Exam Flashcards
(169 cards)
1
Q
What is Forensic Science?
A
the application of a broad spectrum of science to answer questions relevant to the legal system. It involves the gathering, identification and interpretation of pieces of evidence that may be used in a criminal or civil lawsuit.
2
Q
Forensis
A
Latin- before the forum
3
Q
Forensic Science vs. CSI
A
CSI involves the on-site investigation of the physical scene of a crime
CSIs are usually civilians or police officers that have been trained for duty in crime scene units to document and record the crime scene and collect evidence
forensic specialists may be called in to assist under special circumstances
Forensic scientists generally perform their analyses in a controlled lab environment
4
Q
Forensic Science Specialties
A
Pathology and Biology Odontology Physical Anthropology Criminalists Engineering Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Digital and Multimedia Sciences Jurisprudence Questions Documents Toxicology General
5
Q
Anthropology
A
Forensic Anthropology is the application of physical anthropology to the legal process: the identification of skeletal, badly decomposed or otherwise unidentified human remains
6
Q
Pathology
A
Forensic Pathologists are MDs trained in forensic pathology who work to determine the cause and manner of death
7
Q
Cause of Death
A
Injury or disease that begins the train of events that ultimately leads to death, mechanism, and manner of death
Pneumonia
Gunshot wound
Drowning
8
Q
Manner of Death
A
Natural- due to acute illness or chronic disease
Accident- non-natural death due to unintentional lethal event or action
Homicide- any death due to the action of another
Suicide- due to self-inflicted injury with intent to die
Undetermined- used when there is not enough information about the circumstances surrounding the death
9
Q
Odontology
A
Deals with the handling, examination, and interpretation fo dental evidence
Most commonly involves the identification of individuals from dental records
Forensic Odontology uses dental records, including radiographs to compare antemortem and postmortem records to make an identification
10
Q
Criminalistics
A
The forensic science of analyzing and interpreting evidence using the natural sciences
Criminalists analyze the physical evidence generated by crime scenes
Criminalists tend to specialize in one area of forensic analysis
They use physical evidence to create a link between the suspect and the victim
11
Q
Serology
A
The analysis of body fluid evidence that includes bloodstains, semen stains, and saliva
DNA typing is possible with a sample of body fluid such as blood, saliva, or semen
12
Q
Trace Evidence
A
The analysis of hairs, fibers, paint, glass, wood, and soil that are present at a crime scene
Helps to establish a relationship between the suspect and the victim
13
Q
Ballistics
A
Criminalists can determine the kid of bullet used and whether it was fired from the gun used to commit the crime
14
Q
Toolmark Analysis
A
Includes an object suspected of containing the impression of another object that served as a tool in the commission of a crime
15
Q
Impression Evidence
A
The evaluation of impressions made by shoes, tires, depressions in soft soils, and all other forms of tracks and impressions
16
Q
Drug Identification and Toxicology
A
The study of poisons and identification of drugs
17
Q
Engineering
A
Forensic Engineers investigate the specific sequence of events in a case and search for reasons why a specific item failed to work as expected
Work with law enforcement to a variety of cases including: fire investigations, traffic accidents, patent disputes, wrongful injury claims
18
Q
Behavioral Forensic Science: Forensic Psychiatrists and Psychologists
A
Both involve the interaction of mental health and the legal system. Both roles assess defendants to determine their competency to stand trial; aid family service workers in custody trials; and work with attorneys, defendants, and patients in the prison system. Both can diagnose and treat mental disorders. Both offer career paths for those with undergraduate and graduate degrees.
19
Q
Forensic Psychiatrists
A
MD
Focuses on the biology of the brain as it applies to the CJS. The work of forensic psychiatry tends toward a heavy focus on science and forensic psychiatrists diagnose and treat mental disorders in the context of the CJS. Their work involves assessing clients, providing diagnoses, and prescribing medication.
Focuses on the medical aspects of mental health
20
Q
Forensic Psychologists
A
Ph. D., Psy. D., or Ed. D
Examines how mental health conditions and disorders apply to the CJS. This involves determining trial competency for defendants, prosecutors, and witnesses; assessing the risk of inmates under consideration for release; and even aiding in jury selection. Psychologists are required to be licensed by the state but are not MDs and are not allowed to prescribe medication.
