The 7/30/13 NCIS repeat episode titled "Shell Shock (Part 2)" focused on Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) in reference to a soldier back from war.

 

Obviously the effects of killing, death, violence, evil, meanness, and darkness are escalated when it comes to war but I dare say that there are varying degrees of PTS associated with the death and destruction seen at crime scenes.

 

Speaking of darkness, has anyone noticed how dark they keep the NCIS set??  The office, the interrogation rooms, hotel rooms, and the autopsy room are extremely dark.  I know that the federal budget is tight but goodness, you'd think they could afford to pay the light bill.

 

Good lighting is necessary, especially in the autopsy room.  Outside of keeping the stainless steel tables clean and free of potential contamination, great lighting is probably the next important aspect in the environment that assists the Medical Examiner in their job.  Many even have additional lighting instruments which help them when examining small things or when viewing up close and personal in an area of interest.

 

I find it absurd that the areas of work which demand attention to detail and meticulous observation are kept so dim.

 

I say if these producers want to 'illuminate' us in the ways of forensics that they start with the light bulb! 

So What Did Margie Say About...CSI: Forget Me Not revisited

The 7/24/13 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode titled "Forget Me Not" had its' first blog entry from the air date of 2/21/13.

 

This time I'd like to talk a little about some evidence that wasn't mentioned directly but was brought to mind during the discussion of evidence in regards to the wine glass in the hotel room.  Of course the obvious and most commonplace evidence is the fingerprint.  But they also noted the presence of lipstick on the glass.

 

If you have ever looked at a lip print you will notice both horizontal and vertical lines within the print.  There have been studies that indicate that these patterns of lines may be as unique as fingerprints.  For some odd reason, which has not been emphasized to my knowledge, the reliance of these line patterns for identification or individualization never really caught on in the forensic world.

 

It reminds me of ear prints.  Back in the day when there was a definite problem with safe crackers the ear print was considered an important piece of evidence.  As it turns out, to hear the tumblers in a locking mechanism, the thief would press his (or her) ear up against the safe.  Several cases have been known to include ear print samplers in order to make an ear print comparison. 

 

I guess as life gets more technical and complicated, so does the accountability of evidence.  It has been literal decades since I have heard any mention of anyone interested in pursuing studies to validate either ear prints or lip prints.

 

One aspect of today's security and identification technology does involve the scanning of the iris of the eye.  This particular facial feature is still as strong as ever in forensics.  I guess that old adage "the eyes have it" is truer than we think.

So What Did Margie Say About...NCIS and CSI this week

The 7/17/13 repeat episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation titled "Exile" had a original blog entry posted on 2/13/13.  The last post discussed autopsies.

 

This time I would like to make mention of the importance of elemental analysis.  The black streaks of oily residue test results turned out to be motor oil.  This in combination with the results of the analysis of the fragment of metal embedded in Marta's heel led the investigators to the Auto Body Shop where they located the crime scene of the homicidal beating.

 

The steps taken in a criminal investigation are like piecing together a puzzle.  Every little piece helps to make the overall picture.  One analysis leads to a scene or a victim or a suspect.  This is the 'triangle' in criminal investigation.  The best outcome ties all three together and links them.

 

On another note, I cringed when they picked up the burlap sack fiber in the hotel room where Estevan was killed.  Not that it was an improper technique to collect the fiber but it wasn't photographed in its' original position under the corner of the desk but rather "flying in the air" in the grip of the tweezers.  It is proper crime scene technology to bring your packaging material to the evidence rather than creating more travel or movement which creates the possibility of loss or damage.  And, of course, the tweezers must be cleaned prior to collecting any other piece of evidence.

The 7/16/13 repeat episode of NCIS titled 'Phoenix' begins with an exhumation of a body that had been buried for 12 years.

 

The body was in really good condition with only a little mold as a tell tale sign that it had been buried.  It was even in good enough condition that they could run toxicological tests on the liver.

 

The condition of a body in an exhumation relies on the tightness of the seals of the coffin. 

 

I have seen bodies that have been buried for over a decade, not unlike the one portrayed in tonight's episode, that look like they have only been buried for a short time.  On the flip side, I have seen bodies that were in terrible shape and some floating in excess water after only having been buried for a year or two.

