Chapter 6
Painting A Gruesome Picture: Bloodstain Analysis
IN THIS CHAPTER
Diving into the characteristics of blood
Recognizing bloodstain patterns
Checking out a hypothetical case
No doubt you’d prefer to keep your blood inside your body, but it’s somewhat reassuring to know that blood can be extremely useful on the outside, as well. Forensic investigators can figure out a great deal about a crime from blood found at the crime scene. Bloodstains left at an accident, suicide, or crime scene may be the key to determining what happened, helping investigators solve a crime, or, for that matter, determining whether a crime was even committed.
The shape and location of bloodstains provide clues about where the victim and suspect were when the crime took place and where they went afterward. Blood also reveals the presence of disease, drugs, or alcohol, and it can be used to determine the identity of the victim and the suspect through DNA analysis.
Understanding Blood’s Character
In addition to the revealing blood type and DNA evidence it leaves, blood is important to crime scenes because of the way it moves and clots. These characteristics stem from blood’s composition. Knowing how ...
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