Physical Evidence

Physical Evidence

"This is evidence that does not forget. It is not confused by the excitement of the moment. It is not absent because human witnesses are, it is factual evidence, physical evidence cannot be wrong, it cannot perjure itself...only its interpretation can err." -Paul L. Kirk, 1974.

Interpretation, Collection and Preservation of Glass Fragments Monday, 26 October 2009 09:21 Katherine Steck-Flynn Physical Evidence - Trace Evidence By Kathy Steck-Flynn A man is found dead in an abandoned house. Upon examination the medical examiner finds that the man was killed by a single gunshot to the head. Three local teens where observed near the house two days earlier. They are picked up and questioned by police. When pressured, the teens admit to having stolen one of the boys' father's guns. They had taken turns shooting at the windows of an abandoned house. The teens admit that John shot the gun first, then Jay and last was Fred. At the scene the investigators find three bullet holes in a window. They analyze the angle of each bullet hole in relation to the victim and find that the bullet which passed through the far right side of the window pane is the one which fatally wounded the man. It is up to the investigators to determine the order of the shots. This will tell them which boy fired the fatal shot and allow the investigators to work out what the charges will be against the shooter. Examination of the fractures in the glass will tell them this. Read more...

Fingerprinting the Dead Friday, 25 September 2009 00:00 Daryl W. Clemens Physical Evidence - Fingerprint Evidence Obtaining fingerprints for identification is a long established law enforcement practice. When the practice started, is was most common to use printers ink applied to the fingers which were then pressed onto paper cards. Later specialized inks were employed to improve the quality of the prints obtained. While ink is still used today, many agencies are now using computer "live-scan" methods to record reference prints. One of the challenges in obtaining reference prints has always been how to obtain them from the deceased. Ink has often been used with success, but it can be difficult, especially with rigor stiffened or mummified fingers. Live-scan is not a practical option, at least not until someone develops a portable scanner. Last Updated on Monday, 26 October 2009 12:39 Read more...   Forensic Palynology Sunday, 20 September 2009 20:02 Daryl W. Clemens Physical Evidence - Trace Evidence PALYNOLOGY: The branch of science concerned with the study of pollen, spores , and similar palynomorphs, living and fossil. Term suggested by Hyde & Williams (1944). Etymol. Greek "to strew or sprinkle", suggestive of "fine meal" cognate with Latin pollen, "fine flour, dust." -Definition from The University of Arizona For futher information on Forensic Palynology you can contact Vaughn Bryant at: vbryant@neo.tamu.eduvbryant@neo.tamu.edu This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it More information can also be found at these websites: Dallas Mildenhall's page Dr. Terry J. Hutter University of Arizona Lynne Milne Last Updated on Sunday, 20 September 2009 20:11   Forensic Palynology in the United States Sunday, 20 September 2009 19:58 Vaughn M. Bryant, Jr Physical Evidence - Trace Evidence Vaughn M. Bryant, Jr. Palynology Laboratory Texas A&M University College Station, Texas 77843 Dallas C. Mildenhall Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences P.O. Box 30368 Lower Hutt, New Zealand Introduction The term "forensic palynology" is rarely used in the United States. Forensics pertains to evidence used in courts of law. Palynology is the term first used by Hyde and Williams (1944) for the collective study of pollen grains and spores. Years later, the discipline of palynology was expanded to include the study of a number of other acid-resistant microorganisms as well. Today, the science of forensic palynology traditionally focuses on legal evidence derived from the study of pollen and spores, both fossil and modern. In its broader application, the field of forensic palynology also includes legal information derived from the analyses of other palynomorphs such as dinoflagellates, acritarchs, and chitinozoans. However, in most sampling situations forensic palynologists rarely encounter these other types of acid-resistant palynomorphs because most are marine and many are restricted only to fossil deposits. Read more...   Forensic Palynology: A New Way to Catch Crooks Sunday, 20 September 2009 19:55 Vaughn M. Bryant, Jr Physical Evidence - Trace Evidence Abstract Studies of palynomorphs trapped in materials associated with criminal or civil investigations are slowly gaining recognition as valuable forensic techniques.  Today, the country of New Zealand leads the world in the use of forensic palynology, and the acceptance of this type of evidence in courts of law. To illustrate how important, and diverse forensic palynology has become, we have briefly examined a number of actual circumstances where these types of techniques have proven useful. In most of these cases the palynomorph data were an important factor in either solving the case, or they were used to identify and link a suspect to the scene of a crime. We also discuss some of the strengths, and weaknesses, of using forensic pollen data, and why we feel this technique is still neither widely accepted nor used in most of the countries of the world. Read more...

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