Intro to Crime Scene Investigation
A Scavenger Hunt!
Here is your first case:
The decomposing body of a young woman was discovered in the woods behind the football field at Pascack Hills High School. She was found clothed with no obvious wounds. There seemed to be evidence of a small campfire nearby and beer cans thrown around. What happened? Who is this woman? When did it happen? In order to solve this case, you need to learn the basics of crime scene investigation. Answer the questions below to help you.
To start, try this website Explore Forensics. It comes from England but the information is applicable for our investigators here in the U.S.!
1. What is a crime scene?
2. How and why should the crime scene be secured?
The Crime Scene Investigators Network will help you find the answers to the following questions. This web site has a huge amount of information ranging from crime scene searches to how to find a job as a forensic scientist!
3. What are the main assignments for a crime scene investigation?
4. Obviously the Team Leader is an extremely important job. What are the three top duties for this individual?
Now, how will your team search for the evidence at the scene? Continue using the following links fromCrime Scene Investigators Networkthis resource will help you to determine the proper way to identify and search for evidence.
5.What must be considered when collecting evidence?
6. List and briefly explain the stages of searching a crime scene
7.Since our crime scene is outdoors, what method of search would be appropriate?
8.How would fingerprints be collected from the beer cans?
What about the body? Who will be analyzing the body? Use the Marcopa County Website from Arizona to help you answer the following question:
9. What is the difference between a Medical examiner and a Coroner?
Check out this forensics educational resource Explore Forensics web site for answers to these questions:
10.Compare Rigor Mortis and Livor Mortis. What information can they indicate to the medical examiner?
This excellent Australian website from the Victorian Institute of Forensic Science will explain how the body is processed and analyzed.
11. First scroll down and read. What is an autopsy?
Then Scroll back up and Click on the video link under the picture and an answer these questions. Remember- you can pause the video if you need to.
12. When must an autopsy be performed?
13. What does the CT scan image produce?
14. After making observations about the exterior of the body, what will be the next step of the autopsy?
The Kings County Medical Examiners in Washington State office will help you with the following question:
15. Besides determine the cause, manner and mode of death, what other information does the Medical Examiners office try to determine?
How will you be able to identify the body? Check out this website Investigating Forensics from the SFU Museum of Archeology and Ethnology, BC, Canada for info that will help you answer the questions. By the way, this website also has a great activity that has you recover, analyze evidence and identify the remains from a burial site!
16. Compare antemortem data with postmortem data.
17. What is PMI?
Another way to determine PMI would be to see if there were any insects on the body. This short video is again from the SFU museum.
Click on the video to answer these questions.
18. What is the job of the forensic entomologist?
19. What are three types of information an entomologist can derive from the insects on the body?
What if the body was just skeletal remains? What specialist would you need to call in? Check out this video from the Smithsonian Institute National History Museum.
20. When would a forensic anthropologist be called to a scene?
Now that you have been “schooled” on some of the basics of crime scene investigation make an outline on how you plan to analyze the scene.