Monday, December 5, 2011

Crime Scene Investigation

The Clues
Clue 1: High heeled shoe indicates a female victim or criminal.
photo 4.JPG
Clue 2: Note that says “Someone please help me”, matches Tyese Jefferson’s handwriting.photo 4.JPG
Clue 2A: Note that says “You will never find her” indicates a murder and that the victim was female. The handwriting matches Smokey Johnson

photo 5.JPG
Clue 3: Fingerprint- Plain whorl pattern, matches Smokey Johnson’s print
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Clue 3A: Fingerprint- Ulnar loop that matches Sandra O’Connor and Tyese Jefferson
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Clue 4: A piece of jewelry, indicates that either the victim or criminal was a female. Also indicates that there was a struggle that caused it to fall off
photo 3.JPG
Clue 5: A piece of nylon
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Clue 6: A clear liquid that contained Iodine. Iodine can be used to poison someone with a thyroid problem. Tyese Jefferson had a thyroid problem, indicates that she was the victim of a poisoning intended to kill her.
photo 2.JPG
Clue 7: Large footprint-13.5” long, 4.5” wide. Indicates that either victim or criminal was malephoto 3.JPG
Clue 8: A+ blood sample, matches with Tyese Jefferson and Courtney Smith’s blood type. Indicates that there was a struggle, Could belong to either victim or criminal
photo 1.JPG
Clue 9: A hair strand that matches with black female hair, color was dark brown, light brown, and white. Indicates that there was a struggle that caused the hair to be pulled out, also indicates that the grey hairs would belong to someone old-either Tyese Jefferson or Cindy Brown.
photo 5.JPG
Clue 10: A fingerprint left on glass, could not be identified as to who it was.

The Story
Based on the evidence at hand I believe that Tyese Jefferson was the victim and that Smokey Johnson was the criminal. I believe that Smokey Johnson knew Tyese because they both worked at a school together, he was the cafeteria worker and she was the counselor. Based on the profiles and previous evidence I believe that Smokey stalked Tyese but she put out a restraining order on him which made him angry. Smokey knew that Tyese had a thyroid problem so he poisoned her food with iodine when she went to the school cafeteria to get food, I based this observation off of clue #6. Because Tyese had a thyroid problem the iodine made her sick and she went home early that day. Then based on clue #7 I believe that Smokey went to Tyese’s house and entered her house leaving a footprint on her front yard. Once Tyese and noticed Smokey in her front yard she wrote a note saying “Someone please help me”, this observation was based off of clue #2. Based on Clue #3 Smokey then entered the house leaving a fingerprint on the doorknob. After this based off of clue #9, there was a struggle in which Tyese’s hair was ripped out and her earring fell off. Because of clue #1, and #8 I believe that Tyese tried to run and her but her shoe slipped off of her foot and she fell and her head hit a table killing her and leaving a blood spatter on the table. After this Smokey Johnson had to cover up his crime so he wrote a note saying "you will never find her" then he took her body and buried it in the back yard.
Persons of Interest








Sunday, December 4, 2011

Fingerprinting


History of Fingerprinting:
  
http://static5.depositphotos.com/1026645/439/v/450/dep_4395062-Editable-vector-fingerprint.jpg
Fingerprints have been used to identify criminals for over 100 years, they are also the most commonly used forensic evidence worldwide. One of the reasons that they are so commonly used is that fingerprints do not change over time while other features do. Fingerprints were first used for identification by William Herschel; he used these fingerprints as identification on contracts.  Later a man named Alphonse Bertillon devised a system known as the Bertillon system that took measurements such as head length, width, and length of the middle finger, length of left foot, and length of the forearm to elbow. These measurements were used to then classify criminals by their characteristics, although when a man was sent to prison and it was found that he shared measurements with another prisoner the Bertillon System was called into question as a reliable method of identifying criminals. Later in 1883 Mark Twain wrote a book in which fingerprints were used to catch a murderer. Then in 1892, when a women murdered her two sons a bloody fingerprint was used by Juan Vucetich to link the women to the murder. The use of fingerprints started to become widely used in the 1900’s. In 1901 England and Wales starting using fingerprints for criminal identification. Then in 1902 fingerprints were used for evidence for the first time in English courts. In 1905 the U.S army began using the fingerprints for identification of soldiers. One of the main issues of fingerprinting was that it took weeks to sort through the different fingerprints and find a match, but then in 1980 the first computer database of fingerprints was developed. As computers became more developed they have been able to improve the identification of fingerprints and combine fingerprints from all across the world into a single database.
The Basic Types of Fingerprints:

There are three basic types of fingerprints: Visible or Patent prints, latent prints, impressed or plastic prints. Visible prints are fingerprints that have been left in a substance like blood or ink that leaves the prints visible to the naked eye. Latent prints are fingerprints that are left when sweat forms on the body and then the hand comes in contact with a surface, they are not visible to the naked eye and must be developed by dusting, fuming, or through the use of chemical reagents. Impressed prints are fingerprints that are left in a pliable substance such as wax or clay.

Latent:

Plastic:

http://belladia.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341cc08553ef0133ed135080970b-800wi
Patent:
http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/5472104/2/istockphoto_5472104_fingerprints_and_glass.jpg
Methods of Developing Fingerprints:
http://www.fingerprintacademy.com/dusting_for_fingerprints.jpg
There are several different ways to develop prints on different surfaces, dusting, fuming, or use of a chemical reagent. Dusting is one of the most common and widely used methods, although the actual powder used can differ depending on the color and substance of the surface the print is on. For this method you put dust the print with the powder, then use tape to lift the print off the substance and preserve it. There are many different chemical reagents used to develop prints, but one of the most common in ninhydrin, this chemical is swabbed, or dripped onto the surface then it reacts with the amino acids in the print and lights it up allowing it to be visible to the naked eye. One of the most common methods of fuming involves emitting iodine vapors over the print which will then light up the print for a short amount of time.
Basic Fingerprint Patterns:
There are three basic types of fingerprints: arches, loops, and whorls. Loops are seen in about 60-70% of patterns encountered, they are when the ridge enters from one side, recurves and then touches or crosses the line form core to the delta.  Whorls are seen in about 15-35% of prints, any print that has two or more deltas is a whorl. Arches are in about 5% of prints, an arch is when the ridges go from side to side with an upward “tent” in the middle.
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRHIITkU3nCuEN0tBJeg1aqA59SWkR6O1f1MDKVYy50RVwxef8i5LcMEWAb
Techniques to Lift Fingerprints:
There are many different techniques to lift prints, but the three most common are: hinge lifter, rubber lifter, and cellophane tape. When using a hinge lifter you place the lifter part on the print evenly, then lift it away and you use the hinged cover to protect the print from any contaminants. With the rubber lifter you remove the plastic cover, place the adhesive side of the tape on the print, then peel it away, use a plastic cover to protect the print. Cellophane tape is used on non-flat surfaces because it attaches to the contours of the surface. You should rub the tape gently over the print, then lift it away gently as well. Quickly apply it to a card or paper to preserve the print. When using these methods it is important to avoid getting your own fingerprint on the tape. You should also avoid bubbles because they will destroy the print.
http://store.sirchie.com/Assets/ProductImages/144L2_.jpg




Hair and Fiber

History of Hair and Fiber Analysis:

Ever since the early 1900’s hair and fiber analysis has played a crucial part in convicting criminals. During the 1900’s Edmond Locard published his principle which states that every contact leaves a trace which laid the groundwork for the use of trace evidence in crime scene investigations. The first major book that talked about the study of hair was published in France, 1857, this book sparked the beginning of the use of hair analysis in crime scene investigations. Later in 1931 Professor John Glaister published his book "Hairs of Mammalia from the Medico-legal Aspect” which soon became a renowned resource for hair analysis information. Then again in 1977 John Hick’s book “Microscopy of Hairs: A Practical Guide and Manual” laid out the groundwork for the use of hair evidence by the forensic scientists. During the 1900’s Edmond Locard published his principle which states that every contact leaves a trace which laid the groundwork for the use of trace evidence in crime scene investigations.
http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/justmeyo/justmeyo1011/justmeyo101100451/8333065-close-up-of-man-looking-through-microscope-and-taking-notes-in-clipboard-in-laboratory.jpg