Focuses on social and behavioral elements of mental health care and how they affect the CJS
21
Q
Computer (Digital) Forensics
A
The use of analytical and investigative techniques to identify, collect, examine and reserve evidence/information which is magnetically stored or encoded.
Combines elements of law and computer science to collect and analyze data from computer systems, networks, wireless communications, and storage devices in a way that is admissible as evidence in a court of law.
22
Q
Entomology
A
Forensic Entomology is the use of insects and their arthropod relatives that inhabit decomposing remains to aid in legal investigations.
Most commonly employed in the estimation of the minimum post-mortem interval.
The body could not have been dead for less time than it would have taken insects to arrive at the corpse and develop.
23
Q
What is Evidence?
A
“Anything that furnishes or tends to furnish proof; it can support OR reject the theory of the crime”
Must be relevant and reliable to be admitted into proceedings in a court of law
24
Q
Relevance
A
Tendency of a given item of evidence to prove or disprove one of the legal elements of the case
25
Reliable
Consistently good in quality of performance; able to be trusted
26
Admissibility of Trial Information
Relies upon: prerequisite of sold supportive foundation for any offer of evidence; foundation consists of sufficiently supportive information presented to a judge that has potential to be true and aid a jury in a reasonable determination of whether it is indeed true.
Determined by the trial court's application of the rules of evidence: evidentiary rules are exclusionary in nature- they serve to filter out information presented by either side that may be irrelevant to the factual and legal issues at hand or violate long-standing prohibitions such as those against the admissibility of hearsay or substantially prejudicial information.
27
Frye v. United States (1923)
Regarding the question of admissibility of polygraph tests as evidence
The court held that expert testimony must be based on scientific methods that are sufficiently established and accepted in the field in which it belongs
28
Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals (1993)
Two minor children and their parents alleged their suit against Merrell Dow that the children's serious birth defects had been caused by the mother's prenatal ingestion of Bendectin, a prescription drug marketed by Merrell Dow.
The District Court granted the defendant summary judgement based on a well-credentialed expert's affidavit concluding, upon reviewing the extensive published scientific literature on the subject, the maternal use of Bendectin has not been shown to be a risk factor for human birth defects.
The case was appealed and affirmed in the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, based on the Federal Rules of Evidence.
The Daubert decision affirmed the role of the judge as gatekeeper in the admissibility of scientific evidence.
29
Daubert Case: In addition to the "general acceptance" criterion, in order to ensure that the evidence introduced is relevant and reliable, courts also examine the following questions:
Is the theory or technique invoked testable and has it been tested?
Has it been published in a peer-reviewed forum?
What is the known or potential error rate for a technique?
30
Forensic Evidence
Concerned with the linkage of persons, scenes and objects
Identification, collection and testing of crime scene evidence are the focus of forensic scientists
The goal is often to physically link the suspect to the crime scene, thereby providing inferential evidence of his/her commission or association with the crime
Forensic science data can be accepted as evidence of material fact once it survives the screening function
31
The Locard Exchange Principle
Whenever two objects come in contact, a mutual exchange of matter will take place between them
32
Circumstantial by Nature
Evidence in which an inference is required to connect it to a conclusion of fact
33
Direct Evidence
Evidence established without need for further inference
| i.e. eyewitness testimony of shooting
34
Class and Individual Characteristics
Forensic evidence arrives in court in one of two basic forms: Class characteristics that do, inferentially, associate a particular individual with commission of a crime
Class characteristics have a high chance of belonging to some other item or person
With individual characteristics, the odds of the feature being repeated in the population is negligible
35
Four crime scenes are found within one crime scene
Physical scene left by perpetrator
Crime scene material collected and transported by crime scene personnel
Crime scene material tested by laboratory and results of such tests
Crime scene information allowed into evidence by court
36
What is Forensic Science?
