Whoever fights monsters...

Building a Profile

Profilers use information from the crime scene to put together a psychological profile of the offender. 

It is important to distinguish organized and disorganizedcharacteristics at the crime scene:

• If the crime scene suggests the murder was carefully planned and executed, then the killer may be a man of average to high intelligence who has a stable social network. He may be married with a family. He may also be employed. Living a “normal” life on the surface requires a degree of self-control, which manifests itself in the way the crime is carried out. Sometimes, though, the organized offender does lose control in the actual attack when the fantasy motivation takes over. In such cases, a violent or frenzied attack may occur, yet there may also be careful attempts to conceal or destroy evidence.

• The disorganized offender leaves a mess at the crime scene. He may use any weapon that is available to strike out and makes little effort to cover his tracks. This lack of planning and control often suggests low intelligence. He is likely to be unemployed and may be a bit of a loner with few friends. The attack may be marked by excessive violence and could also include sexual contact with the victim after death. The disorganized serial killer often turns out to have a history of mental illness.

A number of other factors can be added to the profile. Many serial killers are young adults in their twenties or thirties. Some crimes show a high level of experience and skill, and this could mean the killer is older and has had practice.

It used to be thought that serial killers were mostly white and that serial killers picked victims of their own race. We are currently noticing that more and more often, racial lines are being crossed.

Many start out killing close to their home or work, ie. in their comfort zone, an area they know well. Organized killers are likely to start to move farther away, and may be highly mobile, which can make the logistics of catching them difficult. Disorganized killers are more likely to stay close to home.

Of particular interest to those investigating serial killers is what is taken from the scene or from the victim. In most crimes, the perpetrator will take items of monetary value, like cash or jewelry. They may also take evidence, such as a weapon. The serial killer often takes something known as a trophy or souvenir, of no obvious value except to him in his fantasy world. The item is known as a trophy if it is seen as a symbol of achievement and a souvenir if it is to remind the killer of the crime.

Victimology, the study of the victim, can be crucial in tracking down a serial killer. The investigators need to know what it was about that particular person that attracted the killer. Was the victim truly chosen at random or had the person been stalked previously? The killer may have been searching for the one person who fit his fantasy and, if a common link can be found between the victims, this may be very revealing. For instance, nearly all of the victims of serial killer Ted Bundy had dark hair parted in the center.

The location of the serial killer’s crimes is also of significance. Geographical profiling is based on the premise that the killer will operate in a zone where he feels comfortable. This may be near home or, alternatively, far away from it, depending on his psychological make-up. Location is not just where the crime was committed, but is also where the victim was abducted and where the body was taken and left after the crime. Establishing a geographical profile can be challenging if the victim was a prostitute, for instance, or someone who might not be missed by relatives or co-workers for a while.

Source: World of Forensic Science, ©2006 Gale Cengage

(photo AND don’t even complain to me that Charles Manson is not a serial killer! It is still a cool montage!)

Examining Wounds During Autopsy

One of the greatest challenges of an autopsy is examining the wounds. The essence of the medical examiner’s job is to use his or her skill and experience to determine the true nature and cause of a particular wound. Depending on the type of wound or weapon used, this can get difficult. Dr. Kiesel talks about those difficulties:

” [When] they weren’t shot once, they were shot 13 times or 20 times … you’ve got to sort out paths of all these bullets. You’ve got to figure out where each bullet went. The old way of doing it was, ‘Well, he’s got 10 holes on the front, there are eight holes on the back, and there’s two bullets inside, we’re done.’ [The] legal system won’t accept that anymore”

Homicide cases have to be examined carefully and thoroughly. A part of a medical examiner’s job includes testifying in court. Medical examiners are often called upon to explain their findings on the stand. Their findings can have a large impact on the lives of all those who are part of the case.

Dr. Kiesel explains how wounds have patterns that help to determine their origins:

“Bludgeoning, where you have someone who’s been physically assaulted and beaten, you’ve got a lot of different injuries. Sometimes these injuries have patterns. Sometimes the injury patterns give you a clue as to what weapon may have been used. Sometimes there’s more than one weapon. I had a case where a person was done in by one individual, but that individual used at least four different weapons. So we had four different types of patterned injuries on that person.”

Through years of education and experience, the medical examiner learns to recognize these patterns and the types of trauma with which they are associated.

(Dr. Kiesel is the Deputy Chief Medical Examiner of Fulton County)

The “CSI Effect” or “CSI Syndrome”

All these forensics shows on television are having a significant effect on us! These programs have offered the public an education of sorts about forensic science and investigation, which has had a three-fold effect on juries.

