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

What are the normal working hours? Do you work overtime? How is overtime set up?

Asked by Violet over 8 years ago

I'm sorry, I thought I answered this one. We work 40 hours per week, some of us are on four 10s and some on rotating 12 hour shifts. Each of us takes a turn on being 'on call' for overtime calls.

Many cold cases have unidentified victims but how come they are unidentified when you have fingerprints and hair, etc, i don't understand why cant they know who they are when they have that.

Asked by lily about 8 years ago

Because not everyone's fingerprints are in a database. You only have fingerprints taken when you are arrested or apply for a job or some other license for which it is required. Not all of those necessarily end up in a database accessible to the agency that has the unidentified person. And DNA such as hair only helps when you have a profile to compare it to--if the unidentified person is a convicted felon so their DNA might have been entered when they went to prison, or if there are family members available to give a sample (in which case you would have to already have an idea of who the person might be). It's not really like TV. We don't have databases of every single person and every single substance known to man.

And B) if it is mixed in with other samples of saliva, for example if 4 people spit into a glass and mixed up, could 4 samples of dna be pulled or is all the DNA ruined? Thank yooouuuuu! :)

Asked by sandaM almost 9 years ago

As far as I know since they would all be the same type of cells, they could not be separated.

Discuss how the following statements can both be true when applied to forensic investigation: “Every contact leaves a trace” AND “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.”

Asked by Sara over 8 years ago

Why does this sound like a homework question?

Has forensic science actually made some investigations harder to solve?

Asked by Mariam about 8 years ago

No.

Juries' unrealistic expectations of forensic science may make court cases harder to win, but that's not the same thing.

How to chemically distinguish between an original hand-written signature and a printed copy (the one that is scanned and then printed)

Asked by rixy over 8 years ago

I'm sure document examiners could do this fairly easily but I don't know exactly how. I would guess that alternative light source (like infrared or ultraviolet spectrums) could show that there is no difference between the signature and the rest of the document. Or I believe thin-layer chromatography could show that the chemical makeup is the same. A Questioned Document Examiner could tell you much more.

i asked a question and didnt even realize i forgot to put my teachers email so il just give you mine (derektclamon@gmail.com) thank you!

Asked by trace clamon almost 9 years ago

Okay, I emailed you.