Entomologist Studies Blow Flies and Crime Scenes
Aside from the typical clues at crime scenes such as fingerprints and DNA, Rutgers University graduate student, Lauren Weidner, is an entomologist who studies blow flies and their value to clues in a crime scene. Blow flies, which are attracted to a dead body within minutes after death, can help provide information involving the time of death and sometimes where the person died. Weidner stated that she must work backwards to determine when the eggs were laid and then uses that information to assist investigators. The life cycle and the larvae are much more predictable timeframes to work off of than the vastly different rates of body decomposition. Weidner’s research focuses on studying the differences in blow fly life cycles along with the impact of temperature on the life cycle.
Source: Forensic Magazine
Read the full article here.
Citation: (2013). Forensic Magazine. Entomologist studies blow flies and crime scenes. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from http://www.forensicmag.com/news/entomologist-studies-blow-flies-and-crime-scenes
[Abstract by ForensIQ intern, Andrea Williams]
Forensic Confirmation Bias: When the Evidence Doesn’t Speak for Itself
Decades of psychological research have consistently shown that humans exhibit “confirmation biases” in decision-making. This phenomena is where we naturally gather, interpret, and even create evidence in biased ways that support our previous beliefs. As a growing number of wrongful convictions in the United States judicial system are being discovered, psychologists are exploring the effects of these biases in the field of forensic science and how they can be prevented. Such was the case in the 2004 Madrid train bombings, where a “loss of objectivity” led examiners to see similarities in fingerprint identifications that “were not in fact present.” This led to investigators to wrongfully accuse and detain American Muslim attorney, Brandon Mayfield, until Spanish authorities identified the true perpetrator. Based off the context of the Mayfield case, Itiel Dror and his colleagues developed an experiment that tested whether forensic examiners can be biased by their expectations, and found that their judgments were indeed sensitive to contexts surrounding a case.
Read the full article here.
Source: forensicmag.com & The Huffington Post
[Abstract by ForensIQ Intern – Mark Lombard]
Citation:
Kukucka, J. Huffington Post Canada. Forensic Confirmation Bias: When the Evidence Doesn’t Speak for Itself. Retrieved May 1, 2013, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-kukucka/forensic-evidence_b_3178848.html
Safeguarding Forensic DNA Samples
DNA evidence is invisible and remarkably easy to transfer, making it possible for a sample to be spilled or even planted on a piece of evidence. Boise State University professor, Greg Hampikian has developed a solution for this contamination problem by discovering tiny DNA and protein sequences that can be used to permanently mark DNA samples. Several years ago, Hampikian and Boise State computer science colleague Tim Andersen identified these sequences that were not present in nature and Hampikian termed them ‘nullomers.’ Hampikian explained that “DNA contamination is a fact of life in all laboratories,” and the key to protecting these samples may be stamping them with the nullomers as a permanent DNA bar code.
***Note: Hampikian’s research will be published by The Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine. Pre-publication available here.
Source: forensicmag.com & Boise State Univ., Sherry Squires
[Abstract by ForensIQ Intern – Mark Lombard]
Citation:
Squires, S. Forensic Magazine. Safeguarding Forensic DNA Samples. Retrieved May 1, 2013, from http://www.forensicmag.com/news/safeguarding-forensic-dna-samples?et_cid=3227680&et_rid=515363537&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.forensicmag.com%2fnews%2fsafeguarding-forensic-dna-samples&location=top
Department of Justice Updates Standards for Forensic Examination of Sexual Assault
The Department of Justice announced the revised version of the National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations (SAFE Protocol) on April 24, 2013. The SAFE Protocol is a guide for handling sexual assault medical forensic examinations in order to promote supportive exams for victims of rape and sexual assault. The revised version of the protocol has been updated to include numerous advances in technology. It also includes increased emphasis on victim-centered care and information on changes from the Violence Against Women Act of 2005. The revisions also include information on special need populations such as victims with disabilities or victims in the military. Additional information also involves drug and alcohol facilitated sexual assault and updated confidentiality and reporting procedures. Research has proven that examiners with the proper training who are using modern guides like the SAFE Protocol significantly increase evidence collection and the investigation of sexual assaults.
