YOUR POLICE DEPARTMENT
TECHNICAL INVESTIGATION
SUPPLEMENTAL FIELD PROCESSING REPORT
CRIME/INCIDENT
CASE#:
LOCATION #1
CONNECTING CASE#
DATE & TIME ACTION TAKEN
LOCATION #2
CONNECTING CASER#
DATE / TIME REPORT COMPLETED
REQUESTING PERSON/OFFICER #1
DIVISION/UNIT
REQUESTING PERSON/OFFICER #2
DIVISION/UNIT
TYPE
NAME TYPE
NAME/LAST, FIRST, MIDDLE
DOB
INK FINGERPRINTS
TYPE
NAME TYPE
NAME/LAST, FIRST, MIDDLE
DOB
INK FINGERPRINTS
TYPE
NAME TYPE
NAME/LAST, FIRST, MIDDLE
DOB
INK FINGERPRINTS
TYPE
NAME TYPE
NAME/LAST, FIRST, MIDDLE
DOB
INK FINGERPRINTS
TYPE
NAME TYPE
NAME/LAST, FIRST, MIDDLE
DOB
INK FINGERPRINTS
TYPE: V-VICTIM S-SUSPECT I-INVEST. LEAD R-REPORTING PARTY O-REG. VEH. OWNER P-OTHER PERSON
NAME TYPE: B-BUSINESS G-GOVERNMENT P-PERSON R-RELIGIOUS O-OTHER U-UNKNOWN
VEH YEAR
MAKE
MODEL
LICENSE #
LIC STATE
VIN/OTHER IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS
COLOR
VEH YEAR
MAKE
MODEL
LICENSE #
LIC STATE
VIN/OTHER IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS
COLOR
VEH YEAR
MAKE
MODEL
LICENSE #
LIC STATE
VIN/OTHER IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS
COLOR
VEH YEAR
MAKE
MODEL
LICENSE #
LIC STATE
VIN/OTHER IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS
COLOR
VEH YEAR
MAKE
MODEL
LICENSE #
LIC STATE
VIN/OTHER IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS
COLOR
VEH YEAR
MAKE
MODEL
LICENSE #
LIC STATE
VIN/OTHER IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS
COLOR
TOTAL NUMBER OF
LIFTS
LATENT LOG ATTACHED
FILM
TOTAL NUMBER OF PHOTOGRAPHS
DIGITAL
POLAROID
YES / NO
ITEMS PLACED IN
EVIDENCE
DRUG TEST
PERFORMED
MARIJUANA REPORT
ATTACHED
MARIJUANA
TESTS
SODIUM
NITROPRUSSIDE
YES / NO
YES / NO
YES / NO
POS / NEG
POS / NEG
TECHNICIAN REPORTING
PHOTO LOG ATTACHED
YES / NO
COBALT THIOCYANATE
POS / NEG
ID SUPERVISOR
PAGE ______ OF ______
CASE#:
Narrative:
FINGERPRINTS
Latent Lifted
(Y/N)
Negative
Result
Observed
Description of Area/Item Processed
TECHNICIAN REPORTING
PAGE ______ OF ______
Running head: ANNOTATED REFERENCES
Annotated References
Student
Saint Leo University
Introduction to Crime Scene Investigation
Dr. Waugh
January 30, 20XX
1
ANNOTATED REFERENCES
2
References
DiMaio, V.J. (2000). Homicidal asphyxia. American Journal of Forensic Medicine and
Pathology, 1, 1-4.
This article contained information on 133 cases of strangulation victims. It gives
the percentages of those who were manually strangled opposed to being strangled
by a ligature and also lists injuries that are found on the victims. This article
discussed that strangulation by ligature is the most common category of
strangulation homicides. In cases of manual strangulation most victims exhibited
petechiae. Some other injuries sustained in manual strangulation are fractures of
the thyroid, hyoid, or cricoid cartilage. Also stated is that rape is a motive for
almost half of the victims who were manually strangled. I found this article
helpful because it gives me injuries that the victim in my case may have
sustained.
Dolinak, D., Matshes, E., & Lew, E. (2005). Forensic pathology: Principles and practice.
