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FORENSICS

CLAIRE O'SULLIVAN

FORENSICS

Caveats: Forensics changes daily and this is not comprehensive information. **Claire is not a deputized crime scene investigator**

THE OLD

A typical modern fingerprint card. Take note: more boxes, more information on each print. I have done this. I've also printed my kitchen one night at midnight.

This looks fun. Imagine going home after a long day at work. 'Dear, can you rub my neck for five hours?'

FINGERPRINTING

Fingerprinting has been around since ... Babylonia (what is now Iraq), but used primarily for business transactions - set in clay. COOL. But not used in forensics until the 19th century - several countries found fingerprints around the same time. But blurry-eyed detectives painfully (in the most literal way) examined each print. Remember: there are 10 prints per sheet. A job I wouldn't appreciate, though through forensic classes, we did have to learn how to print suspects.

For those interested in the deets, printing includes an ink pad, a card for 10 prints, and a suspect to print (seems so obvious. Don't forget it, haha. You can get these on Amazon.

This is an inexpensive way to start your forensics kit. Click the picture for the purchase link.

THE NEW

Prints captured on LiveScan-type macines are sent to the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), which is now part of a larger FBI system called the Next Generation Identification (NGI) system.

Traditional prints on cards run 7% - 10% error rate, while LiveScan stands at 1% accuracy.

Portable fingerprint scanners take 24 hours to process and the PD to get results. "Depending." There are a lot of factors which may impede the PD to get results.

It can take 5 to 10 'business' days to get results from a print card.

These are the things which can affect your timeline.

All images courtesy of LiveScan

The Autopsy

*So is it Medical Examiner or Pathologist who performs the autopsy?

Valid question.

Typically, a homicide is referred to as a Medical Examiner who works for the government.

**Terminology may differ state to state.

No matter what you put into your crime fiction, autopsies are cool (okay, maybe just for me). But if you want a cool professional look to your crime, you need to provide some level of detail. You're main character may be the medical examiner, or a pathologist. What are the legal boundaries in an autopsy? The medical examiner can state the obvious - cause of death - but cannot state how a homicide occurred or who did it.

All forensic findings and the autopsy results go to the detectives in a homicide so that they can do a just interview and interrogation.

An accidental death or suicide is always presumed to be 'suspicious' until the medical examiner and the forensics rule homicide out.

Don't forget the importance of the healthcare provider. A truckload of gems come from them as well.

There are two types of AUTOPSIES:

* Medical

*Forensic

The autopsy includes more than the blood, bones, and guts.

The medical examiner or forensic pathologist who performs the autopsy 'takes a history' -- facts about the victim, i.e. '35 year old Caucasian male, on external exam appears to be in good health, weight 155 pounds, height 5 foot 9. He has a history of heart disease and diabetes. There are no bruises, no ligature marks, but there is trauma to the occipital lobe of the head, consistent with blunt force trauma (etc).'

After the entire history is spelled out, where he was found under what circumstances, musculature at a glance and so forth, then out comes the saw and the snippers.

In Oregon, the "Oregon State Police's State Medical Examiner's Office and county medical examiners oversee forensic autopsies, which are performed by authorized forensic pathologists at the request of a medical examiner or district attorney for deaths requiring investigation."

The Medical Examiner OR the District Attorney can order an autopsy.

That said, we see TV shows and read books with terms like 'the pathologist will look at the slides,' or 'Let's go see what the Medical Examiner says.'

Keep it consistent. If you decide to use 'the Pathologist,' then clarify it through a word or two in dialogue, a question, etc.

I prefer going with the 'Medical Examiner.' I use the term pathologist (lower case) for other aspects of the autopsy, i.e. histology, toxicology though these are specific and different areas of the field.

*Histologist

*Toxicologist

*Trace evidence includes ignitable liquids, fibers, glass, paint, hair, physical fit, and miscellaneous evidence.

*Ballistics

*Fingerprint specialists

*Chemical forensics

*Bloodstain Pattern Analysis

*Forensic Photography

*Digital Forensics

(There are more)

You found a body. It has been bound by duct tape. What is special about tape? Any duct tape?

The amount of specialized divisions regarding all evidence found in the crime scene (which includes the body) are diverse. This is why 1. The book will refer to one section generally or 2. Have all forensics, histology, ballistics, trace, forensic accounting etc. done by one department, and maybe four scientists (otherwise the book is 1000 pgs long).

A forensic autopsy report includes details about everything they found during the examination and testing. It typically states the cause of death and the manner of death. The forensic pathologist lists the manner of death as one of five categories:

Accident
Natural causes
Homicide
Suicide
Undetermined

Cases That Always Require an Autopsy (and this is Indiana's guideline):
1. Fire deaths, when the body is altered by fire or the carbon monoxide saturation is below 20%.
2. Homicides or any cases in which another person is in anyway a possible factor in the death.
3. Apparent suicides that are without clear evidence of intent, such as those without a note.
4. Drivers in single car accidents.
5. Pilots involved in aircraft crashes.
6. Occupation related deaths.
7. Unwitnessed "accidents."
8. Accidents in which natural disease cannot be ruled out as a factor.
9. Cases where civil litigation may evolve.
10. Deaths of persons in official custody.
11. Sudden, unexpected deaths of children, especially if they are under two years of age.

These are similar nationwide.
TT

The Christlit Book Award Seal 2025 HQ PNG.avif

~ DNA ~

1869

Friedrich Miescher

The grandfather of DNA?

I'll let you work that one out.

Alrighty - while the history is fascinating, so are the tools to not just test for DNA but to collect DNA samples.

Do you own a hand held vacuum cleaner? They sell at Walmart for about $15. This is the idea behind the M-Vac. Or have you used a Shop-Vac? The idea behind the M-Vac is not dissimilar.

The M-Vac can suction up the smallest of trace evidence, epithelials, etc, than any swabbing, dusting can find. It doesn't look like your vacuum cleaning - but you spray a sterile liquid onto a surface (even in cold cases) and suction it up. From there, the residue is removed and examined. DNA can be extracted from whatever the M-Vac picks up that has the evidentiary cells.

After this process, it goes through the same process as swabbed DNA - PCR - 'polymerase chain reaction,' a method which amplifies small DNA samples from crime scenes, enabling detailed analysis and DNA profiling. From there the scientist can analyze degraded or limited biological evidence, such as a single skin cell or hair. It is the foundation for identifying individuals in criminal investigations and for victim identification.

Talk about cleaning up!

*Image courtesy M-Vac Systems, Inc.

The WOW

By now you've heard about geolocation - 'miles' beyond triangulation. But have you heard of LeadsOnline? Look it up online in your spare time. It's a rabbit hole but a really cool rabbit hole and while you might not ever need the specifics, you'll have the bones of it, enough for you (to not fall over a cliff of insanity) and enough for your reader.

AND WE'RE NOT EVEN CLOSE TO BEING DONE!

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