Source: Forensic Magazine and Department of Justice
Read the full article here.
Citation: (2013). Forensic Magazine. DOJ updates standards for forensic examination of sexual assault. Retrieved April 25, 2013, from http://www.forensicmag.com/news/doj-updates-standards-forensic-examination-sexual-assault
[Abstract by ForensIQ, Andrea Williams]
Experts Speak to Advances in DNA Forensics at 2013 International Symposium on Human Identification
The 24th International Symposium On Human Identification (ISHI) will be held October 7-10, 2013, in Atlanta, Georgia. The ISHI is the largest conference on DNA analysis for human identification. The symposium will include topics such as forensic DNA analysis, cell typing, expert witness testimony, and much more. This year’s keynote speaker, Kevin Davies, author of Cracking the Genome and The $1000 Genome and editor-in-chief of Bio-IT World and John Butler, National Institute of Standards and Technology fellow and group leader are two of the confirmed presenters for this symposium. The ISHI attracts more than 750 forensic DNA analysts from all over the world and gives attendees the opportunity to openly discuss and debate numerous topics in the forensic DNA analysis field.
Source: Forensic Magazine and Promega
Read the full article here.
To register and get more information on the agenda, click here.
Citation: (2013). Forensic Magazine. Experts speak to advances in DNA forensics at 2013 ISHI. Retrieved April 25, 2013, from http://www.forensicmag.com/news/experts-speak-advances-dna-forensics-2013-ishi
[Abstract by ForensIQ intern, Andrea Williams]
Putting More Science Behind Bloodstain Pattern Analysis
Bloodstain pattern analysis is full of uncertainties in the forensic science field. Scientific studies and research support some pattern analysis but much more is needed to take out the uncertainness. Daniel Attinger, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Iowa State University and his team are using a three-year grant from the Department of Justice to perform numerous studies on bloodstain pattern analysis to help bring more science to the understanding and investigation of these unique patterns. Attinger and his highly qualified team are working to understand the physics behind the impact and drying of blood droplets and are working to develop tools for crime scene investigators to analyze bloodstains at the crime scene. In the lab, the team is working on tasks such as trying to understanding the trajectory of blood droplets through the air, reconstructing the trajectory, and developing a 3D device to measure the thickness of bloodstains at a crime scene.
Source: Forensic Magazine
Read the full article here.
Citation: (2013). Forensic Magazine. Putting more science behind bloodstain pattern analysis. Retrieved April 25, 2013, from http://www.forensicmag.com/news/putting-more-science-behind-bloodstain-pattern-analysis
[Abstract by ForensIQ intern, Andrea Williams]
Photonics-enabled Tools Help Sort Clues in Boston Bombing
Photonics-based technology could play a central role in improving efficiency of investigations and possibly help prevent similar incidents to the Boston Bombings. Today, advances have reached the point to where it can identify suspects simply by their gait caught on camera, to identify shifting emotional states by calculating their pulse, and even identify explosives from as much as 100 meters away. With the huge array of cell phones with cameras being used by the public, the amount of video and image surveillance available to investigators of domestic terrorism, such as the Boston bombings, has increased. This image and video evidence can then be integrated into a huge panorama of the scene of an event, and can make faces and actions more recognizable when enhanced in the lab. As was the case in the recent Boston bombings, where surveillance, private, and even cell phone images and video sources were complied by investigators to identify the two male suspects.
Check out the full article here.
[Abstract by ForensIQ Intern – Mark Lombard]
Citation:
Burkhart, F. Forensic Magazine. Photonics-enabled Tools Help Sort Clues in Boston Bombing. Retrieved April 24, 2013, from http://www.forensicmag.com/news/photonics-enabled-tools-help-sort-clues-boston-bombing?et_cid=3211923&et_rid=515363537&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.forensicmag.com%2fnews%2fphotonics-enabled-tools-help-sort-clues-boston-bombing&location=top
The ForensicWeek.com Show – Episode 021 – “Forensics4Real – A Company and an IDea.”
