Rigor mortis, livor mortis, and algor mortis are all used to help determine time of death. However, each method has its limitations. For each method, describe at least one condition that would render that method unsuitable or inaccurate for determining the time of death.
> Why is soil collected from suspect automobiles left in lump form?
> What is the most important consideration when collecting soil samples from a crime scene? At what locations should soil standard/reference samples be collected?
> What is a mineral and how can minerals be important in the comparison of soil samples?
> How can soil evidence be valuable even if the site of the crime has not been ascertained?
> Why should paint evidence from a hit-and-run accident be collected close to the area of the car suspected of being in contact with the victim?
> Creating a Forensic Anthropology Victim Profile. A nearly complete human skeleton has been found. The skeleton has the features shown in the accompanying table and image. Approximate the gender, ancestry, age range, and height of the individual based on
> Explain how the analysis of trace elements was important to the investigation of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
> Where is most paint evidence likely to be found?
> What is PDQ and how is it used in identifying paint samples?
> How is pyrolysis gas chromatography used to distinguish one paint binder formulation from another?
> Why is layer structure important for evaluating the significance of paint evidence? What is the greatest shortcoming in using layer structure to analyze paint evidence?
> What three features of paint does a forensic scientist compare using a microscope?
> How does the way most automobile manufacturers paint their cars help in the forensic comparison of automobile paint?
> What is the main advantage and the main weakness of neutron activation analysis?
> Describe the process of neutron activation analysis. How does the process allow a forensic scientist to identify an isotope?
> How does a nuclear reactor generate radioactive elements?
> In cooperation with the medical examiner or coroner, evidence retrieved from a deceased victim and sent to the crime lab should include which items?
> What causes radioactivity? List and define the three types of radiation.
> What is a trace element and why are trace elements important in analyzing physical evidence?
> What is a divided-attention task? Name and describe two divided-attention tasks often administered during field sobriety tests.
> What is the key to the accuracy of a breath tester? Describe two steps the operator takes to ensure that this key requirement is met.
> Describe how a fuel cell detector measures blood alcohol.
> What was the first successful breath-test device and what did it measure to determine blood-alcohol concentration? What is the main difference between this device and the breath-test devices currently in use?
> Why is a blood test for alcohol taken shortly after drinking more advantageous for the suspect than one taken 30 minutes or more after drinking?
> Name and describe the process by which most alcohol is eliminated from the body. How is the remaining alcohol eliminated, and how is this useful in testing for alcohol?
> List at least three factors that determine the rate at which alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream.
> What are the requirements of a suitable test for alcohol intoxication?
> Identify a reasonable manner of death for each of the following situations: a. A contact wound to the back of the head b. An elevated carboxyhemoglobin blood level in a fire victim c. A fractured hyoid bone d. Death by overdose of a first-time user of al
> What is the DRE program? What are its main strengths and weaknesses?
> Why is knowledge of an individual’s history of drug use important in evaluating drug concentrations found by a toxicologist?
> A body is found at a fire scene but investigators are not sure whether the victim was alive when the fire began. How can measuring the level of carbon monoxide in the victim’s blood help determine this?
> Why is it necessary to follow a positive screening test for drugs with a confirmation test? What is the confirmation test of choice?
> What is metabolism and how does it complicate the task of the forensic toxicologist?
> List two significant challenges a forensic toxicologist faces when attempting to identify drugs present in a body.
> At what blood-alcohol level is a typical driver in the United States considered legally intoxicated? At what blood-alcohol level is a commercial truck or bus driver in the United States considered legally intoxicated?
> Why is it best to collect blood samples from different body sites for postmortem alcohol determination?
> What substances are typically added to blood that is collected from a subject before it is sent to a toxicology lab, and why are they added?
> What is horizontal gaze nystagmus and how does the test for it reveal blood-alcohol levels?
> What kind of forensic expert would most likely be asked to help identify human remains in each of the following conditions? a. A body that has been decomposing for a day or two b. Fragmentary remains of a few arm bones and part of a jaw c. A skeleton tha
> What is the primary duty of a forensic toxicologist?
