anymore in the discipline of bloodstain analysis, the indication is that the force used to break the blood into pieces was significant and would consequently create much smaller spatter than other types of forcible events - like a beating.  The stains on the bottle corks looks like a good size and not ones that would immediately indicate a gunshot, especially without corresponding stains in nearby locations.

 

Looking at the shape of the 'gravitational drop' this is within realism.  A drop of blood falling straight down would create a circular stain.  However, I would ask why only one?  If someone were bleeding and blood was freely flowing, I would expect a distribution of several drops from the wound.

 

Another observation to discuss is the location of the staining on the passenger seat of the vehicle.  Noting their location I was concerned when the body in the trunk had no corresponding staining on her body.  Later it was disclosed that it was an abdomen injury but this did not calm my concerns.  It made little sense to me how the stains were transferred from the area of injury to the location on the seat.  And the statement that it was a lot of blood meaning that the victim did not die quickly only made it worse.  That was not a great deal of blood and there certainly was not a great deal of blood on the body.

 

It always fascinates me that the producer has no qualms about decomposing bodies being shown in all their glory but are hesitant to really pour it on when it comes to the blood.  Go figure??

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Bones reviewed by a Real CSI

So What Did Margie Say About...

As a Bloodstain Pattern Analyst when I hear a bloodstain pattern referred to in a television show my ears perk up.  In the 2/4/13 episode of Bones titled "A Doll n the Derby" they stated that 'cast-off spray' leads to a determination of a 'stabbing'.  

 

I would refute that and mine would be a cautionary tale.  By definition a cast-off pattern is one created when a bloody object is in motion and this action allows blood to fling off or "cast-off" the bloody item.  The action of a backswing creates a linear blood pattern and  many objects can be bloody to cause this.  The suspects hands, saturated head hair, bloody clothes, the victim thrashing about, or a weapon used in blunt force trauma would all be possible sources to account for this particular pattern.

 

This scene was extremely bloody due to subsequent actions upon the victim and many actions could have accounted for the cast-off pattern.  It is imperative not to come to a conclusion at such an early stage of an investigation.  As it turns out, the victim was 'stabbed' in the eye with a key which created a loss of vitreous fluid from the eye itself and not blood.  So the 'stabbing' did not and could not have created this specific pattern.  Blood wasn't even generated from this action! 

 

In a real situation, it is more than likely that the shirt that displayed this pattern would have soaked through with blood like a paper towel soaks up coffee and the original pattern would have been masked anyway.  Then the issue becomes null and void.

Episode available online ON Demand or 8 days after airing

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