So What Did Margie Say About.....Bones: El Carnicero en el Coche

The 9/30/13  Bones episode titled "El Carnicero en el Coche" made me smile when there was a burst of bloodspatter on the interior windshield after a blast of rounds from an automatic weapon killed the driver.  It did not match the two bullet holes with a small amount of blood flow from facial wounds when the victim was viewed.  The victim also was wearing a wool cap which would have contained a lot of the 'burst' of spatter.  I also don't think that an automatic spray of gunfire would only result in two facial wounds.  What a terrible shot the shooter was if this is so.  I would imagine that an automatic weapon with the firepower displayed would create a great deal of damage if just aimed in a general direction.  It sure did a lot of damage to the glass and body of the vehicle!

I did appreciate the reenactment reference the yaw of the bullet to answer the question as to why there were two entry wounds but no exit wounds in the initial victim.  The beveling of the skull bone was mentioned.  Usually there is a conical shape which indicates which way the projectile is traveling.  Some wounds are more difficult to determine if entry or exit but within a series of examinations such as the underlying bone beveling; the underneath damage of the injury skin; the tearing of the skin surrounding the injury; and even potential reenactments, the wounds are usually determined correctly.

Interesting show tonight, I am very happy that original episodes are back!

So What Did Margie Say About...CSI: Code Blue Plate Special

The first blog entry reference the repeat episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation titled "Code Blue Plate Special" appeared on 5/30/13.

 

Tonight I'll focus on the bloodstain pattern analysis.  I say bloodstain pattern analysis instead of blood-spatter because there is more to the science than the 'spatter'. 

 

In bloodstain patterns there are stains that are created through 'active' events and stains that are created through 'passive' events.

 

In this episode the significant analysis of the blood was done on passive stain patterns.  When the blood flows it will always flow downward due to gravitational pull.  When you look at the downward flow on the chin of a deceased you know that their original position was upright when blood began to flow.  Gravity pulls it down.

 

The same is true when looking at the flow on the clothing.  If a person is upright when they suffer a blood letting injury and maintain that position then gravity will pull the blood flow downward and this will be demonstrated on the staining on their clothing.  If they are on the ground when the blood flows then gravity pulls it downward across the curves of the body and this staining is evident on their clothing.

 

Where blood pools and where it saturates the clothing are also telltale indicators of body positions and subsequent motion or movement.

 

So you see, you don't have to have spatter, gunshot impact spatter or otherwise, to be able to interpret the language of blood and hear the story that it has to tell.  Even in the midst of "action" such as eight people being shot, the quieter evidence was the most informational.

So What Did Margie Say About...CSI: Dead of the Class

The repeat CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode titled "Dead of the Class" airing on 8/7/13 also had a post from 3/21/13.

 

The episode begins with the description of the deceased females neck wound as an irregular laceration.  Wound interpretation can lend itself to some valuable information in a criminal investigation.

 

First there is a distinction between a cut and a laceration.  A laceration is not a defined wound but more of a tear.  A cut is a wound which has been 'sliced' and displays clean edges.  Also a cut is longer than it is deep and a stabbing is deeper than it is wide.

 

A wound's edge can often give information as to the width of a blade, if the knife has a hilt, if the blade is single or double edge, and if the blade is serrated. 

 

The depth of the wound may give an indication of the length of a knife's blade.  One must be cautious because if strength and force is applied during a stabbing the knife can go into the body farther than the length.  The skin has elastic properties and may reconstitute to an original state once the knife has been withdrawn.

 

I have spoken of Langer's Lines before.  These lines which are also referred to as cleavage lines is used to describe or define the direction within the human body along which the skin has the least flexibility.  One must also consider if the wound is located in a fleshy or fatty portion of the body or in an area where bone is prevalent.

 

Retrieving information from a wound, and documenting these informational points, is a good investigative tool.

 

Of course, nothing will ever be as definitive as "the Mark of Zorro".  Crime scene investigators should be so fortunate.

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...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.

So What Did Margie Say About...CSI: Dead Air

The 6/19/13 repeat "Dead Air" episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation caused an eleven on my forehead twice during the show from frowning and wrinkling my eyebrows.