> Name two club drugs that are associated with drug-facilitated sexual assault, rape, and robbery. Why are these drugs relatively easy to administer to an unsuspecting victim?
> Name the two most commonly abused illegal stimulants and the smokable forms of each. Why does smoking provide a more intense drug experience than inhaling, or “snorting,” stimulants?
> How can excessive use of depressants cause death?
> What is the most widely abused drug in the United States? Under what class of drugs is it listed, and what are its short-term physical and psychological effects at low to moderate doses?
> What is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States? Under what class of drugs is it listed and what are its short-term physical and psychological effects at low to moderate doses?
> What opium derivative is most widely used by addicts? How is it typically administered? Give two reasons why this route of administration is popular.
> What is the source of most narcotic drugs? From what plant is this substance derived?
> In what area does mass spectrometry currently have its greatest application for forensic scientists?
> What major advantage does infrared spectrophotometry enjoy over ultraviolet spectrophotometry?
> What is the main strength and main weakness of ultraviolet spectrophotometry?
> Briefly describe the basic process of spectrophotometry.
> What is Beer’s law and what analytical technique is based on it?
> How are ultraviolet spectrophotometry and infrared spectrophotometry used in drug analysis?
> What is the most important drawback to gas chromatography?
> What two chromatographic processes are most applicable for solving analytical problems typically encountered in the crime laboratory? What is the main advantage of each?
> Under what class of drugs is cocaine listed according to U.S. federal drug laws? Explain why this classification is pharmacologically incorrect.
> Briefly describe the basic chromatographic process. Be sure to explain how motion is important to the process.
> Describe how a microcrystalline test works. Name two advantages of microcrystalline tests.
> How does a color test work? What is the main limitation of a color test for identifying drugs?
> Investigator Terry Martin arrives at an assault scene and finds a cast-off pattern consisting of tiny drops of blood in a very narrow linear arc pattern on a wall near the victim. What does this tell him about the weapon used in the crime?
> Police investigating an apparent suicide collect the following items at the scene: a note purportedly written by the victim, a revolver bearing very faint fingerprints, and traces of skin and blood under the victim’s fingernails. What units of the crime
> What two goals must laboratory testing accomplish to positively identify a drug?
> List and describe the two phases in a criminalist’s scheme of action for identifying a drug.
> What is a precursor? How is possession of a precursor treated under the Controlled Substances Act?
> What is a controlled substance analog? Why are such substances considered schedule I drugs?
> According to the Controlled Substances Act, what is the legal difference between a schedule I drug and a schedule II drug?
> On what three criteria does the Controlled Substances Act classify dangerous substances?
> What is the most popular club drug? Name three negative health effects associated with chronic use of the drug.
> Name two physiological factors and two nondrug factors that influence drug dependence.
> List three important considerations when submitting hair samples to a crime laboratory.
> What is mitochondrial DNA and why is it useful in analyzing hair samples?
> Investigator Priscilla Wright arrives at a murder scene and finds the body of a victim who suffered a gunshot wound, but she sees no blood spatter on the wall or floor behind it. What should she conclude from this observation?
> What type of hair specimens are potentially the richest source of nuclear DNA and why?
> Why are most hair specimens collected at crime scenes not good sources of DNA?
> Which of the following cannot be confidently determined by a microscopic examination of hair: age, sex, racial origin, the part of the body from which the hair came, or whether the hair was pulled out or fell out?
> In comparing two hair samples, what aspects of the hair is the criminalist particularly interested in matching? What other features of hair are important to compare?
> What is the follicular tag and why is it important to forensic scientists studying hair?