Available from
http://books.google.com/books?id=JdtgE0eHTL4C&pg=PT245&lpg=PT245&dq
=%22strangulation+homicide%22&source=web&ots=Tcgbs1MSn7&sig=m7KpH
gOWs6Krg8mG7fLJOQtYOU0&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=10&ct=
result#PPT45,M1
I utilized this textbook (electronic source) because it describes what symptoms
would be visible when asphyxia occurs. It also gave me a term to “name” my
strangulation case; it is mechanical asphyxia. The definition being that when
there is enough pressure placed on the neck, it results in respiration being
ANNOTATED REFERENCES
3
impossible or difficult which would apply to strangulation. It also discusses that
petechia would be observed on the neck and face because the blood builds up in
the capillaries. Within the text it is also stated that strangulation victims are
usually women or an elderly person of a small build and that the suspect is usually
larger than the victim and most times male. Also that a rape kit should be
performed, and that suicidal strangulations do occur but are rare. Collection of
evidence is also discussed. Some items that should be collected are fingernail
clippings, trace evidence, and the ligature (if applicable). This book was very
helpful as it gave detailed information of injuries sustained and evidence that
needs to be collected.
Fisher, B. A. J. (2004). Techniques of crime scene investigation (7th ed.). Boca Raton,
FL: CRC Press.
This textbook is a good source of information in finding out what should
be noted when entering a crime scene. It also provides information on how to
collect certain types of evidence such as glass, hairs, and fingerprints. It also gave
insight on lifting fingerprints from skin by a technique called the Kromekote Lift
Technique. It did say in the book that that lifting technique is unsuccessful most
of the time but may be attempted. Also included in the text is a section on
strangulation homicides. It provides what kind of marks would be found on the
neck of the victim if manually strangled. I think this book is useful in learning
the techniques of collecting evidence.
ANNOTATED REFERENCES
4
McClane, G., & Strack, G. (1999). How to improve your investigation and prosecution of
strangulation cases. Retrieved from
http://www.ncdsv.org/images/strangulation_article.pdf
I found this article very helpful as it provided important information on
strangulation cases. It provided information on the signs and symptoms of
strangulation victims. Some injuries that may occur in strangulation cases may
not be apparent until several hours after the crime was committed. The article
states that victims may involuntarily urinate and/or defecate, also that there will
be visible injuries to the neck and that some may be from the victim trying to
defend themselves. It also provided the difference between claw marks and
scratch marks and the difference between hanging and manual strangulation.
Photographs of the injuries should include both wide shots and close ups. It also
stressed that a ruler should be used when photographing injuries and that UV
photography should be used.
Pex, J. (n.d.). Domestic violence photography. Retrieved from http://www.crime-sceneinvestigatior.net/dv-photo.html
This article was helpful because it provided information on how to photograph
injuries on a victim of domestic violence. I was specifically looking for a type of
camera and/or film that would be used to enhance the appearance of bruises on a
victim. This article provides that information. Special wavelength photography
is used to enhance the visibility of the bruises. The Omnichrome 1000 or
Omnichrome FLS 5000 have wavelengths that emit a blue light which is helpful.
This article also lists types of film that aid in photographing bruises.
ANNOTATED REFERENCES
5
Saferstein, R. (2004). Criminalistics: An introduction to forensic science (2nd ed.). Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
I utilized this textbook for information on which units in a forensic/crime
laboratory will conduct analysis on certain types of evidence. Some of the units
written about are toxicology, latent fingerprint, polygraph, biology and
photography. I used this textbook to determine how and by whom the evidence
collected would be examined. This book also discusses how DNA is analyzed
and what CODIS is and why it is such a valuable system. The skin and blood
samples taken from the victim’s fingernail scrapings will help to identify the
suspect. The analysis of DNA is crucial to find the identity. The text book
describes methods such as short tandem repeat and polymerase chain reaction as a
part of the analysis.
Turvey, B. (2002). Criminal profiling: An introduction to behavioral evidence analysis
(2nd ed.). Retrieved from
http://books.google.com/books?id=1V2SRqrTnLgC&pg=PA250&lpg=PA250&d
q=scholarly+journals+on+strangulation+homicides&source=web&ots=CA6tyMvj
AC&sig=uMhehSgvhudHigTxCNGQ5AwxDnI&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&
resnum=5&ct=result#PPP1,M1
I am utilizing this text book because it provides information about a
strangulation homicide case. It describes that the victim died of asphyxia, the
“lack of oxygen and blood sugar reaching the brain due to the blood vessels of the
neck having been compressed”. It also states that the victim was manually
strangled and provides details of her injuries. These descriptions will help in
ANNOTATED REFERENCES
6
creating my crime scene. It will allow me to take information from a real case
and apply it to mine. The injuries I create on my victim will be true injuries that
would be appear on an actual victim of manual strangulation. Some of these
injuries include fingernail marks and bruising on the victim’s neck.
