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.
Luminal and dye stains just enhance or show you where things are, like blood or fingerprints. DNA analysis and fingerprint analysis are equally effective, so you use what you have. You might have DNA at a crime scene but no fingerprints, or vice versa. We don’t get a choice of what’s left at a crime scene, so we have to make the most of whatever is there. Given that, whatever is the most effective is whatever gives you information relevant to the crime. Say there’s a smear of the victim’s blood on the suspect’s shirt. The suspect tells police he found the body and tried to administer CPR. In that case, the DNA is very much there, but useless to solve the crime. If the suspect says he never met the victim and the same shirt is found in the suspect’s closet , then that’s very relevant to solving the crime.
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It all depends on the circumstances of the death (fire victims can have a smoke smell, of course) but mostly the degree of decomposition. That's the only thing that makes a difference, otherwise everyone is the same.
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Who’s Roger Stone?
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Wow, that's an extremely broad question. I don't know if the rates of crimes solved have been increased greatly--perhaps in some crimes like rape or murder but perhaps not in other crimes like burglary and theft. But certainly the biggest advances in forensics have been DNA and the connectedness of fingerprint databases. Less specific but perfectly valid analyses like pollen, soil, and other trace evidence examination have gone by the wayside. And digital analyses such as the downloading of cell phones and personal computers are helping solve crimes more and more, but then people didn't have cell phones or personal computers 40 years ago so I'm not sure that counts!
I hope that helps!
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Radio program/music director
What's the secret to actually getting through when you call in for a radio contest?
Help Desk Technician
Are people appreciative when you help them or do they just treat you like a support monkey?
Antiques Dealer
What's the most profit you've ever made from a single item?
You just do. Somehow you can either tolerate it or you can't, or you learn to cope with it. There are cops who can work homicide for thirty years and still have a weak stomach. They just don't let it keep them from doing their jobs.
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As far as I know that is possible. Whether a medical examiner’s office would actually test the water in the lungs in a case of apparent drowning is another matter. There is also the possibility of ‘dry-drowning’ in which the throat closes and no water gets in the lungs. A pathologist told me once that drowning is sort of a ‘negative diagnosis’ in that, if no other cause of death presents itself and the person is found in water, then drowning is assumed. Sorry I can’t be more help!
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I'm a civilian employee, not a sworn officer, so no.
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