• Until recently, a key issue in the criminal trial process has been the translation of scientific testimony to laypeople on a jury, but these television programs have made potential jurors savvier about scientific methods and evidence. They listen now, whereas they used to stare at such experts with dull, vacant expressions.
• Yet with such knowledge comes an expectation that the type of evidence found on TV shows will be present in most, if not all, cases. Jurors may expect better results than can be produced or techniques that may not exist.
• Thus, say many prosecutors, they translate testimony from imperfect or technologically unsophisticated investigations into “reasonable doubt” and decline to convict.
• Thirdly, they have watched shows that hypothetically solved the cases before evidence was presented in court, so some jurors have gained what they view as insight into proper investigatory procedure.

In sum, the C.S.I. Effect is alleged to be this: thanks to these programs, people on juries erroneously believe they know all about forensic science and investigation. The problem worsens when shows make a grab for actual stories, blending fact with fiction.

fuckyeahforensics:

The American carrion beetle, Necrophila americana.  Although this beetle is primarily nocturnal, it is commonly observed on the upper surfaces of a body during the daylight hours.  Large aggregations of these beetles have been observed, and they can sometimes be as numerous as flies.

Examining Wounds During Autopsy

One of the greatest challenges of an autopsy is examining the wounds. The essence of the medical examiner’s job is to use his or her skill and experience to determine the true nature and cause of a particular wound. Depending on the type of wound or weapon used, this can get difficult. Dr. Kiesel talks about those difficulties:

” [When] they weren’t shot once, they were shot 13 times or 20 times … you’ve got to sort out paths of all these bullets. You’ve got to figure out where each bullet went. The old way of doing it was, ‘Well, he’s got 10 holes on the front, there are eight holes on the back, and there’s two bullets inside, we’re done.’ [The] legal system won’t accept that anymore”

Homicide cases have to be examined carefully and thoroughly. A part of a medical examiner’s job includes testifying in court. Medical examiners are often called upon to explain their findings on the stand. Their findings can have a large impact on the lives of all those who are part of the case.

Dr. Kiesel explains how wounds have patterns that help to determine their origins:

“Bludgeoning, where you have someone who’s been physically assaulted and beaten, you’ve got a lot of different injuries. Sometimes these injuries have patterns. Sometimes the injury patterns give you a clue as to what weapon may have been used. Sometimes there’s more than one weapon. I had a case where a person was done in by one individual, but that individual used at least four different weapons. So we had four different types of patterned injuries on that person.”

Through years of education and experience, the medical examiner learns to recognize these patterns and the types of trauma with which they are associated.

(Dr. Kiesel is the Deputy Chief Medical Examiner of Fulton County)

fuckyeahforensics:

Forensic chemists verify human remains from fat deposits

In the absence of evidence such as bones, clothing or strands of hair, forensic investigators can verify whether a body decomposed at a site indoors by looking for traces of lingering fat deposits, according to a new report.

While examining the scene of a 30-year-old death, Ohio University researcher Glen Jackson and colleagues discovered adipocere – fatty acids primarily made up of calcium salts – in a dry, airy building. Until this study, researchers had reported finding this evidence of human decomposition only in moist, anaerobic environments, such as when bodies are stored for extended periods in grave sites or submerged in water, he said. 

That finding could be useful for forensic investigators looking for evidence at crime scenes, said Jackson, who published the study in the latest issue of the Journal of Forensic Sciences.

Forensic Entomology

Forensic Entomology is the use of the insects, and their arthropod relatives that inhabit decomposing remains to aid legal investigations.  The broad field of forensic entomology is commonly broken down into three general areas: medicolegal, urban, and stored product pests.  The medicolegal section focuses on the criminal component of the legal system and deals with the necrophagous (or carrion) feeding insects that typically infest human remains. The urban aspect deals with the insects that affect man and his immediate environment. This area has both criminal and civil components as urban pests may feed on both the living and the dead. The damage caused by their mandibles (or mouthparts) as they feed can produce markings and wounds on the skin that may be misinterpreted as prior abuse. Urban pests are of great economic importance and the forensic entomologist may become involved in civil proceedings over monetary damages.

FORENSIC ODONTOLOGY

Forensic odontology is a branch of forensic medicine and, in the interests of justice, deals with the proper examination, handling and presentation of dental evidence in a court of law. The work of a forensic odontologist covers:

• identification of bite marks on the victims of attack
• comparison of bite marks with the teeth of a suspect and presentation of this evidence in court as an expert witness
• identification of bite marks in other substances such as wood, leather and foodstuffs
• identification of unknown bodies through dental records
• age estimations of skeletal remains

A forensic odontologist would often work with a forensic pathologist or forensic anthropologist.

(Source: all-about-forensic-science.com)