> 1. True or False: Henry’s law describes the distribution of a volatile chemical compound between its liquid and gas phases. _________ 2. The (higher, lower) the solubility of a gas in a liquid, the greater its tendency to remain dissolved in that liquid
> 1. _________ are composed of a large number of atoms arranged in repeating units. 2. The basic unit of the polymer is called the _________. 3. _________ are polymers composed of thousands of amino acids linked in a highly organized arrangement and sequ
> 11. True or False: A liter is slightly larger than a quart. ___________ 12. ___________ is a measure of a substance’s heat intensity. 13. There are ___________ degrees Fahrenheit between the freezing and boiling points of water. 14. There are ________
> 1. A(n) ___________ property describes the behavior of a substance without reference to any other substance. 2. A(n) ___________ property describes the behavior of a substance when it reacts or combines with another substance. 3. The ___________ system
> 1. A fire moves away from the original point of ignition because the ___________ created by the combustion process tends to move from a high- temperature region to one at a lower temperature. 2. Electrons and atoms within a solid object exposed to heat
> After looking at the bloodstains in the figure, answer the following questions: Which three drops struck the surface closest to a 90-degree angle? Explain your answer. Which three drops struck the surface farthest from a 90-degree angle? Explain your ans
> 1. True or False: Enzymes known as DNA polymerases assemble new DNA strands into a proper base sequence based off the template strand during replication. ___________ 2. DNA evidence at a crime scene can be copied by the processes of the ___________ with
> 1. An immunological assay technique used to detect the presence of minute quantities of drugs in blood and urine is ___________. 2. Antibodies designed to interact with a specific antigen site are (monoclonal, polyclonal). 3. True or False: Hybridoma c
> 1. True or False: Matter in a solid or liquid state produces an emission spectrum that is characteristic of its composition. _________ 2. The _________ is an instrument used to obtain and record the line spectrum of elements. 3. Excitation of a specime
> 1. A(n) _________ carries blood away from the heart; a(n) _________ carries blood back to the heart. 2. The _________ artery carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs. 3. Alcohol passes from the blood capillaries into the _________ sacs in
> 1. The process of _________ determines a substance’s physical or chemical identity with as near absolute certainty as existing analytical techniques will permit. 2. The number and type of tests needed to identify a substance must be sufficient to ______
> 21. A digital camera captures light on a light-sensitive _________. 22. True or False: Each crime scene should be photographed as completely as possible in a logical succession, and the photographs should include the area in which the crime actually too
> 11. Three methods for recording the crime scene are _________, _________, and _________. 12. True or False: Note-taking begins with the call to a crime-scene investigator to report to a scene. _________ 13. The crime-scene notes should include a precis
> 1. The term _________ encompasses all objects that can establish or disprove whether a crime has been committed or can link a crime and its victim or its perpetrator. 2. True or False: Scientific evaluation of crime-scene evidence can usually overcome t
> 41. The possibility of future legal proceedings requires that a(n) _________ be established with respect to the possession and location of physical evidence. 42. Most physical evidence collected at the crime scene will require the accompanying submissio
> 31. The crime-scene search is undertaken to locate _________. 32. True or False: The search patterns that may be used to search a crime scene for evidence include the line pattern, grid pattern, polar coordinate pattern, and spiral pattern. _________ 3
> An investigator at a murder scene notes signs of a prolonged struggle between the attacker and victim. Name at least three types of physical evidence for which the investigator would probably collect standard/reference samples and explain why he or she w
> 21. The _________ unit dispatches trained personnel to the scene of a crime to retrieve evidence for laboratory examination. 22. The “general acceptance” principle, which serves as a criterion for the judicial admissibility of scientific evidence, was s
> 11. The first forensic laboratory in the United States was created in 1923 by the _________ Police Department. 12. The state of _________ is an excellent example of a geographical area in the United States that has created a system of integrated regiona
> 1. The application of science to law describes _________. 2. The fictional exploits of _________ excited the imagination of an emerging generation of forensic scientists and criminal investigators. 3. A system of personal identification using a series
> 21. ___________ chains of evidence describe the events of a crime in terms of cause and effect. 22. ___________ crime assessment attempts to tie elements of a crime together into a single crime scene and use the timelines to build a picture and describe
> 11. Examiners make it a practice to run an extracted image (once, twice). 12. The ___________ extraction is fairly fast, and one may want to examine it for obvious evidence while a tool is making a physical image of the target. 13. Just like computers,
> 1. Early mobile phone systems were followed by digital ___________ networks. 2. True or False: The architectural functionality that distinguishes 2G from 3G is that 2G systems were circuit switched and 3G systems are packet switched ___________. 3. Tru
