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.
I”m sorry but I”ve never used thin layer chromatography. If I had, it most likely would have been to distinguish extracted fiber dyes. As far as I know it’s the only way to determine if natural fibers likely had the same source.
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"Touch" DNA or "Contact DNA" can obtain a profile from an item that someone merely touched: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touch_DNA
I would say Rapid DNA, which can provide a profile in less than two hours and used in the battlefield, but that's been around since 2014.
And though you've seen it on TV every day for 50 years, it has not been possible for the average latent print examiner to scan in a fingerprint and search every person who's ever been fingerprinted, including job applicants and military. Most databases would be just county or state wide, and may or may not include job applicants (or staff) depending on the preferences of the agency, and certainly not the military, ICE or Interpol. At my department we only got the ability to remotely search the FBI database last year.
Hope that helps!
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That’s a good question…I know that the human body will either decompose or desiccate, so if the conditions were right and she dried out instead of breaking down, then the body might be largely preserved. But what could be determined from an autopsy would be a question for a pathologist, I’m afraid. Sorry I’m not more help.
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It depends on what you want to do. I've always used only basic addition, division etc., for calculating reagents. Accident reconstruction would probably require a bit more and maybe DNA analysis, but I don't really know. Best of luck!
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Some law enforcement agencies still require their forensic staff to be sworn police officers as well, but most have civilian staff for the forensic support. I have always been a civilian and therefore cannot carry a gun.
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That depends entirely on the circumstances. If a sample of anything--blood, saliva, semen--is properly dried and kept in relatively dry conditions at a steady low temperature, or even frozen, it can last for decades. If the temperature and humidity vary greatly, then the sample could break down. If it's stored in plastic or airtight when wet it could rot and decompose.
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