LIsa Black
Cape Coral, FL
Female, 49
I spent the five happiest years of my life in a morgue. As a forensic scientist in the Cleveland coroner’s office I analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence, as well as crime scenes. Now I'm a certified latent print examiner and CSI for a police department in Florida. I also write a series of forensic suspense novels, turning the day job into fiction. My books have been translated into six languages.
I think I am an expert in some areas of forensic science. I am not an expert in law, public safety policy or our political system.
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I agree.
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That's not something I have anything to do with--it's the detectives' and/or attorneys' decision. I supposed they think if they get results that are really surprising it can hint if they're looking at the right people or not.
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In trading, does an educated person have an advantage over an uneducated one?
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Why do dry cleaners have autographed pictures on their walls?
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Are there social cliques (like "cool kids") in old folks homes?
I have a bachelor’s degree in biology from Cleveland State University. I didn’t have a minor.
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I can't think of any one in particular that was the most 'complicated'--many were difficult and complicated for different reasons. Forensics is only part of the whole investigation, so things really get much more complicated for the detectives who not only have to absorb the information we're giving them but deal with victims, witnesses, suspects, documentation, records, warrants and prosecutors. I worked one where the victim had been taken to three different places before the body was dumped and burned, so there were indoor scenes, outdoor scenes, the suspect's house to deal with. Right now we're dealing with one that spans 30 years, so trying to find reports and piece together who did what and when and what, if anything, still remains to be done. And we had one earlier this year that had inexplicable behavior by about 9 different people over three days and all to cover up an accidental death. Hope that helps.
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That depends entirely on the circumstances. If a sample of anything--blood, saliva, semen--is properly dried and kept in relatively dry conditions at a steady low temperature, or even frozen, it can last for decades. If the temperature and humidity vary greatly, then the sample could break down. If it's stored in plastic or airtight when wet it could rot and decompose.
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