The out door crimes scene are the
most complex one, examination of them
must be planned quickly and carried out as soon as possible. Changes in weather
conditions may completely jeopardize the chances of finding ant traces of
evidence. A number of different clues easily detected at first may disappear in
a very short time, for example, by precipitation, drying, vegetation, flood
conditions, etc. It is even more difficult to examine such a scene at night.
The well-known
fact is that bloodstains on grass change color rapidly, they are difficult to
detect. A brief shower may completely wash away them all. Other biological
evidence, such as hair, seminal fluid, urine, feces, vomit, saliva, nasal
secretions, skin fragments, brain substance, and so on, is quickly changed by
drying or may be washed away. During the time of year when insects are
particularly plentiful, biological evidence may be destroyed by their action.
Footprints and tire marks should be protected and recorded as soon as possible.
When a shooting has taken place outdoors, the direction of firing must be
determined on an instant.
The investigators must try to
remember their own tracks so that they can distinguish them from others that
may be discovered. On snow-covered ground this is easily accomplished by
investigators dragging their feet so that their own tracks become distinctive.
Insofar as possible, examining outdoor crime scenes at night should be avoided.
This rule should be followed even when suitable illumination is available. Most
clues at outdoor scenes consist of minor changes in the ground cover, such as
matted grass, torn moss, broken twigs, indistinct footprints, and the like.
Such tracks may be visible from several yards away in daylight but are almost
impossible to detect at night even with powerful illumination. It is difficult
to survey the scene and correctly interpret even gross evidence, it follows
that it is even more difficult to find evidence as small as bloodstains,
fragments of cloth, and fibers. This type of evidence may be overlooked or
destroyed if a thorough examination is attempted in darkness. If there is a
chance of snow, the examination must be started even if important evidence may
be destroyed. Depending on the type of crime involved, other weather conditions
may also have a certain influence. If snow falls before the examination is
completed, some evidence may be covered and not retrieved until the snow has
melted.
Any changes to the
body such as flash exposures should be taken of the body. Moreover the body
should be covered with a clean sheet in order to keep out dust, leaves, and
other debris. In case when the body is suspended and the noose may break, it is
advisable to secure the body with a rope tied loosely around the chest. If the
body is on the shoreline, it should be lifted far enough onto the beach to
prevent further damage.
In taking the photographs and the
precautionary measures, the officers should not walk around aimlessly. As
described earlier, a path should be selected and marked with stakes. The investigator
should, of course, make note of changes that may take place on the body, such
as signs of death, moisture on the clothing and under the body.
After the body has been removed,
the area underneath it should be examined. The amount of blood and body fluids
should be estimated. It should also be determined how deeply into the ground
such fluids have penetrated. If the murder weapon is expected to be found in
the area, a search for it should be started. If branches, straw, and the like
were used to cover the body, they should be examined for the possibility that
the criminal may have dropped something while engaged in this activity.
The difficulties arise in the
identification of a dead body that has undergone such a great amount of
alteration that only the skeletal parts and portions of tissues and organs are
left, or where the usual methods for the identification of a body can be
employed only to a limited extent. Important information can be obtained from a
skeleton found wholly or partly preserved after a very long time or after
burning or other destruction of the body, and also from any remains of tissues
or organs or of clothing or other objects that belonged to the dead person or
can in some other way be connected with the discovery of the remains of the
body. Such bodies or their remains are most frequently discovered outdoors;
occasionally, they are found indoors in a cellar, attic, heating furnace, or
other places. The remains may be those of a person who was murdered, run over
by a vehicle, or committed suicide, was lost and became the victim of
exhaustion or exposure, or was suddenly overcome by sickness and death. The
nature of the place where the discovery is made can vary considerably. Remains
may be found under the ground or under a floor or the like; they may be lying
in the open, covered with brushwood, moss, sacks, and so forth, or overgrown by
vegetation. If the body was originally in the open outdoors then the remains
(both bones and clothing) are often dispersed over a large area owing to
animals having dragged them away. It is not uncommon for remains and objects
with some connection with them to be found several hundred yards away from the
main site. This also applies to parts of a dismembered or burned body that have
been buried or left on the ground because different parts may have been
concealed or buried at different places, often far apart. Under certain
conditions clothing may be in a better state of preservation than the remains
of the body.
The officer needs to know the special
methods used for further investigation of the discovery and how these methods
can assist in determination of gender and age of the deceased and of the time
elapsed since the objects were first placed there. This knowledge is absolutely
essential if the police officer is to pay the necessary attention to the
possibly small and apparently insignificant objects that are especially
significant in these respects. The precise determination of the characteristics
necessary for establishing age, gender, body structure, must be left to the anthropologist. The
investigator must use the services of entomologists for the life cycles of
insects, of botanists for growth rates of roots, grasses, and other plants, of
meteorologists for weather conditions that might suggest the time of repose of
the body, as well as any other experts whose special knowledge will assist the
investigation.
Acknowledgements:
The Police Department;
https://www.politie.nl/mijnbuurt/politiebureaus/05/burgwallen.html and a Chief Inspector – Mr. Erik
Akerboom
©
Bibliography:
1. Eckert,
G.W.: Introduction to Forensic Sciences. 1992.
2. Aginsky,
V.: A microspectrophotometric method for dating ballpoint inks — a feasibility
study, J. Forensic Sci., vol. 40. 1995
3. Beck,
J.: Handwriting of the alcoholic, Forensic Sci. Intl., vol. 28, 19, 1985.
4. Beck,
J.: Sources of error in forensic handwriting evaluation, J. Forensic Sci., vol.
40 (no. 1), 78, 1995.
5. Dawson,
G.A.: Brain function and writing with the unaccustomed hand, J. Forensic Sci.,
vol. 30 (no. 1), 167, 1985.
6. Franks,
J.E.: The direction of ballpoint penstrokes in left- and right-hand writers as
indicated by the orientation of burrstriations,J. Forensic Sci. Soc.,vol. 22,
271,1982.
7. Gerhart,
F.J.: Identification of photo copiers from fusing roller defects,J. Forensic
Sci.,vol. 37 (no. 1), 130, 1992.
8. Gilreath,
J.: The Judgment of Experts: Essays and Documents About the Investigation of
the Forging of the “Oath of a Freeman”, American Antiquarian Society, Worcester , MA
9. Oron,
M. and Tamir, V.: Development of some methods for solving forensic problems
encountered in handwritten and printed documents, Intl. Crim. Police Rev.,
no.324, 24, Jan. 1979.
10. Osborn,
A.S.: Questioned Documents, 2nd ed. (facsimile reproduction),
Nelson-Hall, Chicago , IL
Komentarze
Prześlij komentarz