Forensic Scientist

Forensic Scientist

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.

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Last Answer on July 21, 2022

Best Rated

Hello Lisa, what is the dumbest case you ever worked?

Asked by Steven about 4 years ago

Nothing's really 'dumb' since every case involves, a minimum, property loss or inconvenience. Criminals can be dumb...the best example I can think of was when a bunch of boys broke the glass in a door to get into a jewelry store, couldn't find much to take, then were hightailing it out of there as the alarm rang and one was trying to climb back out the broken window and not having much luck when his buddy barreled through the other door simply by pushing the push bar on it. The video was hilarious.

What kinds of people do you both love and hate working with? Thanks

Asked by Liam about 4 years ago

Well, as in any job, I like working with people who are competent, responsible and pleasant, whether they're forensic techs, cops, attorneys, or victims. And I dislike working with the opposite qualities.

Hi Lisa the forensic scientist. In this scenario it might be a little graphic.

So let’s say there is a girl/woman (or a guy I suppose) was being raped and sodomized. She was being forced to preform oral sex and she bites his penis totally off.

Would this be self defense? I would hope it would be classified self defense. Right? But I know sometimes the system is messed up and puts someone who was defending his/her/their self(s) are thrown under the bus.

Asked by Claire over 4 years ago

That would be a legal question, unaffected by forensics.

someone is alleged to have worn a t-shirt for over twelve hours on an 88 degrees day,dancing,drinking,and playing pool,but DNA testing revealed none of his DNA was found in said shirt.What are the odds of that,if not possible?

Asked by filomenasmith@yahoo.com about 4 years ago

That sounds odd, but were they looking for blood or semen stains in particular, or just the DNA of whoever wore it?

Another question is it true that there is no such thing as totally useless evidence? How much useless information has to be sifted through? I am sure this is more of a detective proble but I’m sure you have to deal with it too right?

Asked by Bobbie-Sue over 4 years ago

Yes, unlike what you see on television, evidence doesn’t necessarily ‘prove’ anything. It all depends on circumstances. If the victim’s blood is on the suspect’s shirt and he says he never met her, that’s vital evidence. If he found the body and tried to revive her, then it likely means nothing. Or bloodstains might tell me the victim was stabbed six inches away from the wall, but that doesn’t tell me who stabbed him. But if the perpetrator is caught and describes what happened, the bloodstains might corroborate or disprove his story. I hope that helps.

On a scale of 1-10 how hard is it to be a forensic scientist.

Asked by Fayyad over 4 years ago

7

Can you have neck tattoos?

Asked by Joseph over 3 years ago

Yes.