Major Types of Fibers:
There are several different types of fibers that are typically seen in crime scenes, these can include: cotton, wool, hemp, polyester, and nylon. Cotton is the most used textile fiber and is just about any type of clothing; it is also a natural fiber. Wool is another natural fiber; it is cultivated from sheep and other animals. Hemp is a natural fiber as well; it is harvested from a hemp plant and is mainly used in clothing. Polyester is a synthetic fiber; it’s mainly made up of a synthetic polymer. Polyester is used for most forms of clothing, and most home furnishings.  Nylon was the first true synthetic fiber; it is used in many things such as clothing and furnishings. 

Nylon:
http://static-www.icr.org/i/articles/btg/btg-222b-velcro.jpg
Cotton:
http://egyptiancottonsheets.info/cotton-fibers.jpg
Wool:
http://www.csiro.au/files/images/p8m2.jpg
Hemp:
http://alpinemeadowsguild.org/images/hemp_fiber_bundle.jpg
Polyester:
http://mee-inc.com/hamm/cloth39.jpg

Collecting Hair and Fiber Evidence:
http://www.evidentcrimescene.com/cata/evid3/traceTape.jpg

When collecting hair and fibers forensic investigators typically use adhesive tape, the investigator will lay down the tape over an area to pick up the fibers. When the investigator lifts the tape up it will pick up the hair and fiber which can then be taken back to the lab for analysis. 







Analyzing Hair and Fiber Evidence:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3602/3492708000_b158ca7f6a.jpg

After a scientist has collected the hair and fibers he has to analyze them. This can be done in several ways, whether it is examining the hair or fibers under a microscope, or testing them for certain chemicals such as marijuana, or chloroform. One of the tests is using polarized light microscopy which is shining a different light on the fiber because certain fibers will refract light differently. This method is particularly helpful for attempting to match certain fibers to other ones. 



Reliability of Hair and Fiber Evidence:

Hair and fiber analysis is typically very reliable but usually alone is not able to convict a suspect. The FBI has published the “Forensic Science Communications” which states that by providing many associations and cross matches that is conducted by several examiners the validity of hair and fiber analysis evidence approaches 100%. FBI investigator Doug Deedrick says that hair evidence is only of value when used in conjunction with other evidence. When using hair evidence scientists can run certain tests on the hair to tell if a person has ingested certain drugs which can prove or disprove a suspects story. 


http://www.torange.us/photo/2/13/Fibers-tissue-under-the-microscope-1238403769_78.jpg

A Famous Case in Which Hair and Fiber Evidence Was Used:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/driskell/gfx/driskell.jpg

One of the major cases in which hair and fiber evidence was used was in the wrongful conviction of James Driskell. James Driskell had been accused of murdering Perry Harder. The case had been based upon the assumption that Driskell had killed Harder to prevent him testifying against him in court. Forensic investigators found three hairs in Driskell’s van that they claimed were Harper’s hair. Driskell served 12 years in jail before DNA analysis of the hair proved that they were not Harder’s hair.

Handwriting

History of Handwriting Analysis:

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/handwriting-analysis-4.jpg

The history of handwriting analysis, or graphology, dates back to over 2,000 years ago to when Aristotle noticed the correlation between handwriting and personality. Much later in 1622 an Italian professor published a book that said “It is obvious that all persons write in their own peculiar way…” providing the basis for modern day handwriting analysis. Then in 1882 a women named Mary Booth became very interested in the study of handwriting and started publishing books on the subject. Since the early 1900’s handwriting analysis has helped solve crime as well as studying someone’s character. There are two uses for handwriting analysis in forensic crimes. First to tell the personality of a criminal through their writing, or two, to compare a suspect’s handwriting to notes that could link the suspect to the crime. Besides the use of handwriting analysis it can also be used to determine if handwritten documents are real or fake based on if the handwriting matches up.