 

The first time was when CSI Finlay stated that the spatter on the back of the anchor chair caused by the stab wound.....  Let's think about this.  What exactly would cause spatter?  If you think of the mechanism of stabbing, what liquid blood would be compressed or impacted to create spatter?  The blade enters and may cause internal bleeding but unless it hits an artery or some area that would cause an escape of air and blood, there is no spatter.  Then she went on to say that directional drops meant the killer went in a certain direction.  

That theory of directionality is fine but again let's consider the mechanism of a single stab wound creation.  The blade goes in and comes out directly almost in a wiping motion between the skin of the wound which rids the blade of excess blood.  Why is this important?  Because it takes excess blood on the blade in order to have a sufficient amount to drip off to establish this blood trail.  I would doubt that a single stab wound would generate such an amount on the knife blade to allow as many drops (if any) that were displayed.

 

The second was during the autopsy of Mr. Howard.  The Medical Examiner (ME) grabs the lungs to display the lack of soot within the lungs.  That is a good concept except that the lungs that the ME grabbed were as stiff as a board and clearly made out of plastic.  The show usually takes such pains to make things look lifelike and realistic that this was a big disappointment. 

 

What certainly rang true was the mass of photo flashes going off during the events depicted.  The press is notorious for being right there and taking as many photos as possible.  When they say that a picture is worth a thousand words, you would hope that they mean the crime scene photo taken by the CSI and not the press.

So What Did Margie Say About...cross, oblique, or skim lighting techniques of a CSI

On 6/18/13 there was a contractor who is not affiliated with VA Power (they stressed that) that cut down a tree and caused my neighborhood to lose power because it crashed into power lines.

 

As I was sitting in the dark watching the flicker of candles, fanning myself with a piece of cardboard, and listening to a battery operated radio - I found myself wondering why I don't have a laptop or a generator.

 

But I do have several flashlights!!

 

I always say on a crime scene that the flashlight is your friend.  It not only illuminates the dark but can give you insight into shadowed nooks and crannies.

 

It is also a great enhancement tool.  Try getting two pieces of paper and placing them on top of each other. Now write or print something on the top piece of paper.  Now toss that top piece of paper away.  If you use your flashlight and direct the beam directly on the second piece of paper, you light it up really well but you don't see much information.  Now begin to lower the flashlight so that the beam skims across the paper  The lower you go so that the beam hits the paper obliquely, you can begin to read the indented writing.

 

This works because the depth creates a shadow and allows you to see detail.  It's great on latent fingerprints and finding hairs and other trace on floors too.

 

So, even though I didn't get a chance to watch any television, hopefully I allowed you a chance to 'light up your life' with a technique called cross, oblique, or skim lighting.  Amazing, isn't it, how something so simple can work so well.  Unlike electricity or contractors!! 

Image Source

So What Did Margie Say About...CSI: Risky Business Class

The 6/12/13 repeat CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode titled "Risky Business Class" gave me several issues to discuss.

 

First - any scientist worth their salt believes wholeheartedly in a recreation or reenactment when dealing with a scene reconstruction.  Usually one would use a scale model or the actual scene to assist in proving a theory or to assist in establishing a working scenario.  

I don't know of many agencies or organizations that have the money, time, materials, personnel, or room to construct a life size model - especially of an airplane.  What a luxury.  Where would you store it?  Could you bring it into a courtroom?

 

Second - in a fire with the intensity that was suggested by the plane crash, there is a real danger that ammunition would actually explode due to the conditions and the heat surrounding the weapon.  Perhaps they were suggesting that the fact that the gun was semi melted into a section of carpet would have protected it from the heat and the discharge of the ammunition.

 

Third - when the green paint chip retrieved from the airplane door seal was suspected to have come from a particular tool, it was shown to have been placed back on the tool itself to establish a match from a fracture match between the paint chip and the tool.  This practice is an absolute NO NO in forensics work.  You would never want a 'question' and a 'known' to come into contact.  That is a defense attorney's dream.  They can suggest that the evidence was compromised or contaminated by the physical contact.  The fact that these two items were originally one together could easily be shown by one-to-one photography and overlapping the photographs without losing the integrity of the evidence.  

