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Forensic Science Facts

Forensic Science Facts

·        The famous fictional character Sherlock Holmes used forensic science as one of his methods for investigating crimes.

·        The study of fingerprints is called 'Dactylography'

·        Alec Jeffreys, and English geneticist, was the first to develop a technique to use DNA for identification purposes

·        Victims of fires and explosions are most commonly identified by their dental records. Teeth are very useful in victim identification because they decay much more slowly and can withstand extreme temperatures that bones cannot.

·        Animals are sometimes hunted illegally. This is known as poaching. A forensic scientist can use evidence left at the scene to help authorities arrest the person or the people who killed an endangered animal, hunted more than they were permitted, or who was hunting outside of the rules.

Want To Be a Forensic Scientist?

Here are just a few of the possible jobs available in the world of forensic science:

1. medical examiner - performs autopsies

2. chemist - analyzes chemicals found

3. forensic engineer - might determine how a structure collapsed

4. toxicologist - tests for poisons

5. DNA analyst - uses DNA to identify victims or suspects

6. lab technician - studies blood and other body samples

7. computer technician - records information for safe keeping

8. fingerprint expert - can identify specific patterns in fingerprints

9. handwriting expert - can determine handwriting patterns

10.   psychiatrists - study crimes for determining prevention in the future

11.   anthropologists - study bones to determine age, gender, race, etc.

12.   ballistics - determine the gun and ammunition used in a crime

Other professionals can be called on in particular situations including plumbers, electricians, nurses, doctors, dentists, and anyone else who might have information specific to the details of a case.

Real Case Studies- And how they were solved!

1. Lindbergh baby kidnapping case

Charles Lindbergh was a hero, a giant of the new worldwide media outlets. His intrepid and extremely dangerous solo flight across the Atlantic in the Spirit of St. Louis was a first in human history and changed forever what the world considered time and distance between continents. When his 20-month-old son was kidnapped and subsequently murdered it caused a nationwide flurry of fear and fascination—the people wanted this case solved.
One of the pieces of evidence gathered at the crime scene was the homemade ladder used to climb up the side of the Lindbergh home to snatch the baby from his crib. Forest Service scientist Arthur Koehler was able to identify through microscopic techniques the wood used in the ladder. This allowed for a step-by-step process of discovering where the wood for the ladder was milled and ultimately sold, and to whom–Hauptmann. Additionally, Koehler was able to prove that one of the steps used in the ladder was from a plank of wood in Hauptmann’s attic.
This was the first time wood forensics were used in a major trail

2. Atlanta Murders

Over a two-year period, 29 young African Americans were found strangled and smothered in Atlanta, Ga. Eventually, a police stakeout identified a suspect, Wayne Williams, who had a suspicious explanation for why he was on a bridge not far from where a body was found two days later. Lacking witnesses, forensic investigators built a case against Williams that was based almost entirely upon fiber and statistical evidence. Working with chemists from textile maker DuPont, they linked a fiber found in one victim’s hair to an unusual make of carpet in Williams' home, and calculated that the odds of the victim coming in contact with it in the Atlanta area were 1 in 7,792. A fragment of rayon found on another victim’s shorts was consistent with the carpeting in Williams’ station wagon, a match that had a 1-in-3,828 chance of occurring in Atlanta. Either piece of evidence left room for reasonable doubt, but the probability of both happening by coincidence was 1 in 29,827,776. Fiber evidence from other victims drove the odds up into the trillions. It took a jury less than 12 hours of deliberation to find Williams guilty, and he is now serving two life terms.

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