12 Handwriting Characteristics:




There are many handwriting characteristics that handwriting experts will look at when attempting to match up two different samples. These characteristics include:
  1.     Line quality: Are the marks smooth and flowing, or are they shaky and wavering?
  2.     Spacing of words and letters: Is the spacing consistent between each letter and word, or does it vary?
  3.     Ratio of relative height, width, and size of letters: Is the ratio of the letters consistent, what is the ratio?
  4.     Pen lifts and separations: Does the person stop to form new letters and begin words, are there dark spots where the pen may have rested? Forgeries of ten have lifts and pauses in strange places.
  5.     Connecting strokes: Are the capitals connected to the lowercase letters, are there connecting strokes between lowercase letters and words?
  6.     Beginning and ending strokes: How are the beginning and ending strokes curved, upwards, downward, long short, etc.?
  7.     Unusual letter formation: Are any letters formed differently, such as backward letters or unusual capitals?
  8.     Shading or pen pressure: Is the pressure on the upward or downward strokes?
  9.     Slant: Which direction is the writing slanted, right, left vertical?
  10.      Baseline habits: Is the writing above or below the line, do certain letters drop lower than the rest?
  11.      Flourishes and embellishments: Are there any flourishes or embellishments, what are they?
  12.      Diacritic placement: How are the t’s crossed, how are the j’s and i’s dotted, are they to the right or to left of the letter? 
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/handwriting-analysis-questioned.gif
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/handwriting-analysis-exemplar.gif
At first glance these two samples look almost identical, but look closer and you will notice several differences.
The g's have a different curve, one is wider and lower, the other is close together and come higher up
The y's also have differences, one is wider and less slanted, the other has a curve on the tail and is slanted to the left.
The u's in "daughter" are different to, one has more of a stem and is slanted, while the other has a very short stem and is vertical.
The pen pressure on the I's is different too, the top one the pressure is failry even, but looks more bottom to top. The bottom sample one is much thinner, and the pressure is bottom to top.

A Famous Forgery Case:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2009/09/03/hitlerfritsch3003381000_1.gif
One of the most famous forging cases of the 20th century was the “Hitler Diary” case. This case started in the 1980’s when a man named Konrad Kujau entered a German publishing company claiming he had over 60 handwritten journals written by Adolf Hitler that had been found on a crashed plane that had departed from Germany. The publishing company paid Konrad 2.3 million dollars for the rights to the journals, and quickly began licensing them to newspaper companies across the world. The New York Times before using the diaries first asked for a handwriting analysis to prove the diaries were Hitler’s. The handwriting experts looked at the diaries then compared them to other documents supposedly written by Hitler, and the documents were proclaimed true. Later analysis of the paper and ink were used to expose the documents as false, but they also discovered that the examples they compared the diary too were false as well. If the handwriting experts had been using real documents written by Adolf Hitler they would have been able to expose the diaries as fakes, but seeing as how the exemplars they were using were in fact written by the same person who wrote the diaries the experts were unable to expose them as a fake.


Activities

Drug Activity:

In this activity we tested several different samples of liquids to see if they contained either cocaine or LSD. We were able to determine if these drugs by using an indicator in the sample. We would add a drop of the cocaine indicator and if the liquid turned blue then the substance had tested positive for cocaine, when the LSD indicator was added the substance would turn yellow if positive. We also tested the pH of the substances to help us determine if their might have been a drug added to substance. In this activity we also researched the chemical name, pH, and biochemical tests for each drug. We discovered that cocaine’s chemical name is Benzoylmethyl ecgonine, it’s pH was about 7, and that a biochemical test used to detect cocaine is the immunoassay test. LSD’s chemical name is lysergic acid diethylamide, its pH is about 4, but I was unable to find any biochemical tests for LSD.

