Every Clue Counts – Forensics Inconceivable Without Microscopy
Shell casings, fingerprints, hair, and fibers – All are examples of physical and trace evidence that contain huge weight in the success of solving a case. However, the real value of the evidence is proven when it is placed under a microscope where investigators can find the tiny clues that link a perpetrator to the crime. There are several types of microscopes and macroscopes that crime scene technicians use, but for a close examination of tiny clues on suspected evidence, investigators use comparison macroscopes. This type of macroscope allows investigators to compare the impression and striation marks on shell casings and bullets from a scene with that of a projectile from a lab test fire. By matching up firing pin impressions, breech marks, and/or ejactor and extractor marks, investigators can prove that a suspected weapon was in fact the weapon used in the commission of a crime. Similarly, comparison microscopes also allow for the comparison of tool mark impressions, suspected documents, hairs, fibers, paint chips and glass that are found at crime scenes.
[Abstract by ForensIQ Intern – Mark Lombard]
Source: forensicmag.com
Citation:
Wiesner, J. Leica Microsystems. Every Clue Counts – Forensics Inconceivable Without Microscopy. Retrieved March 12, 2013, from http://www.leica-microsystems.com/science-lab/forensics/every-clue-counts-forensics-inconceivable-without-microscopy/
