History of forensics 2012

Manner of Death

Erin Dillon

Manner of Death:(the way in which death was caused)

Natural – if autopsy reveals a natural disease (ex-cancer, pneumonia)

Accident – if autopsy reveals something unexplained (ex- severe head injury with no symptoms of assault, but victim found near fallen ladder)

Suicide - angle of bullet entry and gun powder residue indicate that the gun was fired while being held by the victim (or self inflicted wounds)

Homicide – angle of bullet entry and gun powder residue indicate that the gun was fired by somone other than the victim

Historyo 1248:

o Hsi Duan Yu (book) by Sung Tz’u – how to distinguish drowning victim from one who was strangled

o Position of “coroner” developedo 1761:

o Giovanni Morgagnio Italian anatomist o Writes On the Seats and Causes of Diseases

o 1910: o Richard Cabot

o American physician o Studies 1000 autopsies- doctors are wrong about

cause of death about 40% of the time

Importance

In each case, something is learned by classifying the “manner of death”– Natural: research can be conducted about the

disease– Accident: this same accident may be

prevented – Suicide: future suicides can be prevented by

taking appropriate measures– Homicide: the killer can be persecuted if

found

Special Cases

Drug Overdose – – Classified as suicide

Assisted suicide – – classified as “Suicide” (unless otherwise required by

state law) Deaths in which infants/young children die

because of placement in a potentially hostile environment

– (ex: bath tub with water, or being left in a locked car)– classified as Accident if there is no evidence of intent to harm the

child.

Death of infant/fetus due to maternal drug intoxication – – Can be classified as accident or homicide depending on

whether or not it is deemed “intentional” by a court

Powerpoint Templates Page 6Powerpoint Templates

Blood Spatter EvidenceDanni Siminerio

Powerpoint Templates Page 7

Description

• The physical properties of blood and the patterns produced under different conditions as a result of various forces applied to the source of the blood

• Angle of impact, drip pattern, dispersion, wipe pattern, velocity, location

Powerpoint Templates Page 8

History

• Began in 1890s• More developed in late 1950s• People:

– Dr. Eduard Piotrowski– Dr. Paul Kirk– Dr. Herbert MacDonell

Powerpoint Templates Page 9

Dr. Eduard Piotrowski

• First truly scientific study of blood spatters

• Institute for Forensic Medicine – Krakow, Poland

• 1895 – Published book of his work – "Concerning the Origin, Shape, Direction and Distribution of the Bloodstains Following Head Wounds Caused by Blows”

Powerpoint Templates Page 10

Dr. Paul Kirk

• Studied the effect of velocity, angle of impact and the combination of the two

• 1955 – The State of Ohio v. Samuel Sheppard– Established the relative

positions of the attacker and the victim, as well as showing that the attacker struck the victim with his left hand

Powerpoint Templates Page 11

Dr. Herbert MacDonell• 1971 – Published "Flight

Characteristics of Human Blood and Stain Patterns”

• 1973 – Developed the Bloodstain Evidence Institute– Trained law-enforcement in blood spatter

analysis and developed courses to continue to train analysts

• “Father” of bloodstain pattern analysis in the Western hemisphere

• 1983 – founded the International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts (IABPA)

Powerpoint Templates Page 12

Importance• Now a standard practice for law enforcement• “It is of the highest importance to the field of forensic

medicine to give the fullest attention to bloodstains found at the scene of a crime because they can

throw light on a murder and provide an explanation for the essential moments of the incident.”

