Forensics FD, 2E (For Dummies)

Understand the real-life science behind crime scene investigation Forensics For Dummies takes you inside the world of crime scene investigation to give you the low down on this exciting field. Written by a doctor and former Law & Order consultant, this guide will have you solving crimes along with your favorite TV shows in no time. From fingerprints and fibers to blood and ballistics, you'll walk through the processes that yield significant information from the smallest clues. You'll learn how Hollywood gets it wrong, and how real-world forensics experts work every day in fields as diverse as biology, psychology, anthropology, medicine, information technology, and more. If you're interested in a forensics career, you'll find out how to break in--and the education you'll need to do the type of forensics work that interests you the most. Written for the true forensics fan, this book doesn't shy away from the details; you'll learn what goes on at the morgue as you determine cause of death, and you'll climb into the mind of a killer as you learn how forensic psychologists narrow down the suspect list. Crime shows are entertaining, but the reality is that most forensics cases aren't wrapped up in an hour. This book shows you how it's really done, and the amazing technology and brilliant people that do it every day. Learn who does what, when they do it, and how it's done Discover the many fields involved in crime scene investigation Understand what really happens inside a forensics lab Examine famous forensics cases more intriguing than any TV show Forensic scientists work in a variety of environments and in many different capacities. If you think television makes it look interesting, just wait until you learn what it's really like! Forensics For Dummies takes you on a tour of the real-world science behind solving the case. Title Page......Page 5 Copyright Page......Page 6 Table of Contents......Page 9 About This Book......Page 19 Icons Used in This Book......Page 20 Where to Go from Here......Page 21 Part I Cracking Open the Case......Page 23 Defining Forensics: The Science of Catching Criminals......Page 25 Integrating science into the practice of law......Page 26 Getting the Big Picture: Forensic Science in Action......Page 27 Looking at physical forensic science......Page 28 Investigating the Crime Lab......Page 29 Creating the first crime lab......Page 30 Identifying common procedures......Page 31 Peeking Inside the Criminalist’s Toolbox......Page 32 Looking at Locard’s principle in action......Page 33 Determining who did what where......Page 34 Chapter 2 Getting to Know the Forensics Team......Page 35 Gathering the Evidence: The Criminalist at Work......Page 36 From Analyzing Blood to Identifying Bugs: Forensic Science Specialists......Page 38 Forensic Investigation’s Head Honcho: The Medical Examiner......Page 39 Looking at two forensic systems......Page 40 Following the medical examiner in action......Page 41 Dealing with the Dead: The Coroner’s Technician......Page 42 Testifying as an Expert......Page 43 Understanding the court system......Page 44 Understanding the role of expert testimony......Page 45 Assessing the Scene of the Crime......Page 47 Arriving at a crime scene......Page 48 Preserving and processing the scene......Page 49 Documenting the procedure......Page 50 Reconstructing the crime scene......Page 51 Classifying the Evidence......Page 53 Discerning physical from biological evidence......Page 54 Differentiating class and individual evidence......Page 55 Analyzing the evidence......Page 57 Obtaining a search warrant......Page 58 Searching without a warrant......Page 59 Searching the area......Page 60 Gathering the evidence......Page 61 Collecting control samples......Page 62 Protecting the chain of custody......Page 63 Locating a Missing Corpse......Page 64 Defining the Role of the Forensic Psychiatric Professional......Page 67 Differentiating forensic from clinical psychiatry......Page 68 Assessing the Brain......Page 69 Digging into the psyche......Page 70 Employing dubious techniques......Page 72 Recognizing lying perps......Page 73 Debunking the eyewitness......Page 74 Dealing with false confessions......Page 75 Determining a defendant’s competence......Page 76 Defining insanity, loosely......Page 77 Tracking Serial Offenders......Page 78 Making the monsters......Page 79 Profiling the Perpetrator......Page 82 Assessing the perpetrator’s psyche......Page 84 Taking trophies and souvenirs......Page 85 Distinguishing MO from signature......Page 86 Profiling the victim: Victimology......Page 87 Drawing boundaries: The killer’s domain......Page 88 Linking Criminals and Crime Scenes......Page 89 Part II Analyzing the Evidence......Page 91 Getting a Grip on Fingerprints......Page 93 Measuring bodies: A precursor to fingerprinting......Page 95 Making Matching Easier: Classifying Prints......Page 97 Grouping by arches, loops, and whorls......Page 98 Developing the Henry System......Page 99 Speeding up identification: AFIS......Page 100 Locating Those Sneaky Prints......Page 101 Powdering the print......Page 102 Using chemistry to expose prints......Page 103 Cleaning up the print: Digital techniques......Page 104 Understanding Blood’s Character......Page 105 Looking into blood clotting......Page 106 Analyzing Bloodstain Patterns......Page 107 Finding