Data:
Sample
pH
Cocaine (blue)
LSD (yellow)
1
6
+
-
2
9
+
-
3
3
-
+
4
7.5
+
-
5
6.6
+
-
6
3.5
-
+

Create a Profile:

In this activity we had five clues and based on them we had to determine what had happened. Clue number 1 was a set of fingerprints, clue 2 was a medium sized black hair, clue 3 was a note saying  that "you will never find her", clue 4 was another hair but this time it was short and black, clue 5 was a red stain although without further analysis of the stain I would not know what exactly the stain was. Based off of clue 4 I believe that the criminal was a male because the hair was short, I believe that the victim was a female based on the note and the longer hair. I also believe that it was a murder because of the clue 3, I do not think that this was a kidnapping because there was no ransom note and the red stain could be blood. My next steps in this investigation would be to send the stain away for analysis and determine if it was blood or not, start running a fingerprint match to determine if the clue 1 was left by the victim or criminal, and if I could identify the either based off of the fingerprints. I would also start looking for people with short black hair as the criminal.


Poison Activity:
In this activity we tested several different substances to see if they contained a poison. The poisons that we tested for on the various samples were cyanide, iodine, metal poisons such as lead, iron, or chromate, sugar, household ammonia, and aspirin. We would drop the indicators in the samples, and if they turned a certain color then we would know that the sample contained the poison. For the metal poisons the indicators we used were KI to test for lead, KSCN to test for iron, and acid to test for chromate. We found that sample one contained only lead, sampled two contained lead and iron, and sample three contained lead and chromate. When testing for sugar we found that none of the samples contained sugar. In the ammonia test we found that sample 1 had a ph lower than 7, it had an odor and that the phenolphthalein was pink, all of these indicate a positive test for ammonia. Sample two had a pH lower than 7 but the odor and phenolphthalein were not a match for ammonia. For sample three none of the tests indicated the presence of ammonia. When testing for aspirin we found that sample 1 had a pH below 7 and that the bromothymol blue did turn yellow indicating a presence of aspirin, sample two and three both had a pH of around 7 but the bromothymol blue did not turn yellow indicating that they did not contain aspirin.. For the cyanide test we found that sample one and three contained no traces of poison, but sample two did contain cyanide.  In the iodine test we found that sample one and two did not contain iodine, while sample three did contain the iodine. 

Lip Imprint Activity:
In this activity we created prints of our lips on a postcard twice. On one note card we wrote our names and labeled certain characteristics of our lips such as lager top lip, big dip in middle, etc. We then switched imprints with another group and attempted to match the unknown prints with the known ones. In our group we were fairly successful in matching the unknown lip prints with the known ones, but the group that we switched prints with had two wrong matches. 
Footprint Activity:
During class we did an analysis of a footprint as a method of gathering information about a criminal or victim. In this activity we first stepped into a box filled with sand to lay down an imprint of our shoe. Then we examined the footprint for discerning characteristics that would allow us to identify a criminal. We also had to record weather conditions such as temperature, humidity, and wind direction and strength. When doing the analysis of my foot I noticed that my shoe had a zigzag pattern on the back heel, and top left side. There was also a box with writing on it on the arc but I was unable to identify what the box said based on the footprint. There was not many individual characteristics of my footprint, but I was able to tell that more weight was out on the ball of the foot and that the size of my foot was 11” long and 4.4” wide. Based on these observations I was able to guess based on the footprint that the criminal was a male because of the size of the foot, but I was unable to identify characteristics of the criminal much further.

Witness Activity:
In class we did a witness activity where we had to cut out basic shapes of a human face such as eyes, ears, mouth, etc., and then we put the shapes together to form a face. The next step of the activity was to match the different shapes up to form a face. We would then take ten seconds and attempt to memorize each aspect of the face. After this we attempted to put the correct face back together using the correct parts. In my group two out of three people were able to correctly put the face back together. The person who was not completely correct was only off by two parts. This was a good activity because in our group we were able to determine how well each group member would be able to remember a face if they had only been able to see it for ten seconds. Overall our group did well in remembering the faces, we only missed 2/18 pieces of the face overall.

