Physical Evidence

Forensic investigator Dr Eric Parker probes the suspicious death of wealthy and elderly June Wechster whose remains are stored in a cryogenic lab.

The present manual was prepared to fill a gap in the compendium of available tools for the judiciary and law enforcement agencies and is the result of a consultative process involving a number of reputable individuals, institutions and organizations, who contributed a variety of different perspectives to this cross-cutting issue, all grounded in the same basic principles common to all crime scenes. The manual aims at raising awareness of the importance of good practices in crime scene investigations and the nature and relevance of physical evidence.

Detective Ida Mae Rollins searches for the identity of a homicide victim who was dismembered and dumped along a road in southeastern Wisconsin. Her subsequent search for the killer leads the diminutive, spiky-haired blonde investigator on a body strewn trail that stretches from Wisconsin into Iowa and ultimately into southern Illinois, Arkansas and Missouri. Ida, as she prefers to be called, gets a lucky break while grocery shopping during a visit to her mother’s farm. She spots a man she had believed to be murdered and follows him across the state line. What follows is a fast-paced discovery of drug dealing involving the man and his partner, a strikingly pretty pathological liar of a woman who detests men and her own mother. But is there anything linking the woman to men who were murdered in Wisconsin, Iowa and Missouri? Ida digs deep for physical evidence even as her own boss, Sheriff Peter Clark, wants action taken against the man who reported what he believed to be mere littering.

The first collection from this distinguished American movie critic

Secure the scene and gather up your eyewitnesses! This cool title introduces readers to the art of crime scene investigations and the scientific method. Each book includes step-by-step directions on how to conduct experiments and tests. Readers will complete a variety of activities, from lifting fingerprints to analyzing known and unknown substances. When the readers are done with this investigative and intriguing title, their "CSI" journal will be full of problem-solving information, and they'll be thinking like real investigators! Checkerboard Library is an imprint of ABDO Publishing Company.

This new edition of the classic by America's leading forensic scientists gives you an insider's understanding of physical evidence at the crime scene. Written in an easy-to-understand format, this outstanding guide by the nation's foremost forensic scientists introduces you to the basics of crime scene evaluation. This extensive resource is packed with valuable information about the details of collecting, storing, and analyzing all types of physical evidence. You'll learn how to connect the victim(s) and suspect(s) to the crime scene, and to the physical evidence left behind. The book also teaches you how to use this information to provide convincing testimony based on scientific facts. Discover if the police and prosecution have done their jobs properly when processing all crime scene materials. Part I offers an overview of forensic science and discusses the future path of forensic science and its applications in the courtroom and society. Part II gives you an exhaustive list of physical evidence typically left behind at crime scenes and explains the correct methods for processing this evidence. Part III discusses current issues in search and seizure, and how to effectively utilize it in court. The appendices discuss common blood screening test reagents and how to use the druggist's fold for sealing evidence in paper.Details often make the difference between winning and losing that important case. This in-depth reference also provides a wealth of details regarding: light and smoke at the crime scene, bullet identification, the difference between transient and pattern evidence, noting post-mortem lividity marks and other special imprints and indentations, how odors offer clues to the crime, studying dry versus wet blood samples, how to reconstruct a crime scene, and most importantly how to recognize and co-ordinate all the elements of the crime scene. Written by the foremost experts in the field of forensic science, you will learn from the best how to make your investigation solid and successful. Topics include: Physical evidence and forensic science Introduction to forensic science Arson Bite marks Blood and Body fluids Bombs and explosives Computers and electronic data as evidence Chemical substances Crime scene reconstruction DNA analyses Documents Drugs and controlled substances Firearms Fibers Fingerprints Glass Gunshot residue Hair Imprint and impression evidence Fingerprints Paints Pattern evidence Plastics Sexual assault and sex crime evidence Soil Tape Toolmarks Video evidence Voice identification Legal aspects of forensic science Some screening test reagents The druggist's fold

This volume investigates the physical evidence for magic in medieval and modern Britain, including ritual mark, concealed objects, amulets, and magical equipment. The contributors are the current experts in each area of the subject, and show between them how ample the evidence is and how important it is for an understanding of history.

This manual spells out legal and scientific standards for processing evidence in solving crimes. Fingerprints, fibers, drug residue and altered documents involved in fires and murders are just some of the topics covered.