clues in passive bloodstains......Page 108 Analyzing projected blood spatters......Page 110 Classifying projected spatters......Page 112 Latching on to transfer patterns......Page 115 Reconstructing the crime scene from bloodstains......Page 117 Putting It All Together: A Hypothetical Case......Page 118 Stepping Out: Shoeprints as Evidence......Page 121 Characterizing and using shoeprints......Page 122 Matching sole to soul — so to speak......Page 123 Collecting shoe impressions......Page 125 Tracking Down Tires......Page 127 Analyzing tire‐track evidence......Page 128 Obtaining tire impressions......Page 130 Characterizing and using tool marks......Page 131 Capturing tool impressions......Page 132 Finding Facts in Fabrics......Page 134 Chapter 8 Burning Down the House: Is It Arson?......Page 135 Striking the Match: Looking into Fire‐Starters......Page 136 Determining Where and How the Fire Started......Page 137 Locating the point of origin......Page 138 Figuring out how it happened......Page 139 Heating Things Up: Accelerants......Page 140 Collecting samples at the scene......Page 141 Taking it to the lab......Page 142 Digging deeper into iffy samples......Page 143 Investigating Homicidal Fires......Page 144 Location, location, location......Page 145 Poisoned by air......Page 146 Defining explosives......Page 147 Investigating a bombing scene......Page 148 Part III Examining the Body......Page 149 Defining Death and Declaring It as Such......Page 151 Searching for a definitive method......Page 152 Determining the causes and mechanisms of death......Page 153 Uncovering the four manners of death......Page 154 Shadowing the Forensic Pathologist......Page 155 Deciding who gets autopsied......Page 156 Conducting an external examination......Page 158 Dissecting the body......Page 162 Sniffing out clues in chemicals: Toxicology......Page 164 Filing the Official Autopsy Report......Page 165 Chapter 10 Identifying Unknown Victims......Page 167 Identifying the Body......Page 168 Examining scars, birthmarks, and tattoos......Page 169 Fingerprinting the dead......Page 171 Checking out the choppers......Page 172 Dem Bones, Dem Bones: Working with Skeletons......Page 173 Determining whether bones are human......Page 174 Determining age......Page 175 Determining sex......Page 176 Seeking individual characteristics......Page 178 Estimating time since death......Page 179 Handling burned bones......Page 180 Determining cause and manner of death......Page 181 Reconstructing Faces......Page 182 Comparing Photographs......Page 183 Defining Time of Death......Page 185 Measuring body temperature......Page 186 Stiffening up: Rigor mortis......Page 187 Getting the blues: Lividity......Page 189 Determining the rate of decay......Page 190 Dealing with other possibilities......Page 193 Breaking the surface: When sinkers become floaters......Page 194 Discovering what was on the menu......Page 195 Getting buggy......Page 196 Checking other scene markers......Page 197 Unleashing the Power of Guns and Gun Evidence......Page 199 Studying entry and exit wounds......Page 200 Slicing, Dicing, and Stabbing......Page 202 Taking the Hit: Blunt‐Force Trauma......Page 204 Scraping and abrading......Page 205 Bruising and battering......Page 206 Breaking bones......Page 208 Getting toothy: Bite marks......Page 210 Moaning and groaning: My aching head......Page 211 A Shocking Situation: Electrocution......Page 214 Wreaking havoc: Electricity’s path through your body......Page 215 Assessing the damage......Page 216 Conducting a rape exam......Page 217 Dealing with fatal assaults......Page 219 Understanding Asphyxia......Page 221 Smothering......Page 222 Choking sensations......Page 223 Applying pressure: Mechanical asphyxia......Page 224 Grasping Strangulation......Page 225 Hands on: Manual strangulation......Page 226 Applying a ligature......Page 228 Hangings......Page 229 Inhaling Deadly Air: Toxic Gases......Page 230 That sneaky carbon monoxide......Page 231 Deadly cyanide......Page 232 Drowning: Water, Water Everywhere......Page 233 Diving deeper to identify drownings......Page 234 Part IV Utilizing the Crime Lab......Page 237 Blood: Life’s Most Precious Fluid......Page 239 Blood typing: The ABO system......Page 240 Identifying a Bloodstain’s Source......Page 241 Answering the first question: Is it blood?......Page 242 Knowing when blood’s really human......Page 243 Narrowing the focus: Whose blood is it?......Page 245 Inheriting your blood type......Page 247 Determining fatherhood......Page 248 Checking for semen......Page 249 Checking for saliva......Page 251 Detecting vaginal fluid......Page 252 Opening an Instruction Manual for Your Cells......Page 253 Understanding the nuts and bolts of DNA......Page 254 Mine, mine, all mine: Uniqueness and DNA......Page 255 Fingering Criminals Using DNA Fingerprints......Page 256 Tracking down and preserving DNA......Page 257 Looking into the genome......Page 258 Repeating yourself: How duplication identifies you......Page 259 Understanding the DNA Fingerprinting Process......Page 260 Getting even smaller with SNPs......Page 262 Making the match......Page 263 Keeping it in the family: Familial DNA......Page 264 Who’s yer daddy? Paternity testing......Page 265 Who’s yer granny and granddaddy? Mitochondrial and Y‐STR DNA......Page 267 Indexing DNA: The CODIS system......Page 269 Understanding