At the Scene
Lab Rats
Techniques
Body of Evidence
Misc.
100
Aside from shoe size and the tread pattern, what two pieces of information can you get from shoeprints?
Weight and height of the suspect (also gait, direction)
100
You receive some hair samples from the crime scene and conclude that they have been forcibly pulled out of the person's head. How do you know?
The skin tag on the end of the hair
100
Investigators use a program called AFIS in fingerprint analysis. What does AFIS stand for?
Automated Fingerprint Identification System
100
What shape incision is used during an autopsy?
"Y" shaped
100
This serial killer, who was never caught, would leave cryptic messages at newspaper agencies and police stations taunting police and the general public. What is the serial killer's nickname?
Zodiac
200
When looking at bullet holes in a window, how can you tell which bullet hole was created first?
Looking at the crack patterns; the second bullet hole's cracks will not spread beyond the first hole's cracks.
200
Name three types of fingerprint patterns
Arch, Tented Arch, Loop, Plain Whorl, Double Loop, Accidental Whorl, Mixed
200
DNA was obtained from the crime scene. What technique will reveal its unique genetic "fingerprint?"
PCR
200
What is the difference between an abrasion and a laceration?
Abrasions are superficial (only the epidermis or outer skin layer); lacerations are much deeper and tend to bleed/scar
200
About how many people have been exonerated (proven innocent of a crime they were convicted of) by DNA evidence since it became widely used in 1989?
325 (will accept +/- 10) Remember what it was in September? 317.
300
You notice that there are adult blowflies surrounding the victim at the crime scene. What can these blowflies tell you about the crime?
An estimated time of death
300
What feature on a fired bullet is unique to a particular gun?
Striation patterns on the bullet
300
You recover a baseball bat from the crime scene and suspect that it was used to create blunt force injuries on the victim. What substance can be used to quickly identify blood on the bat?
Luminol
300
How long after death does it take for rigor mortis to set in?
3 to 4 hours
300
One famous serial killer would skin their victims. They also "re-purposed" their bodies for household objects, such as skulls for bowls and a lampshade made out of a human face. What is the serial killer's name?
Ed Gein
400
When observing the body, you notice that the victim has defensive wounds. You suspect that there might be DNA from the attacker under the victim's fingernails, but you know that the Medical Examiner will collect it at autopsy. How do you protect the evidence during transportation of the body?
You bag the victim's hands to preserve any evidence that may be trapped under the victim's fingernails
400
The power has gone out in your lab, and you desperately need to analyze a blood sample. You think it belongs to the victim, who is Type A. What will happen to the blood sample when you add Anti-A antibodies?
The blood will coagulate (clump together)
400
Although psychopathy affects a relatively high percentage of inmates, most psychopaths never become criminals. What assessment is most commonly used to determine if someone qualifies as being psychopathic?
The Hare Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R or PCL)
400
You suspect that the victim died of strangulation. What critical bone in the neck could support your hypothesis?
The hyoid bone
400
Name one state where polygraph tests are inadmissible in court.
New York, Illinois, Texas, Pennsylvania
500
Knives are usually stored in an evidence container called a plastic sharps container. When do you not follow this procedure?
When DNA testing is requested (moisture in the plastic container could cause degradation of dried blood)
500
Investigators have found a badly degraded, headless corpse. You have no dental records, fingerprints, facial reconstructions, surgery artifacts (screws, plates, breaks, etc.) or tissue/blood/saliva samples to make an identification. What biological material could still exist that could be used to make a general familial identification? (Hint: You inherit it from your mother)
Mitochondrial DNA
500
Unknown organic compounds can be identified through a technique that uses a magnetic field to produce a readout of molecular structure. What is the this technique called? (Full name, not the acronym.)
Nuclear magnetic resonance
500
What condition in the eyes can tell you if a person died of asphyxiation?
Petechial Hemorrhaging
500
Fill in the blanks: Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her mother ___________. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father ___________.
Forty; Forty-one.
M
e
n
u