By Joy LeeHAIR EVIDENCE

Evidence that involved any kind of hair usually underwent hair analysis

Two kinds of hair analysis Chemical hair analysis:

Used for retrospective purposes when certain chemicals cannot be found in blood or urine

Microscopic analysis: Used for assessing different characteristics of hairs and comparing them to other hairs of “known sources”

DESCRIPTION

Murder case of Duchesse de Praslin Charles de Choiseul-Praslin married Fanny Sebastiani Had 10 children and lived a fairly happy life together Had housekeeper named Henriette Deluzy-Desportes Deluzy later had an affair with Praslin Fanny insists on getting rid of mistress, but Praslin keeps

her for a bit August 18, 1847, ~4 am, Fanny is found dead in her

bedroom with slashes across her chest; the room smelled of gunpowder and blood

Inspector Pierre Allard investigated the case Found a pistol under the bed + realized wife’s head was

crushed by a heavy instrument Noticed that the Duke’s gun + clothes stained of blood and

hair Took a magnifying glass and compared hairs from the gun

and of Fanny’s Praslin found guilty and convicted of his wife’s murder

IMPORTANT PEOPLE

Francois Goron – First forensic scientist to use hair to identify people Was ordered to investigate

the death of an unknown victim

At the time, scientists could not differentiate between animal and human hair yet

Goron was then able to discover that the hair had been dyed and identified the owner

Eventually led to the arrest of the alleged killer

IMPORTANT PEOPLE

Fairly easy practice of magnifying hair strands and comparing the structures

Low costCan be used as a

replacement for blood or urine tests + lasts much longer

Ability to measure a large number of toxins or other chemicals To see whether or not

absorbed poisons link to behavioral / health problems

SIGNIFIGANCE

"Hair Analysis." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 09 June 2012. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair_analysis>.

Steck- Flynn, Kathy. "Crime & Clues." Trace Evidence: Hair. N.p., 8 Sept. 2011. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://www.crimeandclues.com/index.php/forensic-science-a-csi/trace-a-dna/19-trace-evidence-hair>.

Yusof, Mohd Yaakob. "Duke De Praslin Case File." Duke De Praslin Case File. N.p., 1 May 2012. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://www.crimerack.com/2012/05/duke-de-praslin-case-fi le/>.

WORKS CITED

History of Forensic Science

(Questioned Documents)by Claire Reyes

What are questioned documents?

O “Refers to any handwriting, typewriting, signature, or mark whose authenticity is in dispute”

O Can include wills, contracts, letters, sales receipts—any surface with marks or writing

QDEO Questioned document

examinationO Umbrella term for

many subspecialtiesO Handwriting analysis,

historical dating, typewriting analysis, paper/ink specialists…

Discovery and DevelopmentO Jean Mabillon (French

monk)O 1681 De Re Diplomatica

O Outlined diplomatics (analysis/verification of documents}

O Albert S. OsbornO prominent QD examiner

O 1910 Questioned DocumentsO 1922 The Problem of Proof

O 1942 founded American Society of Questioned Documents Examiners

Importance of QDEO major role in cases

involving:O murder, forgery,

counterfeiting, art crimes, gambling, kidnapping, organized crime, fraud, con games, theft, arson, burglary, serial murders, sex crimes

O Verifying authenticity of document(s) help identify author(s) and (dis)prove fraud

Forensic Anthropology

by Apollo Santiago

What is forensic anthropology?• Anthropology—the study of

humankind (in every aspect, including culturally, biologically, archeologically, and linguistically. Anthropos means "man." Logy stands for the "science of".)

• Forensic Anthropology—focuses on the study of the human skeleton to identify unknown remains that show evidence of a crime

The Development of Forensic Anthropology

1878—Thomas Dwight's "The Identification of the Human Skeleton: A Medicolegal Study" describes that the gender and stature characteristics of humans were determinable by examination of the bones themselves.

1957—The growth stages of skeletal bones

are identified by Americans Thomas Mocker and Thomas Stewart, forming the basis of forensic anthropology.

Webster–Parkman

Case (1849)1849— John Webster and George Parkman were both Harvard professors. In November, Dr. Webster

had disappeared. The chief witness Ephraim Littlefield revealed the vault in the medical school which contained some human remains. Most of it

had been partially cremated, and so dental and skeletal fragments were used to identify the

remains. It was Dr. Parkman. In November 23, John Webster was convicted for murder, and was hanged

in August.