 

I must admit that it was a refreshing spin to add genealogy in combination with DNA as a twist to solving the outcome of the investigation.  It is always a positive to keep an open mind to other potential assists when available. 

So What Did Margie Say About...CSI: Strip Maul

The 6/5/13 repeat CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode titled "Strip Maul" has me scratching my head trying to figure out a few things.

 

The first shooting victim is a male sitting up in the front seat of a vehicle.  The resulting cause of death is a gunshot wound (gsw) to the back of the head. The stippling pattern indicates that it is close range (although that would be difficult to distinguish in that thick black hair!).  There is no exit and they retrieve the bullet from the body at autopsy.  So far so good.

 

But then we are introduced to deceased Lydia by the dumpster.  There are passive blood drops and a bloody swipe pattern near the dumpster which leads to the body which is lying in a pool of blood.  The investigator states that these blood patterns indicate a struggle.  SAY WHAT???

 

Passive drops are just that - drops of blood that are falling straight down due to the pull of gravity.  When you have circular stains that tells you that a blood source is stationary and NOT in motion.  Motion would cause a change in the shape of the stains and they would look elongated (kind of like a bowling pin). The blood swipe tells you merely that a bloody object (in this case - the body) was drug to the final resting position where it drained the pool of blood.

 

Okay, so now we go to the autopsy where the Medical Examiner says that this was the same MO as the male victim.  Again I say: huh?  That would mean that there was an entrance to the back of the head with no exit wound.  Since they did retrieve the bullet from the body that would suggest that there was no exit wound.  But wait - when they show the body there is a big hole in the middle of her forehead.  Okay so maybe she wasn't shot in the back of the head but shot in the forehead and there is no exit wound.  But wait - look at the size of that entrance wound (and WITHOUT STIPPLING!!).  I dare say that the size of that hole is way too big for a 22 caliber. 

 

I am officially confused with what they are trying to convey.  But then I must admit:  I can grab this concept more so than a pregnant transvestite, pregnant with drug balloons.  As they say - OH BABY.

So What Did Margie Say About...CSI: Code Blue Plate Special

 

 

 

The 5/29/13 repeat episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation titled "Code Blue Plate Special" was a treasure trove of forensic evidence.

Obviously I gravitate toward the bloodstain pattern analysis. This was done extremely well, following the flows of blood and the placement of the blood stains to tell the story of the events.

I do have some talking points about other forensic issues in this episode.

For instance, a photograph of a bloody shoe impression was held up against the shoe of a potential suspect: Ronald Bosderic. It may have been visually the same tread pattern and the same size but just a quick look like this wouldn't identify the individual characteristics for Sarah to declare "It's a match". Damage done by rocks or cuts or scuff marks are what make 'a match'. The likelihood that two pair of shoes walk the same path to receive the same damage to the tread of the shoes is beyond calculation. But you have to actually find these characteristics and compare a known to an unknown in the laboratory to declare a match.

Then we have the testing of a set of clothes to determine a shooter. With eight people killed (some with multiple shots) and two shots that missed hitting any individuals, there would be an accumulation of gases within the relatively close proximity of all the victims. I dare say that anyone's clothes within that particular scene would test positive for lead. This finding, in and of itself, would not determine "the shooter".

Next I would like to draw attention to the finding of a thread in one of the victim's throat. This is not part of a routine autopsy, especially in a shooting. The neck may be cut and viewed in a choking or a fire to check for injury or smoke and searing but it is not typical to just view the interior of the throat.

Lastly I have an issue with fuming newspapers using ninhydrin. Superglue is used in a fuming hood and is usually used for nonporous items. Porous items like paper are treated with ninhydrin to find the amino acids left behind when someone touches an item and the fingerprint and its contents absorb into the paper. However it is usually applied by spray, dipping, or brushing and then subjected to a humid heat source (like a steam iron).

On the positive side, did I mention that they did a bang up job with the bloodstain patterns??