The application of science to those criminal and civil laws that are enforced by police agencies in a CJS; uses scientific method
37
Locard's Principles- CSI
When 2 or more items come in contact with an object or other person, a cross-transfer, or exchange of information will occur
For a CSI, this transfer becomes evidence
Locard strongly believed that every criminal can be connected to a crime, sometimes even by dust particles carried from the crime scene
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First step of crime scene: Search
Purpose to obtain evidence
Any method of a search can be used, depending on the size, location, and complexity of the search
Systematic and thorough
39
Grid Search
People overlap line searches to form a grid
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Quadrant/Zone Search
Most used method
| For houses/buildings- break individual rooms into smaller sections
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Strip/Line Search
Second most used method
In streets
People side-by-side and in a line, everyone takes a step and looks around before next step
42
Spiral Search
Used the least
| More room for error especially when in wilderness
43
Scene Processing
Though every crime scene is different and techniques or application may vary, the process is the same
44
Scene Safety/Perimeter
Responsibility falls on the first responder
Protection of evidence
Prevents officers and others from aimlessly wandering and trampling evidence
Everyone is responsible for their own movements
Protective measures are decided on a case-by-case basis
When in doubt, go big
45
When is a crime scene destroyed?
The second the crime is committed: destroyed by the victim, offender, bystanders offering assistance, witnesses
46
Crime Scene Log Individual
One person who prevents people from coming in and out of the crime scene, especially those who aren't supposed to be there
47
Secure and Isolate the Crime Scene
Two perimeters provide three areas of access
| This keeps support police out of the actual scene and others at a safe distance
48
Hot Zone
Center of crime/where victim is
49
Inner Scene Perimeter
Keep distance between everyone on scene to avoid destruction of evidence
50
Outer Scene Perimeter
Where everyone else can be
51
Scene Sketch
Creates a mental picture of the scene for those not present
Depicts the overall layout of the scene
Make a simple line drawing of the crime scene on whatever paper you have: needs a North arrow and include where evidence is
Measurements can be placed on the sketch: i.e. how far away is the gun from the body?
Sketch (by hand) is turned into diagram (via computer)
52
Document Through Photographs
A picture is worth a thousand words
Takes the jury inside the scene
Photos are going to help you remember where you picked stuff up
Show the relationship of the scene to its surroundings
General to specific
53
Types of Pictures
Far
Medium
Close
54
Fingerprint Analysis
The two underlying premises of fingerprint ID are uniqueness and persistence (permanence)
No 2 people have exactly the same fingerprints, even identical twins with identical DNA
A person's fingerprints remain essentially unchanged throughout their lifetime, though they do grow
Only first 2 of 3 levels of detail needed for comparison
55
Pattern Type
First level of detail
Arch
Loop
Whirl
56
Minutia or Ridge Characteristics
Second level of detail
| Galton details: ridge endings, bifurcations, etc.
57
Ridge Characteristics
Third level of detail
Pore shapes
Ridge flow
58
Wipes
Putting blood from hand on wall
59
Swipes
Blood already on wall is smeared by hand
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Cast Off
Blood pattern consistent with weapon hitting body, perpetrator's arm being brought up then down to hit again
61
Arterial Spurting
Projected blood from injury to major artery
62
High Velocity
Blood coming out in mist
| i.e. gunshot wound, especially to the head
63
Shooting Reconstruction
Uses lasers to demonstrate bullet path, captured on camera
| Wooden dowels used if too many bullet holes for lasers
64
Blue Star
Replacement chemical for luminal
| Used to locate blood that cannot be seen
65
State of Utah
Utilizes Medical Examiner
66
Mechanism of Death
The biochemical or physiologic abnormality resulting in death
Arrythmias of the heart, shock, or bleeding
Cardiac arrest
Respiratory arrest
Exsanguination
Shock
67
Gunshot wound to head: cause v. mechanism of death
```
Cause= gunshot wound
Mechanism= specific injuries to the brain
```
68
Decomposition
The reduction of the body of a formerly living organism into simpler forms of matter
The process begins immediately after cardio-pulmonary arrest
May distort features of true perimortem injuries
May mimic antemortem diseases or perimortem trauma
May obliterate markers of identity: necessary to notice which stage of decomposition the individual is in
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Decomposition is highly variable and dependent on
```
Temperature
Climate
Humidity