Poisons......Page 271 Defining Toxicology......Page 272 Collecting samples......Page 273 Determining the cause and manner of death......Page 275 Presuming the results......Page 277 Interpreting the results......Page 279 Looking at Common Drugs......Page 281 Understanding alcohol......Page 282 Getting down with depressants......Page 284 Hopping up: Stimulants......Page 285 Taking a trip with hallucinogens......Page 286 Dirty deeds: Date rape drugs......Page 288 Bulking up......Page 289 Checking Out Familiar Poisons......Page 290 Defining Trace Evidence......Page 293 Peering through the microscope......Page 294 Splitting Hairs: Linking Crime to Coiffure......Page 296 Dissecting hair’s anatomy......Page 297 Matching criminal to curly lock......Page 298 Fiddling with Fibers......Page 301 Collecting fibers......Page 302 Breaking down the fiber......Page 303 Looking into how glass becomes evidence......Page 304 Analyzing and matching glass......Page 305 Breaking glass......Page 306 Dissecting paint......Page 308 Identifying soils......Page 309 Looking at plants and seeds......Page 310 Chapter 18 Bang! Bang!: Analyzing Firearms Evidence......Page 311 Figuring Out Firearms......Page 312 Extracting Info from Ammo......Page 313 Breaking down bullets......Page 314 Determining caliber and gauge......Page 315 Understanding rifling......Page 316 Reading the ridges......Page 317 The Proof’s in the Powder: Gunshot Residues......Page 319 Tracing gasses and particles......Page 320 Determining distance......Page 321 Chapter 19 Questioning the Validity of Documents......Page 323 Analyzing Handwriting......Page 324 Obtaining standards......Page 325 Comparing handwriting......Page 326 Fingering forgers......Page 327 Exposing Alterations......Page 328 Eradicating the original......Page 329 Adding words......Page 330 Distinguishing papers......Page 331 Identifying inks......Page 332 Hunting and pecking for clues......Page 334 Finding distinctive traits in copies......Page 335 Part V The Part of Tens......Page 337 Using a Homemade Ladder: The Lindbergh Kidnapping......Page 339 Sacco and Vanzetti and Sacco’s Gun......Page 341 Ted Bundy’s Bite Marks......Page 342 Stella Nickell’s Trail of Fingerprints......Page 343 Finding Fibers on Jeffrey MacDonald......Page 344 The Hendricks Family’s Last Meal......Page 346 Picturing John List......Page 347 Being Anastasia Romanov......Page 349 Faking Hitler’s Diaries......Page 350 The Quick Death......Page 351 The Bleeding Corpse......Page 352 The One‐Punch Knockout......Page 353 The Fast‐Acting Poison......Page 354 The Instant Athlete......Page 355 The High‐Tech Lab......Page 356 Chapter 22 Ten Great Forensic Careers......Page 357 Crime Scene Investigator......Page 358 Forensic Pathologist......Page 359 Forensic Pathology Technician......Page 360 Forensic Toxicologist......Page 361 Forensic Document Examiner......Page 362 Forensic DNA Analyst......Page 363 Index......Page 365 EULA......Page 387 A plain-English primer on crime scene investigation that's a must for fans of CSI or Patricia Cornwell Since the O.J. Simpson case, popular interest in forensic science has exploded: CBS's CSI has 16 to 26 million viewers every week, and Patricia Cornwell's novels featuring a medical examiner sleuth routinely top bestseller lists, to cite just a few examples. Now, everyone can get the lowdown on the science behind crime scene investigations. Using lots of fascinating case studies, forensics expert Dr. D.P. Lyle clues people in on everything from determining cause and time of death to fingerprints, fibers, blood, ballistics, forensic computing, and forensic psychology. With its clear, entertaining explanations of forensic procedures and techniques, this book will be an indispensable reference for mystery fans and true crime aficionados everywhere-and even includes advice for people interested in forensic science careers. D.P. Lyle, MD (Laguna Hills, CA), is a practicing cardiologist who is also a forensics expert and mystery writer. He runs a Web site that answers writers' questions about forensics, dplylemd.com, and is the author of Murder and Mayhem: A Doctor Answers Medical and Forensic Questions for Writers, as well as several mystery novels. John Pless, MD, is Professor Emeritus of Pathology at Indiana University School of Medicine and former President of the National Association of Medical Examiners Cracking open the case. Understanding the world of forensic science ; Getting to know the forensics team ; Collecting and protecting evidence ; Delving into the criminal mind Analyzing the evidence. Fingerprints : your personal signature ; Painting a gruesome picture : bloodstain analysis ; Leaving impressive impressions : shoes, tires, and tools ; Burning down the house : is it arson? Examining the body. Determining the cause and manner of death : forensic autopsies ; Identifying unknown victims ; Estimating the time of death ; Ouch! That hurts : traumatic injuries and deaths ; Gasping for air : Asphyxia Utilizing in the crime lab. Analyzing blood and other bodily fluids : serology ; Looking deep inside : DNA analysis ; Testing for drugs and poisons : the toxicology lab ; Picking apart trace evidence ; Bang! Bang! : analyzing firearms evidence ; Questioning the validity of documents The part of tens. Ten famous forensic cases ; Ten ways Hollywood gets it wrong ; Ten great forensic careers.