So What Did Margie Say...Goodbye Bones Hello Motive

It would appear that our Monday nights of Bones is over, at least for awhile.  So I switched channels and watched the 5/20/13 sneak preview episode of "Motive" with the title 'Creeping Tom'.

 

There were a lot of references to psychological profiling.  Detective Angie Flynn suggested that the creeping behavior (basically breaking and entering while leaving the word creepers behind) suggested someone who breaks into houses for the thrill of it because they are bored.  She felt that the intruder was testing authority.  On these bases she surmised that they were looking for a teenager.

 

It also came to light that creepers went in basically to nab a souvenir.  When learning about criminal behavior analysis, there is a difference between a souvenir and a trophy.  The way it was explained to me is that when you go to Disney World you buy a set of mouse ears as a souvenir.  You appreciate them for awhile but right now you have no earthly idea where they are.  On the other hand, if you earn a trophy, it is important to you and probably prominently displayed.  You know exactly where it is.  It's on the mantle or in a case.  It is cared for and dusted and polished and treasured.  Much more significant than a souvenir. 

 

Anyway, back to behavior.  It wasn't limited to human behavior.  The calmness of the dog with the intruder was a big red flag that the dog was familiar with and even liked the perpetrator. 

 

Leave it to man's best friend to be the deal breaker in the case.  Go animals!!

So What Did Margie Say About...CSI: Skin in the Game

In the 5/15/13 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode titled "Skin in the Game" began by investigation into three women, two deceased and one in a coma.  All were strangled, had heart charms on their person or property, and were found in a staged scene with their bodies 'displayed'.  

At first it would appear that the boyfriend of one of these women was mere 'collateral damage' having been found shot in the head and located in a freezer.  The sex was wrong, the cause of death was wrong, and the location was wrong.  Such an outlier was curious.

 

There appeared to be a religious theme or undercurrent amongst all the scenes.  The so called signatures of this perpetrator were adding up. 

 

When one considers an MO or modus operandi (Latin for method of operation) it should reduce the possibilities of potential suspects.  It should lead to someone who has a particular method of operation or a particular habit that is so important to the personality as a trait that it becomes a signature to lead to a unique individual which helps to eliminate suspects and/or link crimes to one individual.

 

As it turns out the multiple signatures lead to the discovery that the perpetrator was following the outline of a particular theme - Dante's Inferno and the nine circles of hell.

 

It will be a small piece of the fiery place waiting for the next episode to see if either of the two daughters of major characters will be saved from doom.

So What Did Margie Say About...the CSI approach

Because there was no Bones episode on 5/13/13 I'd like to talk about how crime scene investigators approach a crime scene utilizing observation and perception.

 

Investigators should record their observations using their five senses: what they see, hear, feel, smell, and, to some extent, taste.  A heavy sulfur atmosphere will combine with smell and give a hint of a twang taste.  Lots of fresh liquid blood will smell and give a slight taste of iron.  

I am not saying that one actually taste these things by placing something in your mouth.  If you just open your mouth and breathe the air you can get the "sense" of taste when nothing blocks your smell.  Some people use something in their nose to block smells but this practice may also mean that you may miss some information.

 

Obviously one records what they see but sometimes what you feel or hear is important too:  Is it a cold environment?  Is it humid?  Is the wind blowing?  Is the heat or air conditioner on and working?  Do you hear engines or machinery?  Is there water dripping in the scene?  Is the body warm to the touch? 

 

Do you smell anything?  Is the smell common to the area?  Is the body in a state of decomposition?

 

These observations are altered by your perception.  Depending on your training, your life experience, and your background on the job, you may perceive things differently from someone else with a different history.  

I have heard the tale of a law enforcement agent and a fireman at the scene of a homicide followed by an arson.  The law enforcement agent gravitated toward the evidence of a cartridge case located on the floor.  The arson investigator gravitated toward the book of matches next to the cartridge case.  Same scene, same area but a different point of focus because of their backgrounds and interests. 

 

This is why at the end of a crime scene response, it is advisable to get what is called a "fresh set of eyes" to reevaluate the scene.  One reason is that they will have a different perspective and may find something that the original investigator did not focus on.  The other reason is that after many hours on the scene, you are tired and a fresh viewpoint will help to assure that the best job was done.

