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.

SubscribeGet emails when new questions are answered. Ask Me Anything!Show Bio +

Share:

Ask me anything!

Submit Your Question

989 Questions

Share:

Last Answer on July 21, 2022

Best Rated

A girl was found dead in warf.When some one find the dead body her right hand was not touching ground,it was raised from surface.Also the body had the refreshness.Also her stomach contain the carrot ,it is known by postmortem report.say your thought

Asked by Abi almost 8 years ago

Was she washed up out of the water or found on a dock or something? In the first case it wouldn't be interpretable because you can't know where the body was when rigor set in. In the second it might indicate that the body had been moved if the hand position wasn't consistent with where the body was found. I don't know what you mean by 'refreshness'. Stomach contents can help a pathologist estimate how long it had been between eating and time of death, though of course everyone's digestion rate is a little different. I hope that helps!

If a person kills themselves by hanging (belt) does trauma 2 throat and petecheia show up immediately at time of death

Asked by Jennifer about 8 years ago

Yes. I've never heard it mentioned that certain things don't show up until later.

What are the most common ways that people have been killed

Asked by bart white almost 8 years ago

Gunshot is the most common, then bludgeoning, then stabbing.

If a person died from a bullet wound within an hour and his eyes are open and he was shot 24 more times will his eyes stay open or would they shut from muscle contractions. If alive with 1 shot, then shot 24 times will eyes be open or shut

Asked by Ggrreenn about 8 years ago

I have no idea. It could be either. It doesn't matter how many times they were shot. As far as I know it would only matter if their eyes were open or not at the moment they died, not what happened before or after they died.

If we report a script that was stolen please tell me they'll finger print the bottle or is it not considered that important

Asked by Shannon McTighe about 8 years ago

They might. I couldn't say for sure one way or the other.

what work experience is recommended ?

Asked by kenia over 8 years ago

Any kind of lab work, lab courses or internships in laboratories or with the criminal justice system.

How do you use chemistry in your job as a forensic scientist?

Asked by Kayla Fitzgerald almost 8 years ago

I use it the way you use your computer without writing code. I have chemicals that I use to process for prints, but we just purchase them. There are a few reagents we mix ourselves. At the coroners office we mixed almost all ourselves. A toxicologist, on the other hand, would use it every day.