Forensics Week

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Mr. Garside opens up with the following statement: “The Devil is in the Details.” He explains that the details of a matter are its most crucial/essential/significant aspect. Forensic evidence can be considered any item to be of evidentiary value that can be examined by a person of specialized training to give an opinion about it. The best forensic evidence is DNA which includes teeth, bones, hair follicles, blood, salvia, and semen. You can also find forensics in the digital world using social media and even the screens in your cars. 4 stages of death that can help find the time of death include pallor mortis: increased paleness due to the suspension of blood circulation, algor mortis, cooling of the body temperature, rigor mortis: Stiffening of the body over a few hours, and livor mortis: blood draining to the lower limbs. Some of the myths within forensics include there are always fingerprints, there is always DNA, everyone who commits suicide must leave a note, must have forensic evidence to prove your case, and the time of death.

Today, we were able to see and participate in a way that forensics can be found. Two of the ways we focused on today were footprints and tire tracks. We were able to learn about how much information can be found in these simple things. We learned about putty that can be used to harden and create the exact print that can show the brand, serial number, and each specific line. It is a very specific process and you have to be extremely careful and precise when pouring the putty because you have to make sure you reach from end to end and side to side to receive the exact information you need to help your case.

“Teeth are just like fingerprints and no one's teeth are the same” is what Ms. Donna Southall taught us on the third day. Dental casts can be used to match bite marks found on victims or objects at a crime scene to a specific individual, potentially leading to the identification of a perpetrator. I really enjoyed this day as I am planning on becoming an orthodontist I will be using impressions often but just not as the way they are used in forensics.

Today was the crime scene day, Mr. Garside presented us with a scenario to investigate. He explained that patrol officers had been called to the scene of a woman found dead in a bathtub by her husband, who had returned home from Bonefish Grill. The husband attempted CPR until paramedics arrived. Upon investigating the scene, we discovered four different prescription drugs along with a wine glass next to the tub. This made us originally think it was suicide just because when taking medicine you should not partake of alcohol. Additionally, the woman had six broken ribs and a head laceration that was still bleeding. Our working theory is that the death was either a suicide or accidental. We're leaning towards it being an accident, suggesting that the combination of alcohol and drugs in her system may have led to her death in the bathtub, while the husband may have caused the broken ribs during the CPR attempt. Tomorrow, we'll present our theory to the class and find out if we were about it being an accident.

Today, we presented our theory of what happened to the class. We had all the evidence that we needed to support our theory of it being an accident. We were able to rule out suicide because of the evidence that was found. We were not correct about it because it was a natural cause due to the inflammation of the heart and one of the medicines she took reacted with that as well as her going to the gym and sweating then going home and getting in a hot bath. I am sad we did not get it right but we had a good time solving it and we were somewhat on the right track.