So What Did Margie Say About....CSI: Ghosts of the Past

I have a few questions in reference to the 5/8/13 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode titled "Ghosts of the Past".

 

One is about the autopsy on the original victim.  I understand if this was meant to portray the medical examiner "pinning back" the skin to better examine the "S" incision but if this incision was bad enough to eviscerate the victim, that was not depicted.  There appeared to be too many layers of muscle in this body.  A normal autopsy is a Y incision beginning at the outer portions near the collarbones and then meeting to create an incision down the mid line of the body. This certainly was not depicted.

 

Then I question how blood spatter flew directly onto the front of the yellow tee shirt when she was struck in the head.  Blood should fly out and away and I certainly cannot figure out the flight path of this blood spatter.  It would have to fly out and curve around to strike the victim straight on in the front of her body.  It reminds me of a remote controlled toy airplanes' flight path.  Fortunately blood doesn't fly by remote control.

 

Then there were the luminol footwear impressions.  Why didn't these impressions diminish as they created a path?  If the blood was not replenished on the bottom of the shoes then the impressions would certainly not be as prevalent in the end as they were in the beginning.  That's why the pattern is called a "diminishing repetitive transfer pattern".

 

Unfortunately the believability of these issues didn't have a ghost of a chance (pun intended).

So What Did Margie Say About...CSI: Fearless

The 5/1/13 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation titled "Fearless" begins with the retrieval of a body from a spa mud pit.

 

Containers of water are troublesome enough.  A body in a lake, or pond, or swimming pool, or creek can really wreck havoc with the preservation of the evidence and/or the body. 

 

But my oh my you add heat to the mixture and you have a literal soup of mess.  Nothing is like having a body deceased in a Jacuzzi and I imagine a mud bath is probably just as bad.

 

You do siphon out the fluid and sift through the debris to see what you have like they did in the show.  If there is a drain of any sort then you must retrieve what has gone into the drain.  You need to also check any filters.

 

I knew of a case where an older gentleman was taking a bath and had a heart attack.  His wife suffered the same fate as she attempted to pull him out of the tub and fell into the bath water with her husband.  

They were discovered several days later when the responding officer went through the bathroom window on a 'check on the welfare of' call and fell right on top of both of them.  You know, the mud bath doesn't really seem so bad on second thought. 

So What Did Margie Say About....Bones, The Secret in the Siege

The 4/29/13 Bones episode titled "The Secret in the Siege" began with Booth saying that if the victim was shot at least eleven times then it would be easy to classify the case as a homicide.

 

The investigation of a death should always take the approach of being worked as a homicide just to be completely thorough.  Usually it is a combination of law enforcement and the medical examiner investigations which classify a death investigation as to the manner of death.  It could be a homicide, a suicide, a natural death, an accidental death, or a death that is undetermined.

 

A cause of death is considered the reason that the body ceased to function.  Examples are blood loss, organ failure, and/or suffocation.

 

The method could be determined to be a gun shot, a stabbing, strangulation, disease, drowning, etc.

 

On the surface it would seem to be an easy thing to figure out and for the most part the situation is obvious.  But the reason every death should have the investigation proceed like a homicide is because you are never sure what twists and turns or information will develop along the way.  Something that originally may appear as a suicide may actually be a homicide or something that may appear as a homicide may be accidental.

 

This episode clearly dealt with the homicide aspects of investigations and leaned heavily on the psychological twists and turns rather than the hard science and evidence.  I guess that would fall under: motive.

So What Did Margie Say about...CSI on Fire

The repeat CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode titled "CSI on Fire" airing on 4/24/13 showed CSI Finley cutting the fingers with a tool similar to garden clippers to help with the identification of the deceased.  The writers were clever by stating that the body, which had been buried for approximately two years, was mummified.  This would have prevented the decomposition and deterioration that would have caused the skin ridges to eventually become useless.

 

Once the fingers have been separated from the body the skin may be able to be "plumped up" by using some type of solution.  In the 'old days' it was comprised of mostly glycerin.  I am honestly not sure what they would use these days.

