Forensics For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 14

Analyzing Blood and Other Bodily Fluids: Serology

IN THIS CHAPTER

Having a look at what blood is

Discovering forensic uses for blood

Testing for paternity using blood types

Reviewing forensic uses for other bodily fluids

Your identity shows up in more than your driver’s license. Blood, sweat, and tears are just a few of the bodily fluids that investigators can use to determine a suspect’s or victim’s identity through a science called serology. These biological fluids are frequently found at the scenes of crimes, particularly violent crimes, and can serve not only to link a suspect to the scene but to identify an individual with a degree of certainty that matches or surpasses fingerprints. This degree of individuality is also useful in cases of questioned paternity and ancestry.

Blood: Life’s Most Precious Fluid

Blood is by far the most common bodily fluid left at a crime scene, and it’s the most useful, because it opens up many avenues of investigation for the forensics team. Some of these avenues depend upon how blood stains and spatters (see Chapter 6), and others ...