Location
Season
Size of decedent
Clothing
Coverings
Burial
Cause of death
Injuries
Other factors
```
70
Fresh Stage
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Autolysis
Algor Mortis
Livor Mortis
Rigor Mortis
Flies
```
71
Putrefaction and Bloat Stage
Putrefaction
Bloat
Insect and carnivore activity
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Active Decay Stage
```
Black Putrefaction
Stronger odor
Maggot activity at its peak
Increase release of fluids
Slippage of skin
```
73
Advanced Decay Stage
Odor and insect activity decrease
| Body begins to dry out
74
Dry/Skeletonization Stage
Skeletonization
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Autolysis
"Self-digestion"
Begins minutes after death
The cells of the body are deprived of oxygen, causing carbon dioxide to build up in the blood
The pH level decreases and wastes accumulate, which poisons the cells
Enzymes are released from the intracellular lysomal sacs
They begin to dissolve the cells from the inside out, causing them to rupture
Bacteria and other microorganisms thrive on these unprotected organic components of the body
76
Algor Mortis
Cooling of the body
Reduction of body temperature after death
When a person is alive, the body maintains homeostasis and regulates a constant temperature
After death, the body can no longer maintain its heat and it begins to cool down, reaching ambient temperature: variable with conditions
77
Livor Mortis
Gravity causes the accumulation of blood in the small vessels of the dependent areas of the body
Begins 20-30 minutes after death
Visible 1-2 hours after death
8-12 hours after death, the blood leaks out of the vessels into the soft tissue and becomes "fixed": saturated in surrounding tissues- no blanching
78
Rigor Mortis
Stiffening of the body due to the disappearance of adeenotriphosphate (ATP)
Usually present 2-4 hours after death
Full development present 10-12 hours after death
Usually disappears 24-48 hours after death with continued decomposition
Seen in the small muscles of the body and moves to the larger muscles: jaw, fingers, arms, legs
Goes away in smaller muscles then larger
79
Putrefaction
The cecum is an anatomical pouch located at the head of the large intestine
It is ground zero for microorganisms that naturally live in the body: bacteria, fungi, protozoa
When the body is alive, the immune system keeps these microorganisms in check
After death, the microorganisms break through the intestinal wall, spill into the abdomen, and drift into the circulatory system
A flush of green over the lower abdomen can usually be seen first
Optimal environmental temperature for putrefaction is 70-90 F
Putrefaction is delayed when the temperature is below 50 F or above 90 F
80
Bloat
```
Microorganisms produce gases as they slowly break down the unprotected organic components of the body
These gases (Hydrogen, Methane, Ammonia, Sulfur Dioxide...) cause all the body tissues to inflate
These gases increase the internal pressure, which force fluids from the mouth and nose (purge)
These gases also draw fluids into blisters that loosen and lift the skin (skin blisters)
The blisters will eventually drain, and the loose skin will slip off (skin slippage)
```
81
Active Decay
This stage is recognizable by a great loss in mass due largely to feedings by maggots and other insects
Maggot activity is at its peak- lay eggs in open wounds if available, lay in mouth/nose/eyes if no wounds available, will not lay eggs around genital/rectal area unless there is trauma
Parts of flesh may be black (black putrefaction) and corpse gives off an even stronger odor
As gases escape and the body leaks decomposition fluids, the body may collapse- increased release of fluids, marbling, and skin slippage
The end of this stage is marked by dispersal of maggots from the body
Exposure of internal organs
82
Degloving
Often times the skin covering the hands will slip off at the scene
Important to locate this because fingerprints can still be obtained from it
83
Mummification
Occurs in environments with low humidity and dry heat
These tissues will be dehydrated and desiccated
The end result of tissues that have survived the active decay process
Will remain mummified and not go through remaining stages
84
Adipocere
Also known as saponification
In warm, moist environments a specific chemical reaction occurs during decomposition
In the presence of bacterial enzymes, fats will react with water and hydrogen to produce a yellowish-white, greasy, wax-like substance
Happens in active or advanced decay
Will remain like this and not go through remaining stages
85
Advanced Decay
Odor and insect activity decrease- maggot shave mostly migrated
Most of flesh is gone- corpse can still be comprised of skin, organs, hair and bone
The body begins to dry out
Body may form a wax layer known as adipocere
86
Dry/Skeletonization
Final stage
Only bones and teeth are present- sometimes hair and dried (mummified) skin
Diagenesis
87
Diagenesis