 

Then the ends of the fingers were tied off (to prevent the solution from leaking out) and rolled to create inked prints for comparison.  What they showed in the episode was removal of the outer layer of skin to place it on the CSI's gloved hand to roll the inked print.  This happens a lot when there is skin slippage and the outer layer of skin naturally slips away from the hand.

 

Sometimes a simpler method would just be to dust the finger with black fingerprint powder (once it had regained some 'plumped' volume) and use lifting tape to cover the finger and remove the powder and thus the fingerprint.  Of course this would be reversed so it would have to be taped to an acetate sheet and looked at from behind for comparison.

 

I am amazed that in this digital age that there isn't some type of scanning device that could be used.  I guess some things from the old days just can't be improved.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

So What Did Margie Say About...Bones, oops The Following

Sorry folks but I was at a meeting on 4/22/13 and didn't make it home in time to catch Bones but I did watch "The Following" episode titled 'The End is Near'. Watching all the stabbings and shootings made me consider the importance of knowing about injuries and trauma.

 

Being a bloodstain pattern analyst, it becomes important to have an understanding of what injuries may cause what type of blood loss and what injuries may immobilize the victim.

 

If the injury is caused by a sharp object, one should ask: is the injury wider than it is deep?  Is there a hilt mark bruise? Did the wound have clean edges or ragged edges?  Was an artery or vein cut?  Did the injury cross the body's Langer Lines (lines of cleavage which will determine if the skin remains together or if the wounds are gaping wounds)?  Are major organs cut?  Have bones been nicked?  Has the body gone into shock?  What is the activity and/or adrenalin level of the victim?

 

It seemed amazing to me that the several people who were stabbed in the abdomen appeared to die immediately.  That is with the exception of one of the main characters.  Joe received a similar type knife stabbing wound yet was mobile and relatively coherent.  He also received an additional stab wound in the existing area of the injury with a fork and did not suffer the same fate as the others but remained alive and kicking.

 

Actually I would believe the lingering of Joe over the "drop dead" drama of the others.  I once saw the aftermath of an eight year old girl who rode her bicycle into a plate glass window and suffered a deep severe cut to the throat from the broken glass.  She continued to ride her bike several blocks to get to her grandmother's house before she collapsed dead in the front yard. No one would have believed she could have lived that long with that drastic of an injury much less participated in such action as riding a bike.

 

The body is an amazing creation.  It is durable and unpredictable.  But so is the mind and the psyche.  Police Officers have been known to die from nonfatal injuries because of their mindset of having seen so many injuries and death during the course of their careers.  They can't believe it when it happens to them and something in their make up just gives up.  Others suffer injuries that should be immediately fatal but survive to live a long life.

 

I'm not even going to get into the gun shot wounds...... 

So What Did Margie Say about CSI...I mean Elementary

The 4/17/13 usual time slot for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation instead aired the repeat "Elementary" episode titled 'The Leviathan'.  Several times during the course of the show they stated 'if you eliminate the impossible what's left, no matter how improbable, is the truth'.

 

This mantra is exactly how many investigations are pursued only under the phrase 'scientific method' instead.

 

Basically, utilizing the scientific method, one reviews the facts and develops a theory or hypothesis.  Then (especially in a scientific field like bloodstain pattern analysis which tends to be more subjective than an instrumental analysis for drugs or DNA or explosives) the scientist endeavors to disprove their theory.

 

It is a process of elimination really.  Eliminating whatever isn't possible leaves only what is possible.  I can't tell you how many times in court while testifying that I have been asked if some other explanation is a possibility.  Having followed the scientific method and attempting to disprove the original theory, I was always able to testify that my experimentation established that several other suggested theories were not a possibility. 

 

Obviously, this is not 100% of the time.  Sometimes you may not be able to distinguish between patterns of expirated (blood being expelled from the body by force due to damage to or blood being present in the lungs or the airways) or impact (liquid blood being sent into flight by compression due to some forcible event) blood.  But then you rely on the other facts of the case.  Such as the injuries suffered by the victim.  That may also help to eliminate some possibilities and narrow down what is 'probable'