 

The difference was the condition of the casket seals.  Extra moisture that seeps in does not do a body good.  I have seen coffins that have been washed up after a flood but upon opening the casket, the bodies were able to be identified by visual because of their good condition.

 

This is why a lot of suspects prefer cremation over burial to destroy potential evidence.  In reality all they would need to do is buy an inexpensive casket and have their "loved ones" buried in a flood zone. 

So What Did Margie Say About...Criminal Minds: God Complex

 

 

 

On 7/10/13 CBS aired a repeat episode of Criminal Minds titled "God Complex" instead of the usual CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

 

The episode was about a mortician trained individual who was experimenting with limb, specifically the leg, reattachment in his garage.

 

This is about as absurd as Dr. Conrad Murray attempting to administer a surgery anesthetic to Michael Jackson as a sleep aid in his bedroom.  That didn't turn out particularly well either!

 

When you think of attaching bones, ligaments, muscles, blood vessels, nerves, and goodness knows what else - how crazy is it to portray a lone individual attempting this in his garage with limited equipment and medical supplies?  And talk about an environment that's less than sterile!

 

And how long would you figure an average operation like this would take?  It's about as similar as solving a complex crime in an hour show. 

 

I think they went way out on a limb on this one (pun intended)!

So What Did Margie Say About...repeat of CSI Fallen Angels

If you check the blog entry for 3/27/13 you'll see that the 7/3/13 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode titled "Fallen Angels" is a second repeat airing.  Unlike CBS, I will try not to repeat myself in this current blog.

 

The body of the Reverend and the man who jumped out the window both had their liver temperatures taken to help to establish the time of death. The internal body temperature is supposed to drop so many degrees per hour after death.  This, of course, can vary with environmental conditions and where the body is located.  The time of death is only an estimate at best and is really given as a 'window' and range of a possible time of death.

 

I noticed that Nick wore his gloves when walking to check to find the potential location of the cartridge case.  If you watch enough episodes you will notice that the technicians wear their gloves to answer their phones and perform menial tasks after and between evidence collection and handling.  This in essence defeats the purpose of using gloves to begin with.  It is recommended in crime scenes or laboratory work that the investigator or scientist change their gloves between each item of evidence collected or handled and they certainly should NEVER keep them on when walking out of the scene or away from a completed task.

 

I was also amazed that the batteries in the buried boys' key fob were still viable after a year underground.  Even if they were the super duper EverReady kind, could you really hear the beep under a significant depth of packed down dirt?

 

I do want to end the blog tonight the way I did in March - mentioning the blood.  They stated that the blood on the flashlight was black and not tacky.  There is no way to 'age' the deposit of blood but these are indicators of aging.  But like so much else in Forensics, the environmental conditions and the surface on which you find the blood could definitely affect these indicators. 

 

As always, it pays to be conservative and cautious.

So What Did Margie Say About: NCIS: Recovery

There are so many psychological aspects to the 7/2/13 repeat NCIS episode titled "Recovery": why is it so imperative for investigators to have psychological evaluations?; how detrimental are romantic relationships with co-workers?; what are the ramifications of adoption?; and how do personal issues influence stress and sleep deprivation?. 

 

However, let's stick with physical evidence - the bullet found in the front seat of the vehicle.  The mold spores helped to establish that the murder weapon was an older one.  The striations on the bullet were not really stressed in this episode but Abby did use the number of lands and grooves and the twist to determine the possibilities of the weapon type used.

 

When a weapon is made the barrel is drilled and a particular number of depressions are created and in either a right hand or left hand twist.  The number of "lands and grooves" along with the twist help the investigator in narrowing down how manufacturers bore their particular barrels and therefore a list of potential brands of weapons are made available.

 

The markings created when the barrel is tooled create the striations on the soft lead of the bullet as it travels through the barrel once the gun is fired.  But first one needs the suspected weapon to actually make the comparison between the striations on the bullet from the scene or the body and that of a bullet fired from the suspected weapon.

 

This is the one time that it's good to have 'an interesting new twist' in the case investigation.