Well done! You took the advice I gave and provided great information regarding your
resources. I look forward to reading your crime scene investigation report and discussing
the case in class. Don’t forget: in addition to the case crime scene investigation report,
you will be presenting your case with a PowerPoint visual to assist you.
Running head: BYOCS: CRIME SCENE
BYOCS: Crime Scene Investigation
Final Case Report
Student
Saint Leo University
Introduction to Crime Scene Investigation
Dr. Waugh
January 30, 20XX
1
BYOCS: CRIME SCENE
2
Crime Scene
At 1000 hours, January 18, 20XX, I received a call from dispatch to process a
death investigation at 1234 Pullman Loop in Anywhere, Florida. The only information
given to me before I got to the scene was as follows.
Upon arrival at the scene, the responding officer, Jackson Hughes with the
Anywhere Police Department, provided me with some information. Officer Hughes
provided me with the name of the victim, Joanne Collins, and notified me that her
boyfriend, Rodney Martinek, could not be reached. He also informed me of who
discovered the body, how the body was discovered, the paths that were walked by the
person who found the body and the paths taken by himself and EMS. The victim’s
daughter, Tiffany Van, arrived at the house around 0930 and found her mother dead in
the kitchen. He also let me know that neither he nor EMS moved anything, and that Mrs.
Van claimed to have only touched the door on the way in and out, and took the phone on
the way out to call 911. Also relayed to me was the whereabouts of the body and obvious
evidence within the house. As I pulled up, I noticed that the residence seemed to be a
villa, so I asked Officer Hughes if there was anybody residing next door. According to
Officer Hughes, the attached villa was rented by a middle-aged couple who traveled
frequently and they were not home.
When I first entered the house, I conducted a survey and decided to use the
quadrant search method. Also, as entering the house I noted conditions such as the
temperature, odors in the air, whether the lights where on or off, and whether windows
and doors were open or closed (Fisher, 2004). The temperature was 75°F and there no
particular aroma. A table lamp was on in the living room as well as the ceiling fan and
BYOCS: CRIME SCENE
3
lights in the area beside the kitchen. I was told that the front door had been locked when
Mrs. Van entered the house earlier that morning. The sliding door leading to the patio
was closed but unlocked. The sliding doors were also covered by a maroon colored bed
sheet. The screen door leading from the patio to the driveway was closed but unlocked.
All the doors leading to bedrooms and bathrooms in the house were open. All windows in
the house were closed. As I walked though the crime scene wearing personal protection
equipment (PPE), I sketched and took notes on where evidence was located. I sketched
the scene employing an overview sketch as it seemed to be the most appropriate method
to use.
After surveying the crime scene I decided to start processing the scene in the
patio, as this seemed to be where the altercation might have begun. Upon entering the
patio from the inside of the house I noted that there was a small glass table along the East
wall, just west of the entryway. Also along that wall was a rack for drying clothes. On the
floor near the north wall of the patio there were two magazines that seem to have been
thrown on the ground along with a broken drinking glass. In the southwest corner of the
room was a chair, just beside the screen door along the south wall. In the center of the
room was a table with only two chairs, one sat along the west wall and the other along the
east. On the table there were magazines, utility bills, Pringles, a glass containing an
orange colored beverage, and a bottle of Smirnoff Vodka.
Before collecting any evidence from the room, I photographed each piece of
evidence with a digital camera and took pictures so I would have a complete 360° view of
the room once the film was developed. I collected a sample of the beverage and lifted two
fingerprints off the glass. I was also able to lift five fingerprints off the table top and
BYOCS: CRIME SCENE
4
lifted two off of the vodka bottle. All of the fingerprints were lifted by dusting the print
with fingerprint powder and them placing a piece of transparent cellophane tape over it
(Fisher, 2004). I then collected the broken glass and lifted a fingerprint found on one of
the larger pieces. I also fingerprinted the handle on the screen door. I also searched for
footprints and shoeprints on the patio floor but found none. There were no shoe
impressions found outdoors as the entire east side of the house was a cement driveway.