Fingerprint Activity:
In class we did a fingerprinting activity where we lifted our own prints off a dark surface using a white powder, and off a clear/white surface using a black powder. We first laid our thumb print on a surface, and then we dusted the area where the print was with either cornstarch or charcoal powder. After this we applied tape over the print and lifted allowing us to be able to see the print clearly. This method worked well for the most part, except if you weren’t careful when dusting you would smudge the print with the brush. 
Hair and Fiber Activity:
http://www.inspectapedia.com/sickhouse/Cat_Hair113-DJFs.jpg

During class we did a hair and fiber analysis using microscopes. The purpose of this activity was to look at the differences between different types of hair and fibers. We looked at several different types of hair, which were: dog, cat, color treated, African-American female, Asian, and synthetic hair. The fibers we looked were: silk, cotton, and nylon. Each fiber had a very distinct pattern, the silk had a woven pattern as did the nylon, but the cotton was different, it had no distinct pattern and the fibers in the sample appeared to be random. Most of the hairs were similar, but there were some key differences, the dyed hair appeared to have small little cracks in it, but the Asian hair was very smooth. The African-American hair appeared to be a bit rougher than the Asian hair and had a spot on it. The cat and dog hair also appeared to be different; the dog hair had lines running across it, but the cat hair did not, the cat hair also had a certain spot where it narrowed considerably.

Handwriting Analysis/Check Forgery Activity:
When writing my own check I first filled out the check in very neat looping handwriting, were as the sample I wrote was very messy, had no flow, and dark writing, then I ripped up the check to aid in throwing off whoever was deciphering my check. In the check forgery activity when attempting to match the check to the handwriting sample I first identified certain characteristics of the check sample such as flourishes and unusual endings. After I identified these characteristics I was able to eliminate one of the samples, then I looked further into the characteristics of the check and I thought I was able to match it with the correct sample, but I was wrong. This might have been because the correct sample was written very small and the check was written larger to throw me off who wrote the check. The check was also much lighter were as the sample was dark. All of these steps were taken to successfully throw me off the case of the original check writer. The most distinguishing characteristics that were correct though were the flourishes on the cursive writing, and the strange ways the b’s and u’s were written.

When writing my own check I first filled out the check in very neat looping handwriting, were as the sample I wrote was very messy, had no flow, and dark writing, then I ripped up the check to aid in throwing off whoever was deciphering my check. In the check forgery activity when attempting to match the check to the handwriting sample I first identified certain characteristics of the check sample such as flourishes and unusual endings. After I identified these characteristics I was able to eliminate one of the samples, then I looked further into the characteristics of the check and I thought I was able to match it with the correct sample, but I was wrong. This might have been because the correct sample was written very small and the check was written larger to throw me off who wrote the check. The check was also much lighter were as the sample was dark. All of these steps were taken to successfully throw me off the case of the original check writer. The most distinguishing characteristics that were correct though were the flourishes on the cursive writing, and the strange ways the b’s and u’s were written.

Sources of Information

http://www.handwriting.org/
http://science.howstuffworks.com/handwriting-analysis.htm
http://graphicinsight.co.za/background.htm
http://onin.com/fp/fphistory.html
http://science.howstuffworks.com/fingerprinting3.htm
http://www.crimescene-forensics.com/History_of_Fingerprints.html
http://www.odec.ca/projects/2004/fren4j0/public_html/history_of_fingerprinting.htm
http://www.ehow.com/about_6102496_forensic-science_-hair-fiber-analysis.html
http://www.enotes.com/trace-evidence-reference/trace-evidence
http://quizlet.com/3270039/handwriting-analysis-flash-cards/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Driskell
http://science.howstuffworks.com/csi4.htm
http://www.crime-scene-investigator.net/collect.html
http://www.odec.ca/projects/2004/fren4j0/public_html/fingerprint_patterns.htm