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

Hi do you know about Forengsic’s regarding suicides?

Asked by Linda over 6 years ago

That’s a very broad question. What specifically do you need to know?

Hi, so how do you get used to blood and gore?

Asked by Crazy about 6 years ago

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.

How anonymous are people really on the dark, deep, and even on the regular internet? What about websites where people talk about bad things they have, doing, or going to do without signing up or anything?

Asked by Dan about 6 years ago

I'm sorry, but I have no idea. I don't work in digital forensics.

Can a hair test that came back false positive for alcohol be retested by another lab?

Asked by Joe over 6 years ago

I don’t see why not. But I wasn’t aware hair could be tested for alcohol, I thought it was only drugs and heavy metals.

Do you see yourself doing this job in the next ten years?

Asked by Trump 2020 MAGA KAG over 6 years ago

Yes.

I have not used cocaine in a year, why is my hair still testing positive for cocaine?

Asked by Terence J Donnelly almost 7 years ago

Hair is just dead cells, so once something is there, it stays there. Hair grows at about 1/2 inch per month, in general (mine, to my frustration, grows much more slowly). So if your hair is longer than say 6 inches, the cocaine will still be there. If your hair is much shorter, then I don’t know what’s happening.Hope that helps.

Can a decades-old used latex condom buried with a body still have dna evidence in it that can be tested?

Asked by J.J. White about 6 years ago

If it were allowed to dry and kept dry, then it's possible, though the odds would be incredibly slim since the decomposition fluids from the body would most like overwhelm it. It's worth a try.