The ForensicWeek.com Webcast Show is airing Episode 021 – Forensics4Real – A Company and an IDea – Thursday, April 25, 2013 at 7:00 PM (EST). Guest, John Paolucci, retired NYPD and President of Forensics4Real has integrated his vast experience in law enforcement to provide “one-stop-shopping” for expert witnesses, students and law enforcement with training and instruction on true to life applications for forensic evidence and crime scene processing. So join host, Tom Mauriello, and the rest of the ForensicWeek.com team and learn about Forensics4Real. Watch the show LIVE or view it at your convenience. Just GO TO www.forensicweek.com
West Virginia University Forensic Science Webinars
West Virginia University is offering free upcoming webinars on several very interesting topics in the forensic science field.
The first webinar, What Prosecutors and Defense Counsel Need To Know About Eyewitnesses, will be held June 11, 2013 at 1:30pm, lead by Associate Professor of Law at Widener University School of Law, Jules Epstein. Topics to be discussed include examination of eyewitness evidence, the psychology of perception and memory, the law governing eyewitness identification cases, assessing the strength of identifications, and the best practices for identification.
To register for this webinar, click here.
The second webinar, Reliability and Validity of Fire Science Examination, will be held July 31, 2013 at 12:00pm. Lead by Paul Bieber, director and founder of the Arson Research Project, this webinar will focus on the reliability and validity of fire investigation, application of the scientific method and emergence of a standard of care, and expectations and bias in fire investigation.
To register for this webinar, click here.
The third webinar, Fingerprint Fundamentals for the Legal Professional, will be held August 8, 2013 at 12:00pm. This webinar is an overview of fingerprint evidence and is geared towards helping attorneys understand the latent fingerprint process from the crime scene into the courtroom. Some topics to be discussed include latent print preservation and collection, chain of custody, friction ridge patterns, development techniques, and AFIS. West Virginia University instructor, Martin Overly, will lead this one-hour long webinar.
To register for this webinar, click here.
To read more about these courses and find out more information, click here.
Source: West Virginia University and Forensic Magazine
Citation: (2013). Forensic Science Initiative West Virginia University. Applications of forensic science for the legal professional—webinar series. Retrieved April 23, 2013, from http://fsi.research.wvu.edu/training/onsite-training/legal-professionals/webinar-series
[Abstract by ForensIQ intern, Andrea Williams]
Suspects Seemed Set for Attacks beyond Boston
Now that the second of the two male suspects from the Boston Marathon bombings has been detained, the small arsenal of guns, ammunition, and explosives found in their possession have led authorities to believe that they likely planned several other attacks. More details have been uncovered as to the types of weapons used by Tsarnaev and his older brother, Tamerlan, and the designs of the bomb have been linked to a terrorist manual. United States officials have said that the two suspects had acted alone in the bombings last Monday, but they are still searching for any clues or links to anyone who may have trained or inspired them to the ghastly assault near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
Source: forensicmag.com and The New York Times
[Abstract by ForensIQ Intern – Mark Lombard]
Citation:
Schmitt, E. The New York Times. Investigators Dig for Roots of Bomb Suspects’ Radicalization. Retrieved April 23, 2013, from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/22/us/boston-marathon-bombing-suspects-hoped-to-attack-again.html?_r=0
The ForensicWeek.com Show – Episode 020 – Animal & Agricultural Forensic Services
The ForensicWeek.com Webcast Show is airing Episode 020 – Animal & Agricultural Forensic Services – Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 7:00 PM (EST). Guest, Dr. Gary Pusillo, from Marshalltown, Iowa, will talk about his research and forensic work in investigating cases associated with how animal food products can cause the poor health and sometimes death of all types of animals. So join host, Tom Mauriello, and the rest of the ForensicWeek.com team and learn about this amazing forensic science. Watch the show LIVE or view it at your convenience. Just GO TO www.forensicweek.com
The Changing Forensic Science of Arson is Freeing Innocent Convicts
New changes in the forensic science of arson field are freeing innocent convicts. The earlier and very poor practices of arson investigation have had extremely detrimental consequences. The new practices and standards of forensic science of arson are revealing the faults of the past. Louis C. Taylor spent forty-two years in prison, convicted of setting a fire in a hotel that killed twenty-nine people. The evidence of arson in his case has been revealed to be faulty. The New Yorker reported from an earlier case that certain evidence of arson also shows up in accidental fires as well. Earlier forensic science of arson standards were extremely lax, for example arson investigators having very little training and resisting new evidence within their field. In Louis Taylor’s case, modern fire investigator John Lantini looked at the evidence that originally convicted Taylor and stated it is impossible to determine how the hotel fire started.