After processing the patio I moved on to the kitchen. The kitchen consisted of a
long counter along the west wall, a pantry along the northeast wall, and a stove and
refrigerator along the east wall. The victim’s body lay at the north end of the kitchen, the
top half of her body leaning on the northeast corner wall and the bottom half of her body
lay extended toward the south end of the kitchen. The victim is a Caucasian female with
blonde hair and appeared to be in her mid-fifties. She seemed to be approximately 5”1’
tall and about 125 pounds. The victim was wearing a light blue outfit that may be
pajamas. The victim appeared to have been strangled. There was slight redness and minor
bruising on the victim’s neck. There was also more pronounced red marks on the right
side of the victim’s neck that may have been caused by the victim trying to pry whatever
was strangling her (Baeza, et al., 2002). I first took overall pictures of the kitchen, a close
up of a clump of hair found laying in front of the stove, and close ups of the victim’s
body as well as close ups of her neck with and without scales. As permission to process
the body for evidence was given by the medical examiner, I proceeded to examine the
body for crucial evidence. I took fingernail scrapings (using a toothpick) from the victim
and placed them into a pharmaceutical fold, as well as combing her hair for fibers and
pieces of glass. I also found a partial print on the victim’s neck and tried to lift it using
BYOCS: CRIME SCENE
5
the Kromekote Lift Technique (Fisher, 2004). I also collected fibers and hairs found on
her shirt and a clump of hair found on the floor by her feet. I then fingerprinted the door
knobs of the front door, back door, and bedroom.
The living room, bathrooms, and bedrooms were not processed as they did not
seem to pertain to the crime scene. Nothing in the rooms suggested that there had been an
altercation or struggle there. Processing of the crime scene concluded at 1145 hours.
Twenty-four hours after processing the crime scene, I met with the medical
examiner, Dr. Oopa, to take additional photographs of the victim’s neck. In strangulation
cases bruises may not appear for several hours (McClane, 1999, para. 26). The bruising
was a bit more pronounced than during the initial investigation. The bruising directly
under the victim’s chin and on the right side of the victim’s neck was more visible. I
photographed the bruising with and without a scale utilizing the Omnichrome 1000
camera that emits a blue light, which helps enhance the appearance of bruising (Pex, n.d.,
para. 25). Dr. Oopa confirmed that the victim died as a result of mechanical asphyxia and
that the manner of death was a homicide. The medical examiner also explained that
petechia were observed in the victim’s eyes and the victim’s thyroid was fractured (Bell,
et al., n.d.; DiMaio, 2000). A rape kit was also performed and revealed that there was no
sexual activity or assault involved. The medical examiner also sent samples of blood and
urine to the Anywhere Police Department Crime Lab to be examined by a toxicologist to
determine if the victim had any alcohol or drugs in her system.
Each step taken at the crime scene was extremely important. The photographs will
provide information needed if the scene were to be reconstructed. They are helpful in
jogging your memory and are beneficial for court. The sketch is extremely important as it
BYOCS: CRIME SCENE
6
will depict the layout of the house, where the body as found, and will show where
important evidence was found. When sketching distances of evidence and the body from
walls, windows, and/ or doors should be marked down. This will help in placing evidence
in the correct area in a reconstruction and will provide more information in the
courtroom. The sketch will depict where evidence was found while the photographs will
provide a detailed image of the evidence. Notes taken at the crime scene will help aid in
reconstruction if necessary and if any of the investigators forget something the notes can
be referred back to.
Each piece of evidence collected was important in its own way. When collecting
the evidence each piece was packaged separately in the appropriate containers and bags.
On each evidence bag and container I wrote my name, the date and time, the name of my
agency, the case number, the victim’s name, and a description of the object collected. I
collected glass fragments from the patio to compare with the ones combed out of the
victim’s hair. The liquid was collected to identify the contents of the glass. Hairs and
fibers found on the body were collected to identify who came in contact with her.
Scrapings from her fingernails will probably be the most informative, as they may
contain DNA from the suspect if she was able to scratch him. Fingerprints lifted were of
great importance in identifying who had been in the house and who had strangled her.
Once all the evidence was collected, I submitted it to the Anywhere Police
Department Crime Lab to be analyzed. To analyze the evidence for this case several
different units will have to participate. The latent unit will process the fingerprints
collected, toxicology will process bodily fluids to test for drugs and/or alcohol and test
BYOCS: CRIME SCENE
7
the liquid collected from the living room. The biology section will process the hairs,
fibers and blood swabs collected (Saferstein, 2004).
After analysis of the evidence the clump of hair found on the kitchen floor
belonged to the victim, and the hair found on the victim’s shirt belonged to herself, her
husband, and of a feline. Known samples of hair were taken from the victim’s body and
of the feline found at the crime scene. Samples of hair from the suspect were obtained by
collecting a comb that belonged to him. The comb was known to be his as it was
provided by his mother. The clump of hair found on the kitchen floor had follicular tissue
attached to the root which suggested that the hair was forcibly removed, most likely by
the suspect (Saferstein, 2004).
