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

If the bar code if worn off of a computer and you are trying to figure out what the bar codes numbers were. How can you get the numbers? Cause where the bar code was before it was torn off. It left a lil bit of the code is visible.

Asked by Laray kirker over 8 years ago

I would try an alternate light source, UV or IR light or even white light with colored filters. That might make it more visible. Other than that, I don't know, sorry. You'd have to ask a document examiner, they might have more techniques for working with paper.

How long would it take for a deceased body to drop below 32 degrees centigrade if they were in good health previously and the ambient temp was 17 degrees centigrade. Would the body be cold and blue to touch inside 2 hours?

Asked by Iain about 8 years ago

I'm sorry but I have no idea. That's a question for a pathologist. Sorry I couldn't help!

What type of decisions do you make

Asked by Angel about 8 years ago

How to best process or obtain a piece of evidence.

Will a dry blood stain on rocks, say the interior of a cave, appear red after at least a year or would the stain be darker or change because of the conditions within the cave?

Asked by MK almost 9 years ago

It will turn a dark red brown once it's completely dry, and will stay that color so far as I know if conditions stay consistent. If it changes further it would probably just fade a bit.

Would you be able to tell the difference between hair that was taken from a victim's brush (and planted at a crime scene) and hair that just naturally malted? For example, would hair from a hairbrush have more of a root than a malted hair??

Asked by Caroline over 7 years ago

I don't know what malted means, but I suspect the answer is no. Just brushing hair can pull it out just as in a struggle.

Is a forensic expert allowed 2 make a hair or fiber match based only in the fact that the hairs or fibers were artificially dyed

Asked by Michele over 8 years ago

Unlike what you see on TV, a hair and fiber expert never 'matches' hairs or fibers (except in the case of DNA analysis). We can say they are 'consistent with' having come from this person or this article of clothing in that all the microscopic characteristics are the same or within a group of the same characteristics. Though dyed hair is quite distinctive with the growth since dying and the color so it would be a strong indication that they came from the same person, you couldn't actually put a number on it (like 'there's a one in two billion chance this came from someone else', like DNA). That's largely why hair and fiber comparisons are rarely done any more.

If somone ejaculated in a girls or guys mouth they swallow can u find dna proving who ejaculated

Asked by jim amdiny about 9 years ago

See above.