Chapter 3: THE CRIME SCENE
“Oh, how simple it
would all have been
had I been here before
they came like a herd of
buffalo and wallowed all
over it.”
—A. Conan Doyle, in The Boscombe
Valley Mystery, 1892
CRIME SCENE
Students will learn:
 The steps to take when
processing a crime scene.
 That different types of evidence
are packaged differently
 The importance of the chain of
custody
Students will be able to:
 Secure, record, and search for
evidence at a mock crime
scene.
 Collect and package evidence
at a mock crime scene using
proper forensic procedures.
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CORPUS DELICTI
“Body of the Crime”
 Scientists try to prove
 that a _____________ _____________
 that the _________ ___________with the crime was responsible
for the crime
 Top Reasons for Committing a Crime
 Money
 Revenge
 Emotion—love, hate, anger
 Sources of Physical Evidence
 ________________ _______________
 ______________ and/or ______________ Crime Scene
 _______________)
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CRIME SCENE TEAM
 A group of professional investigators, each
trained in a variety of special disciplines.
 Team Members






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First Police Officer on the scene
Medics (if necessary)
Investigator(s)
Medical Examiner (if necessary)
Photographer and/or Field Evidence Technician
_____________ _______________
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FIRST OFFICER
ON THE SCENE
(this is not the forensic scientist)
 First officer duties include:
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A
Assess the crime scene
and assist those hurt
D
Detain the witness
A
Arrest the perpetrator
P
Protect the crime scene
T
Take notes
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CRIME SCENE
INVESTIGATION
Based on the scientific method and the
Locard Exchange Principle, logic, and
forensic techniques
 Involves:
 _________________—scene survey,
documentation, collection
 ______________________—comparison testing
 ______________—evaluation and interpretation
 ___________________—reporting and presenting
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PROCESSING A
CRIME SCENE
 __________________ the
scene
 ___________ the scene
 _______ for evidence
 ____________ evidence,
protecting and preserving it
while maintaining the chain
of custody
 _______________evidence
to the crime lab
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CRIME SCENE SURVEY
_____________________—performed by the crime scene investigator, the
first officer and sometimes the lead detective
 ___________ of a reconstruction theory (but keep an open mind, be
curious and skeptical)
 ______________________________ that could change over time.
 ________________________conditions
 ___________________________, as well as paths of travel within
the crime scene
 _______________________ of who, what, where, when, and how
 ___________________ within the crime scene for personnel,
precautions or equipment and notify superior officers or other
agencies
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DOCUMENTATION
 _____________conditions, description of the crime,
location of the evidence relative to other key points, the
names of all people involved, modifications that have
occurred and other relevant information
 _______________—photos of scene and surroundings,
mid-range to close-up photos with various angles of each
piece of evidence, photos as viewed by any witnesses.
 ______________—inclusion of date, time, scale,
reference points, distance measurements, names of
investigators, victims, suspects, and a legend (key)
 _________________—allows narration (non-subjective)
to be included
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SEARCH METHODS
 _________________in large, outdoor scenes
 __________—basically a double-line search; effective,
but time-consuming
 __________—most effective in houses or buildings;
teams are assigned small zones for searching
 ________________on small, circular crime scenes
 ____________—may move inward or outward; best used
where there are no physical barriers
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SEARCH METHODS
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CRIME SCENE SKETCH
Date: August 14, 2005
Time: 11:35 am
Scale info
Criminalist: Ann Wilson
Location: 4358 Rockledge Dr, St. Louis, Mo.
N
Birds-eye view
(shown)
or
Elevation
Sketches ______and _____
attention to relevant items
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COLLECTING AND
PACKAGING EVIDENCE
 One individual should be designated as the evidence
collector to ensure that the evidence is collected,
packaged, marked, sealed, and preserved in a consistent
manner
 Each item must be placed in a __________ container,
___________, and ___________ with
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
 Most fragile is collected and packaged first
 Different types of evidence require specific or special
collection and packaging techniques
 The body is the property of the coroner or medical
examiner. The collection of evidence on the body is
usually done by that department but may be done by
scientists
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PACKAGING
Most items should be packaged in a
primary container and then placed
inside a secondary one. These are
then placed inside other containers
such as paper bags, plastic bags,
canisters, packets and envelopes
depending on the type and size of
the evidence.
Biological evidence
___________________________
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CHAIN OF CUSTODY
There must be
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
 The evidence container must be marked for
identification
 The collector’s initials, time, and date should be
placed across the seal
 If evidence is turned over to another person, the
transfer must be recorded.
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CRIME SCENE
RECONSTRUCTION
Stages reflect scientific method
 O: Detect/collect evidence and data
 H: State hypothesis
 E: Examine, test, analyze, experiment
 C: Conclude/form theory
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THE MEDICAL EXAMINER
AND THE CORONER
 A medical examiner is a medical doctor,
usually a pathologist and is appointed by the
governing body of the area. There are 400
forensic pathologists throughout the U.S.
 A coroner is an elected official who usually
has no special medical training. In four
states, the coroner is a medical doctor.
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MEDICAL EXAMINER’S
RESPONSIBILITIES
 Identify the deceased
 Establish the time and date of death
 Determine a medical cause of death—the injury or disease that resulted
in the person dying
 Determine the mechanism of death—the physiological reason that the
person died
 Classify the manner of death





Natural
Accidental
Suicide
Homicide
Undetermined
 Notify the next of kin
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MORE INFORMATION
For additional information on crime scene
investigation, check out Court TV’s Crime Library:
www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/forensics/crimescene/5.html
On Michael Baden and the autopsy:
www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/forensics/autopsy/1.html
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