The liquid from the glass was determined to be a mixture of vodka and orange
juice. Toxicology reports show that there were no drugs or alcohol in the victim’s system.
This information suggests that the victim was sober while the suspect was most likely
consuming the alcoholic beverage. The broken glass in the living room matched the
fragments found in the victim’s hair. From this information it may be concluded that the
suspect threw the glass at the victim and missed as there were no injuries on the victim
consistent with being hit with the glass.
Fingerprints on the front door entry belonged to the victim, the suspect, and
Tiffany Van. Prints lifted from the sliding door to the patio belonged to the victim and
suspect. The glass containing the orange juice and vodka, had fingerprints that belonged
only to the suspect. The one print lifted from the piece of broken glass and the two lifted
from the Smirnoff bottle belonged to the suspect as well. The fingerprints lifted from the
screen door in the patio leading to the drive way belonged to both the victim and the
BYOCS: CRIME SCENE
8
suspect. The fingerprint that I attempted to lift from the victim’s neck did not yield any
results as the ridge details were not pronounced enough.
It was DNA found under the fingernails of the victim that led to the identity of
the suspect. The victim must have injured the suspect because the laboratory technicians
were able to extract a DNA profile. After running the profile through the Combined DNA
Index System (CODIS), the DNA matched that of the victim’s boyfriend, Rodney
Martinek. It was learned that Mr. Martinek was previously convicted of battery on a law
enforcement officer and his profile was already present in the database.
The results of the analysis coincide with statements taken from the victim’s
friends and family. Statements were taken saying that the couple argued regularly which
drove the suspect to frequently visit his mother’s residence. It was gathered that the
suspect often drank and has become violent with the victim many times before, but that
the victim never contacted the police. Ms. Collins contacted Mrs. Van by telephone (at
approximately 0715) that morning threatening to break up wither her boyfriend because
of their continuous arguments about financial responsibility.
A BOLO (be on the look out) was put out for a black 1992 Pontiac Grand Prix, as
this car belonged to the victim but was not located. The description of the driver was as
follows: a Caucasian male of about 45 years with dark hair, weighing approximately 180
pounds and standing approximately 5’8” tall. The mother of the suspect stated that Mr.
Rodney Collins was born in Toms River, New Jersey and has many friends that reside in
the state. Because of the statement of the suspect having ties in New Jersey, it is
suspected that he may have taken the vehicle and fled the state. The Anywhere Police
BYOCS: CRIME SCENE
Department contacted the police department in Toms River with information pertaining
to the case and with instructions to extradite if the suspect was apprehended.
9
BYOCS: CRIME SCENE
10
References
DiMaio, V. J. (2000). Homicidal asphyxia. America Journal of Forensic Medicine and
Pathology, 1, 1-4.
Dolinak, D., Matshes, E., & Lew, E. (2005). Forensic pathology: Principles and practice.
Available from
http://books.google.com/books?id=JdtgE0eHTL4C&pg=PT245&lpg=PT245&dq
=%22strangulation+homicide%22&source=web&ots=Tcgbs1MSn7&sig=m7KpH
gOWs6Krg8mG7fLJOQtYOU0&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=10&ct=
result#PPT45,M1
Fisher, B. A. J. (2004). Techniques of crime scene investigation (7th ed.). Boca Raton,
FL: CRC Press.
McClane, G., & Strack, G. (1999). How to improve your investigation and prosecution of
strangulation cases. Retrieved from
http://www.ncdsv.org/images/strangulation_article.pdf
Pex, J. (n.d.). Domestic violence photography. Retrieved from http://www.crime-sceneinvestigatior.net/dv-photo.html
Saferstein, R. (2004). Criminalistics: An introduction to forensic science (2nd ed.). Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Turvey, B. (2002). Criminal profiling: An introduction to behavioral evidence analysis
(2nd ed.). Retrieved from
http://books.google.com/books?id=1V2SRqrTnLgC&pg=PA250&lpg=PA250&d
q=scholarly+journals+on+strangulation+homicides&source=web&ots=CA6tyMvj
BYOCS: CRIME SCENE
11
AC&sig=uMhehSgvhudHigTxCNGQ5AwxDnI&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&
resnum=5&ct=result#PPP1,M1
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