The Murder of Louisa Bicknese

1897—Adolph Luetgert, a sausage manufacturer, claimed his wife ran away. His factory was searched. His wife's rings, a corset, and several bones. George Dorsey was one of the first Forensic expert to lead a forensic Anthropology investigation. He concluded that Luetgert murdered his own wife.

Importance of Forensic Anthropology

With Forensic Anthropology, as long as there are bones, it is possible to determine whether or not a crime has taken place.

Forensic Anthropology solves what is unknown about unidentified individuals by analyzing greatly decomposed remains.

What Forensic Anthropology can determine about an

individual: age, sex, stature, ancestry, race, cause of death, health condition before death

Without Forensic Anthropology, there would be more unidentified victims, more unsolved crimes. It is important in both legal and humanitarian contexts. It is needed to solve the final pieces and bring closure to affected families

Bibliography• http://anthropology.si.edu/writteninbone/

forensic_files.html

• http://www.theabfa.org/

• http://www.indiana.edu/~wanthro/theory_pages/forensic.htm

• http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/murder/peopleevents/p_parkman.html

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolph_Luetgert

• http://www.bxscience.edu/publications/forensics/articles/anthropology/h-anth02.htm

Afiya Thomas

AFIS

Description • AFIS-Automated Fingerprint Identification System

• Was launched on July 28, 1999.

• A national fingerprint and criminal history system that matches unknown fingerprints against a database to identify criminal and suspects.

• Primarily used by law enforcement agencies and is controlled by the FBI.

Henry Classification System• Developed by Sir Edward Henry • Developed in the late 19th century for

criminal investigations in British India • First progression towards the modern AFIS

system

L Pinky

L Ring

L Middle

L Index

L Thumb

R Thumb

R Index

R Middle

R Ring

R Pinky

Finger Number

10 9 8 7 6 1 2 3 4 5

Value (if Whorl)

1 1 2 2 4 16 16 8 8 4

Pattern

Arch Loop Whorl Loop Arch Loop Whorl

Arch Arch Loop

Value 0 0 2 0 0 0 16 0 0 0

1+ (Sum of even finger value) = 1+(16+2) = 19 1+ (Sum of Odd finger value) 1+(0) 1

HOW Does AFIS wok?

• First the examiner places the fingerprint into the system

• The computer then narrows the search down to possible matches known as candidates.

• The examiner then compares each canidate individually to make a possible match.

• Even if the examiner declares a “match” in the system they typically have to get a copy of the record from the state for a final confirmation and verification of the identification before writing a report. This protects the examiner from any images which were incorrectly entered from the “known” suspect card. Many systems will also search palm impressions but others do not.

Important People

AFIS was developed by the FBI during the late nineties in order to make criminal classification more effective and efficient.

Errors:• Though this system is key to tracking down criminals and

convicting the guilty, many people has tired to get around it, by changing their fingerprints.

• Some criminal has attempted to change their fingerprints by surgically removing them or burning them of with acid.

Importance of AFIS• AFIS allows law enforcement a fast and efficient way to

identify and connect criminals to evidence.

• The average response time for an electronic criminal fingerprint submission is about 27 minutes, while electronic civil submissions are processed within an hour and 12 minutes.

• Prior to this time, the processing of ten-print fingerprint submissions was largely a manual, labor-intensive process, taking weeks or months to process a single submission.

IBISBy Rhianna Kern

WHAT?

Integrated Ballistics Identification System

Built for the forensic identification of ballistic information

Saves and searches for matches on bullets and casings as well as the previous cases they’ve been involved in

Replaced the painstaking task of identification by examination by experts

People“Forensic Technology” created IBIS in 1991 to examine and suggest possible matches beyond human capacity

IBIS is maintained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives

ImportanceAvailable in 235 sites nationwide; one in every state and most major metropolitan areas

Major connections between states and coasts can be made using this technology that was not possible before.

