1.2 Forensic Biologist account
The CSI identified and recovered the baseball bat at the crime scene. Pictures of the blood spatter at the scene were taken for later analysis and interpretation by a blood pattern analyst. The main items of evidence in this case involve potential DNA from blood and the baseball bat, fingerprints, digital evidence and any subsequent items that may be recovered, such as Dave’s clothing which will be documented, recovered, packaged and submitted to the laboratory.
Here you can see what a forensic science laboratory looks like, this is where a forensic scientist might examine items of potential evidential value in detail.
Download this video clip.Video player: Video 1: De Montfort University forensic science laboratory (recording by Emma Johnston)
Transcript: Video 1: De Montfort University forensic science laboratory (recording by Emma Johnston)
Emma Johnston
Welcome to the forensic science lab.
So this is the sort of environment where evidence from a case like Dave’s would be examined.
So we think about evidence going through a crime scene to lab to court process.
And forensic scientists would be examining evidence like from Dave’s case in a laboratory like this.
So they’d receive the evidence from crime scene examiners and be examining it.
Here they’d received the evidence in tamper evident bags like this one.
Here they’d be wearing their PPE, so gloves, face masks and so on.
And they’d be taking precautions to make sure that evidence from the victim and any potential suspects were kept separate.
Video 1: De Montfort University forensic science laboratory (recording by Emma Johnston)
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Now that you’ve seen the laboratory, listen to what the forensic biologist says about Dave’s case.
Download this audio clip.Audio player: Audio 5: Forensic Biologist
Transcript: Audio 5: Forensic Biologist
Forensic Biologist
In Dave’s case, the Forensic Biologist would examine the baseball bat and any clothing recovered from the victim/ suspect, testing any red/ brown staining for potential blood. A Blood Pattern Analyst may be able to interpret the distribution of staining on the baseball bat and in the locker room to reconstruct how the blood may have come to be where it was found. A sample of the blood on the baseball bat would be analysed for DNA. DNA analysis could also be performed on samples from the baseball bat handle.
Audio 5: Forensic Biologist
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