A natural process that serves to alter the proportion of organic (collagen) and inorganic (hydroxyapatite, calcium, magnesium,) components of bone exposed to environmental conditions
88
Forensic Entomology
The application of the study of insects and their arthropod relatives to legal proceedings, especially death investigations
89
Relationships Between Corpse and Insects
Species that feed directly on a corpse
Species that eat the other insects that are feeding on the corpse
Species that feed on both the corpse and other insects
Species that use the corpse as a habitat
90
Entomological Evidence
Helps determine how long the person has been dead (postmortem interval PMI)
Can help determine where and what time of ear the death took place
Helps determine areas of trauma on the body
Helps determine possible drugs/chemicals in the body
91
Methods to determine PMI
Insect succession
| Rate of development
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Insect Succession
The idea that as each group of organisms feeds on a body, it changes the body, which then makes it attractive to another group of organisms
Hide Beetle- among the last insects attracted to a corpse and are usually found with dry remains
93
Rate of Development
When the body is found, the stage of development for the insects found on the body can help investigators determine how long a person has been deceased
Temperature is the most important factor for this method
Role of temperature on Blow Fly development- optimal temperature range for development is 75-80 F, above that temperature: faster development and decreased survival, below that temperature: slower development and hibernation (little to no development) if below 50 F
94
Secondary Screwworm Fly
Most abundant in southeast US and is not cold tolerant
95
Holarctic Blow Fly
Most abundant in Canada and northwest US, including Alaska
96
Most common insects found on a body
Blowflies
| Fresh flies
97
Myiasis
Rotting flesh on a living person (i.e. bed sores) where flies lay their eggs
Medical grade maggots may be used to heal wounds that are not healing
Maggots only eat dead flesh- remove rotting flesh to help wound heal
98
Coroner
"The principal qualification for the job is the ability to win an election" -Russell Fisher
Appointed or elected to their position
Assign cause and manner of death
No medical training required
Not required to consult a physician
May or may not order an autopsy
May or may not agree with autopsy findings
99
Forensic Pathologist
```
ME
Must be a physician with training
Medical school- 4 years
Pathology residency- 4 years
Forensic pathology fellowship- 1 year
Certified by American Board of Pathology in Anatomic Pathology and Forensic Pathology
First class of certified Forensic Pathologists in 1959
Determine cause and manner of death
Investigation
Autopsy/exam
Laboratory results (i.e. toxicology, cultures)
Microscopic evaluation of organs/tissues
```
100
Utah Medical Examiners Office
```
10 forensic pathologists
8 autopsy technicians
8 morgue technicians
9 full time investigators
~ 90 part-time investigators/vendors
2 suicide epidemiologists
7 ancillary staff
```
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Types of Cases
Deaths by violence- suicide, homicide, accident
Death from poisoning or drug overdose
Suspicious or unusual deaths
Deaths that occur while in custody
Deaths that may constitute a threat to public health
Deaths that occur while on the job
Death when in apparent good health
Natural deaths when there is no physician to sign the death certificate
Sudden unexpected infant deaths
102
Stages of Death
```
Pallor Mortis
Algor Mortis
Rigor Mortis
Livor Mortis
Putrefaction and Decomposition
Skeletonization and Fossilization
```
103
Timing of Death
Only reliable way to estimate time of death is knowing when a person was last seen alive
Other clues include newspapers, mail, receipts, phone calls
Death occurred sometime between when they were last seen alive and when they were found dead
104
Drug Cases
Ingest, smoke, huff, snort, inject
| Mechanism of death depend on effect of the drugs
105
Stimulants
Boost alertness, mood
Methamphetamine
Cocaine
Causes hypertension, strokes, seizures, hyperthermia
106
Opioids/Suppressants
```
Create relaxation, euphoria
Heroin
Morphine
Oxycodone
Hydrocodone
Fentanyl
Usually causes sedation and respiratory suppression
```
107
Inhalants
Mostly depressants or dissociative effects- result in euphoric rushes, hallucinations
Nitrous oxide
Dust off/canned air (difluoroethane)
Spray paint (toluene)
Propane/butane
Usually lethal because they cause injury to the heart
108
Types of Drugs
```
Stimulants
Opioids/suppressants
Inhalants
Hallucinogens
Dissociatives
Cannabinoids
```
109
Range of Fire Classificiations
Contact or close contact
Intermediate range
Indeterminate range
110
Contact or Close Contact
Muzzle touches or is within 1 inch
Hard contact- muzzle mark
May see soot
111
Intermediate Range
1 inch to 2-3 feet for most handguns
| Small abrasions- stippling
112
Indeterminate Range
```
3 feet to ???