Bibliography

http://www.forensictechnology.com/

http://www.nij.gov/journals/258/forensic-databases.html

http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/rcs/schedules/departments/department-of-justice/rg-0436/n1-436-09-001_sf115.pdf

DNA Profiling -1987

A system of identification using a sample of an individual’s DNA

DNA is taken from samples of blood, saliva, urine, and semen to be used as evidence

Back to Bio

• DNA is taken from samples of blood, saliva, urine, and semen to be used as evidence

• DNA profiling is the gathering, processing, and analyzing of the unique sequences on the loci

**Bio reminder! Locis are an area on a chromosome**

• Sequences called VNTRs (Variable number tandem repeats), which are different enough from person to person to use as identification

Kary Mullis

• December 28, 1944• BA of Science from Georgia Institute of Tech• 1983- Invented the Polymerase Chain Reaction • PCR= process which multiplies one strand of

DNA billions of times withing hours• Won Nobel Prize in chemistry – 1993

Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys

• British, working on advancing DNA technology at same time as Mullis

• Credited with invention of DNA profiling• One of the first scientists to discover split

genes

Importance

Not only does DNA profiling provide evidence against a guilty suspect, but it can also free suspicion against an innocent one as well.

DNA can be useful in identifying a criminal or victim. It also can answer questions involving paternity.

Psychological Profiling

Emily Frazee

Psychological ProfilingWhat• a set of techniques used by

law enforcement agencies to try to identify perpetrators of serious crime

Who• Thomas Bond, Walter C.

Langer, James A. Brussel, Howard Teten, Richard Walter & Bob Keppel, John Douglas & Robert Ressler, David Canter

When• 1978

WhyTo assist the court in determining whether or not there is sufficient behavioral evidence to suggest a common scheme or plan in order to address forensic issues, such as whether similar crimes may be tried together or whether other crimes may be brought in as evidence

Psychological Profiling• No solid evidence• Accurately guides

investigation• Behavioral and

investigative tool• Predict and profile the

characteristics of unknown criminal subjects or offenders

• Investigates offender's behavior, motives and background

Psychological Profiling

Holmes & Holmes2008 Profiling Violent Crimes: An Investigative Tool (4 ed.)

Three main goals• provide law enforcement with

a social and psychological assessment of the offender

• provide law enforcement with a “psychological evaluation of belongings found in the possession of the offender”

• give suggestions and strategies for the interviewing process

History

• Middle Ages: inquisitors trying to profile heretics

• 19th century: Jacob Fries, Cesare Lombroso, Alphonse Bertillon, Hans Gross +

• 1940s: James Brussel & FBI

Notable Profilers

• Thomas Bond• Walter C. Langer• James A. Brussel• Howard Teten• Richard Walter & Bob Keppel• John Douglas & Robert Ressler• David Canter

Thomas Bond•1880s medical doctor & police surgeon•Tried to profile the personality of Jack the Ripper using signature personality traits of the offender to assist police investigation.•5/7 murders in the area at that time fit his profile:

•Strong•Composed•Daring•Quiet & harmless appearance•Middle-aged, neatly attired•Loner, mentally unstable, satyriasis•No real occupation•No anatomical knowledge

Walter C. Langer•Psychoanalyst from Boston, MA•Chief of the US Office of Strategic Services asked him to develop a "profile" of Adolf Hitler’s behavioral and psychological analysis for the construction of strategic plans, given various options•1972: published The Mind of Adolf Hitler

James A. Brussel• Greenwich Village psychiatrist, New York State's assistant commissioner of mental hygiene.•NYC serial bomber•detailed description of the unknown offender: heavy middle-aged man, unmarried, living with sibling, skilled mechanic from Connecticut, Roman Catholic immigrant, obsessive love for his mother but hatred for father, personal vendetta against Consolidated Edison, "chances are he will be wearing a double-breasted suit. Buttoned.”•George Metesky in Waterbury, Connecticut arrested in January 1957 and confessed immediately.•Albert DeSalvo aka Boston Strangler•“Sherlock Holmes of the Couch‘”

