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.
That’s a very broad question. What specifically do you need to know?
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.
I'm sorry, but I have no idea. I don't work in digital forensics.
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.
Hospice Nurse
Ever heard any crazy deathbed confessions or family secrets revealed?
Antiques Dealer
How easy is it to forge a rare piece, and are fakes a big problem in the antiquing world?
iPhone & iPad Technician
What's something you think Apple does surprisingly POORLY?
Yes.
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.
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.
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