Source: POPSCI
Read the full article here.
Citation: Diep, F. (2013). Popsci. The changing forensic science of arson is freeing innocent convicts. Retrieved April 14, 2013, from http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-04/science-arson-and-how-its-changed
[Abstract by ForensIQ intern, Andrea Williams]
Miami Cops Arrested an Innocent Man for Murder Based on a Single, Uncorroborated Witness
The human memory is a complex thing. Most of us can’t even remember what we ate for breakfast two days ago. So why are eyewitness accounts having such a large influence on the arrests of suspected criminals, despite their horrible track record? It is true that good eyewitness testimony can be the key to solving a case and successfully convicting criminals. However, their involvement in the crime has to be supported by solid physical evidence, not just the uncorroborated testimony of a single eyewitness. For 20-year-old, Walter Collier, this was exactly what happened. On the basis of one eyewitness testimony and little else, Collier was arrested, booked, and charged with second-degree murder.
[Abstract by ForensIQ Intern – Mark Lombard]
Citation:
Peters, J. (2013, 12). Slate.com. Miami cops charge wrong man with murder in a one-witness case.. Retrieved April 14, 2013, from http://mobile.slate.com/blogs/crime/2013/04/12/walter_collier_marquise_bess_miami_cops_charge_wrong_man_with_murder_in.html
Forensic Scientists in Britain Recover Fingerprints From Foods
Forensic scientists from the University of Abertay Dundee in the United Kingdom have successfully recovered latent prints from foods in a new scientific breakthrough for Britain. This accomplishment has been published in the forensic science journal, “Science & Justice” as Britain’s first academic paper on the subject. Two other studies in India and Slovenia have been done on this topic and both have also reported successful recovery of prints however these studies used a chemical substance not often used in Britain. This success will help assist law enforcement by providing more opportunities to recover evidence. The team at the University of Abertay Dundee first began trying to recover latent prints by using the techniques currently recommended by the Home Office. These techniques yielded low-quality fingerprints not acceptable for presentation in a court of law. The team modified the substance, powder suspension (PS), to find that this produced a high-quality mark on smooth-surfaced foods.
Source: University of Abertay Dundee
Read the full article here.
Citation: (2013). Abertay University. Forensic scientists recover fingerprints from foods. Retrieved April 15, 2013, from http://www.abertay.ac.uk/about/news/newsarchive/2013/name,11743,en.html
[Abstract by ForensIQ intern, Andrea Williams]
University of Maryland Places 3rd at Crime Scene Investigation Challenge
2013 CSI Challenge
Mount St. Mary’s University, Emmitsburg, Maryland
UMCP – CCJS – 3rd Place Winner with 35 Teams Competing
Andrea Williams, Tim Fromm, & Mark Lombard
Tom Mauriello (Mentor)
University of Maryland College Park students participated for the first time in Mount Saint Mary’s University’s ninth annual Crime Scene Investigation Challenge on Saturday, April 6th, 2013. Professor Tom Mauriello and his student team of Criminal Justice majors, Tim Fromm, Mark Lombard, and Andrea Williams placed 3rd out of 35 teams. The CSI Challenge is a crime scene competition where students from several universities both in the United States and Canada demonstrate their knowledge, skill, and proficiency in crime scene investigation and evidence collection. Students assume the roles of both a crime scene investigator and evidence technician and are presented with their crime scene scenario and given a limited amount of time to process the crime scene, collect pertinent evidence, and write all necessary reports. Students were required to perform crime scene tasks to include surveying and securing the scene, interviewing witnesses, crime scene sketching, crime scene photography, proper evidence collection, and thorough report writing. Law enforcement and forensics professionals and educators observed and critiqued the students throughout the crime scene scenario and recorded a final score for all teams at the conclusion of the event.