Howard Teten•veteran police officer from California, joined the FBI in 1962•instructor in applied criminology at the old National Police Academy in Washington, D.C.•disagreed with Dr. Brussel’s Freudian interpretations, but he accepted other tenets of his investigative analysis•1972 FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit at Quantico was formed•Joined FBI Instructor Patrick J. Mullany and Col. Robert K. Ressel whose profile led to the arrest of David Meirhofer•1st serial killer caught using FBI’s new investigative technique which became more sophisticated 10 years later

Richard Walter & Bob Keppel•1974•Keppel: homicide detective, used new methods of psychological profiling to investigate notorious serial killers Ted Bundy and the Green River Killer•Walter: criminal psychologist in Michigan's notorious prison system•Walter interviewed over 2000 murderers, sex-offenders and serial killers to group all killings and sex crimes into four distinct "subtypes“•Walter co-founded the Vidocq society•Keppel and Walter created the Hunter Integrated Telemetry System•Published "Profiling Killers: A Revised Classification Model for Understanding Sexual Murder"

John Douglas & Robert Ressler•1978•FBI•created organized and disorganized typology – still used today•Ressler founded the National Center for Analysis of Violent Crime•studies provide more information which can be added to offender profiling program.

David Canter•1986•psychologist and criminologist•composed British crime's first offender profile for the Railway Rapist/Killer•John Duffy arrested, charged & convicted•13/17 proclamations were accurate•Profiling became commonplace in large-scale police searches afterwards

Importance

• Psychiatrist, Dr. Richard B. Jarvis used this in the investigation of the serial murders committed by Ted Bundy.

Flaws

• FBI agent, John E. Douglas’ investigation of Gary Leon Ridgway, aka Green River Killer.

• Incorrect information can lead to false positives or false negatives

Television & Film Examples

• Law & Order: Criminal Intent• 1990s Profiler• 1991 The Silence of the Lambs• 2005 Criminal Minds• 2011 Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior

NCICnational crime information

center

The Beginning

• Created in 1967 under J. Edgar Hoover

• Part of the FBI

• Original cost <$180 million

Current Day

• Now has 15 million active records in 19 files

• Averages 7.5 million transactions per day

How It's Used

• Used to share files all over America with federal, state, and local law enforcement

• Works under shared FBI, federal, state, local and tribal criminal justice

NCIC Files

• Article File

• Gun File

• Boat File

• Securities File

• Vehicle File

• Vehicle and Boat Parts File

• License Plate File

• Missing Persons File

• Foreign Fugitive File

• Identity Theft File

• Immigration Violator File

• Protection Order File

• Supervised Release File

• Unidentified Persons File

• U.S. Secret Service Protective File

• Gang File

• Known or Appropriately Suspected Terrorist File

• Wanted Persons File

• National Sex Offender Registry File

Sam Sheppard Case

1954

by Brian Perkins

About • Convicted of 2nd degree murder of wife,

Marilyn Sheppard

• Pleaded not guilty

• Sentenced to life in prison

Controversy• Sam Sheppard claimed “bushy haired man”

murdered his wife

• Freed July 16, 1964 after finding 5 violations of

Sheppard’s constitutional rights during his trial

• Trial to reinstate conviction on Nov. 1, 1966

– Found not guilty

Inspiration • Basis for movies, TV shows, and books

Why is this important?

• Showed flaws in the system at that time• Need for more accurate genetic tests

First Lie Detector

George Zirkel

John Augustus Larson

Police Officer in Berkeley Police Department

First American to use polygraph in criminal investigations

Invention of Polygraph

Invented in 1921

Used blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity during test

First practical use led to guilty sentence on murderer William Hightower

Importance

Over the next fifteen years, Larson assisted in hundreds of criminal cases

Still used today to help convict criminals

FingerprintsBy Christian Kelly

history

Fingerprinting actually dates back to Babylonian times

The murder of two boys in Buenos Aires was the first use in a criminal investigation.

classification systems

Sir Francis Galton developed the first fingerprint classification system

Sir Edward Henry added to Galton’s system and the Henry Classification System became the standard

fingerprint identification

fingerprinting in crime investigation

modern fingerprinting

Voiceprint AnalysisBy Andi Leibowitz

What is Voiceprint Analysis?• Comparison with one (or more) known voices with

an unknown voice

• First studied at Bell Labs in New Jersey in 1940

• Developed originally for military purposes

• Was not used for forensic purposes until the 1960s

• The technique was first adopted by the Michigan State Police

• Since 1967, over 5,000 law enforcement related identification cases have been processed by certified voiceprint examiners.