Entrance defect
Marginal abrasion
No soot
No stippling
```
113
Sharp Force
Incision
| Stab wounds
114
Incision
Length of injury on the surface is greater than the depth of the injury
115
Stab wounds
Depth of injury is greater than the length of the injury on the surface
May go far enough to leave hilt mark
Piece of blade may be seen in x-ray if it comes off when in contact with wound
116
Blunt Force
Blows
Falls
Collisions
Characteristics- contusions, lacerations: wound from tearing body tissue when hit by an object, may see tissue bridges
117
Instant Pattern Recognition
Cherry Red Lividity
Lightening
Coining
Cupping
118
Cherry Red Lividity
Hypothermia
Carbon monoxide poisoning
Cyanide poisoning
119
Lightening
Lichtenberg figures
120
Coining
Traditional Chinese medicine
Rid body of negative energies
Pressures strokes with hard object until bruises appear
121
Cupping
Traditional Chinese medicine
| Place glass cups over certain points on the skin using suction
122
Reasons for Establishing Identity
Understandable reason of closure for the family
Settlement of insurance claims
Settlement of the individual's estate
Social security benefits
Allowance of surviving spouse to remarry
Establishment of a corpus delicti in criminal matters
Burial of remains in keeping with religious beliefs
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Positive ID
```
Fingerprints
Dental
DNA
Anthro
Radiographs
```
124
Presumptive DNA
ID on body
Visual
Facial reconstruction
125
Circumstantial ID
Some matches for positive techniques
126
Categories and Terminology for Identification: DNA and Odontology
Positive identification
Possible identification
Insufficient evidence
Exclusion
127
Facial Reconstruction
Develop a face from the skull for release to news media to aid in positive ID
Clay sculpting
Drawing soft tissue
Computer imaging
128
Radiography
```
Compare antemortem radiographs to skeletal remains
Frontal sinus
Other sinuses
Pattern of trabecular bone
Antemortem pathology or anomaly
```
129
Role of Forensic Odontology
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Routine identification
Mass disasters
Bite mark evidence
Child abuse
Civil litigation- personal injury, malpractice, dental fraud
```
130
Dental Characteristics
Outlasts all other body tissues
Dental restorations and prostheses are extremely resistant
Radiographs can provide objective data
Infinite number of combinations
131
Antemortem Records
```
Relatives
Hospitals, other healthcare facilities
Dental schools
Healthcare providers
Employer dental insurance carrier
Public aid insurance administrator
```
132
Postmortem Record
```
Comprehensive charting
X-rays
Photographs
Dental impressions
Time lapse
```
133
Forensic DNA
Use of genetic information to match biological evidence with victim/offender
134
Types of DNA
Nuclear (chromosomal)
| mtDNA (mitochondrial)
135
Mitochondrial DNA
Maternally transmitted
100s to 1000s of copies per cell
Easier to extract from degraded samples
136
Nuclear DNA
23 pairs of chromosomes
| 1/2 from mother, 1/2 from father
137
DNA
Humans share over 99% of DNA, only about 0.3% is unique (unconserved)
138
Where is DNA found?
DNA is found in body cells
We leave a little bit of DNA everywhere we go
Most forensic sources of DNA are body fluids, or transferred cells
139
DNA Polymorphism
Means many forms
| Regions of DNA which differ from person to person
140
Locus
Plural= loci
| Site of location of a chromosome
141
Allele
Different variants which can exist at a locus
142
DNA Profile
The combination of alleles for an individual
143
DNA Extraction
For each biological source of DNA you need a chemical purification method to separate DNA from everything else
The amount of time and complexity of these methods depends on both the quantity and quality of the source
144
Forensic DNA Typing System
Current typing system is short tandem repeats (STR)
STRs are DNA regions with repeat units 2-6bp in length- are repeated a variable number of times and are highly variable among individuals
145
Combined DNA Index System (CODIS)
Instituted in 1994 by the FBI
Made up of two indices- Convicted Offender index and Forensic Case index
Based on 13 STR loci- probability of 2 unrelated individuals matching at all 13 sites= 1 in over a trillion
146
STR Amplification
Each STR is "tagged" using a fluorescent labeled primer
Often amplified in a multiplex reaction- one PCR reaction can amplify more than one allele
STR products are then separated by size for analysis
147
ABI 310 Genetic Analyzer
Amplified STR DNA injected into column
Apply electric current
DNA pulled toward positive electrode
DNA separated out by size- small STRs travel faster
Color of STR recorded as it passes through the detector
148
Limitations to Forensic DNA
Not always preserved
Can't speak to perimortem trauma or postmortem alterations
Can build a genetic profile, but not a biological profile
A genetic profile depends on comparative samples to match genetic identity
149
What is Forensic Anthropology?