• Voiceprint analysis has been used in criminal cases such as:•Murder•Rape•Extortion•Burglary•Etc

FBI Crime Labby Vincent Siciliano

Description

-1932-FBI Crime Laboratory Created

-Began with only one full time employee

-located in Washington D.C.

Description

-forensic research/analysis facility

-offers expertise to law enforcement agencies

-services include analyzing:-bio evidence-weapons-drugs

-offers courtroom expert witness testimony for investigations

People

-Special Agent Charles Appel

-Forensic scientist-Was the only full time

staff at first-Area of special interest

was in questioned document examination

-Samuel Pickering- chemical analysis specialist- first subject matter expert

Importance

-one of the best and most well known research facility in the world

-serves as a source of information and criminological support in American Law

Works Cited

-http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/highlights-of-history/articles/laboratory

-http://www.enotes.com/fbi-crime-laboratory-reference/fbi-crime-laboratory

Blood TypesBy: Julianna Robinson

Who

• Karl Landsteinero June 14, 1868 - June 26, 1943

• Nobel Prize (1930)

Where

• University of Vienna, Austria

Why

• Landsteiner was curious to find out why some people died and some people became better during blood transfusions

• Discovered that the wrong blood inserted in one's body can cause death

Importance

• Blood transfusions were now possible

• Blood banks were created to preserve blood for 2-3 week periods to make major surgeries possible

How

• Landsteiner cross tested sera and red cells from scientists working in his lab, including his own. His findings revealed that blood from certain scientists caused the blood of others to clump, suggesting the existence of at least two antibody classes.

• Eventually discovered the four types of blood.

What

• Definition: A blood type is a classification of blood based on the presence or absence of inherited antigenic substances on the surface of red blood cells

•Types: A, B, AB, O

CODIS Tyler

Richardett

What is CODIS?

•“Combined DNA Index System” •FBI’s program of support for criminal

justice DNA databases as well as the software used to run these databases

•National DNA Index System (NDIS) is considered one part of CODIS▫Contains the DNA profiles contributed by

federal, state, and local participating forensic laboratories

Development

• Outgrowth of the Technical Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (TWGDAM)▫Developed guidelines for standards of practice in

the United States and Canadian crime laboratories as they began DNA testing in the late 1980s

• FBI Laboratory began pilot project with six state and local crime laboratories to develop software to support each laboratory's DNA testing and allow sharing of profiles

• The DNA Identification Act of 1994 formally authorized the FBI to operate CODIS▫Did not become fully operational until 1998

DNA Markers

• CSF1PO• D3S1358• D5s818• D7s820• D8S1179• D13s317• D16s539• D18s51• D21s11• FGA• THO1• TPOX• vWA

Importance• DNA profile of the suspected perpetrator is developed

from the swabs in the kit• Forensic unknown profile attributed to the suspected

perpetrator is searched against their state database of convicted offender and arrestee ▫ If there is a match, laboratory will go through procedures

to confirm the match obtain the identity of the suspect• DNA profile from the evidence also searched against the

state’s database of crime scene DNA profiles ▫ If there is a match, laboratory goes through the

confirmation procedures the match will have linked two or more crimes together

• Law enforcement agencies involved in these cases are then able to share the information obtained on each of the cases and possibly develop additional leads

Bibliography

•"CODIS and NDIS Fact Sheet." Federal Bureau of Investigation. U.S. Department of Justice, n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://www.fbi.gov/about-

us/lab/codis/codis-and-ndis-fact-sheet>.

•"CODIS Markers." DNA Consultants. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://dnaconsultants.com/Detailed/335.h tml>.