The application of the science of physical anthropology to the legal process- methods and theories, analysis techniques and procedures
The analysis and identification of skeletal, badly decomposed, or otherwise unidentified human remains
150
What Forensic Anthropologists Don't Do
```
Solve crimes
Trace/evidence collection
Interrogation
Arrests
Prosecution
```
151
What Forensic Anthropologists Do
```
Help law enforcement
Recover human remains
Analyze remains
Provide written report of analysis/findings
Testify in court
```
152
Physical/Biological Anthropology
Human Osteology
Bioarchaeology
Skeletal Biology
Forensic Anthropology
153
Biological Profile
Estimation of- age at death, sex, ancestry, stature
| Identification of- trauma, pathology
154
Age Estimation
Based on processes of growth and remodeling that occur in the skeleton with age
Sub-Adults (Growth)- AKA children, epiphyseal union (growth pate), tooth development
Adults (Remodeling)- pubic symphysis, auricular (sacro-iliac) surface, eternal end of ribs, histological (cellular level)
155
Sex
Biological- need to have gone through puberty in order to estimate sex
Not gender- gender is culturally defined
Morphological differences between males and females- cranial and postcranial
156
Ancestry
Ancestral affiliation
Not race- race is culturally defined
Craniofacial morphology- anthroposophical and metric
157
Stature Estimation
```
Statistical regression formulas
Need to know sex and ancestry
Need complete long bones
Report stature estimation and ranges
Femur of white males measures 452 mm
Convert to cm= 45.2 cm
Equation= 2.32 x femur + 65.53 +/- 3.94 cm
```
158
Stature Estimation Example
(2.32 x 45.2) + 65.53 +/- 3.94 cm
170.39 +/- 3.94 cm
166.45 to 174.33 cm
2.54 cm per inch
Mean stature 67.08 in, range 65.53 to 68.64 in
159
Pathology- Anthropology
```
Only what affects bone
Pneumonia
TB
Cancer
Osteoarthritis
Dietary related pathology
```
160
Anemia and Iron Deficiency
When an individual suffers from anemia, or one of many diseases that affect the red blood cells, bone changes occur to accommodate the need for expansion of the spaces occupied b the bone marrow
The bone assumes a spongy appearance called Porotic Hyperostosis- skull
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Dental Disease
Cavities
Abscess
Tartar
Linear Enamel Hypoplasia- appears as depressed horizontal lines that occur in the tooth enamel after a period of chronic stress usually associated with infectious disease and/or malnutrition
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Trauma- Anthropology
Only what affects bone
Timing- antemortem, perimortem, postmortem
Type- blunt force, sharp force, projectile
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Antemortem Bone Trauma
Well before the person has died
| Bone is healed or is healing
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Perimortem Bone Trauma
At or around the time of death
Bone fractures in a distinct way- sharp and clean
Fracture margins are similar color to surrounding un-fractured bone
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Postmortem Bone Damage
After individual has started to decompose and bone begins to loose organic matter
Bone fractures in a distinct way- irregular/jagged and are lighter color than surrounding non-fractured bone
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Projectile Bone Trauma
Small object hits body at high velocity
Most often gunshot wounds, could be shrapnel, high powered weapon
Entrance wounds have internal beveling, ext wounds have external beveling
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Blunt Force Bone Trauma
Being hit; falling against a rock, table, etc.; car accidents
Concentric circles with radiating features
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Sharp Force Bone Trauma
Caused by bladed instrument
Chunk marks and finer marks
Knife Scrape marks are V shaped, animal teeth marks are U shaped
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Destructive Analysis
Direct dating- C14
DNA and Ancient DNA (aDNA)- identify genetic relationships/similarity, population movements
Stable Isotope Analysis- diet history (agriculture), weaning if child
