Abstract.
The lab report entails the initial judgments about the nature of the crimes that led to the traumatic injuries in the two crimes. This report thus entails a multiplicity of issues of criminal manifestations. The methodology used in the investigation was the methodological approaches anchored on investigative approaches to the crime incidences, besides enhancing the methodology on the find. This approach was arrived at since the crime scenes were rich with evidence which was likely to lead us to the events that conspired before the crimes (Goddard, 1977). The evidential account of these cases set precedence for investigative purposes, and indeed to the enhancement of finding critical paths of crime. The findings of the first crime scene were a homicide, while the second crime was a natural death, likely a heart attack. Whether a homicidal crime or any forms of criminal activities, the conclusion was drawn about the investigative processes as entailed in the methodological section.
Method
Participants
Amongst the participants in this crime scene investigations included the police, forensics experts, and my colleagues.
Design
The investigation of the crime scene employed the methodological approach, which uses physical evidence as its main argument to providing the cause of death, and sound processing of a crime scene. The methodological approach follows a strict procedure which includes a careful assessment of the crime scene, and the ascertainment of the type of evidence (Domnauer, 2007). For instance, the first procedure of the methodological design is to search and ascertain the physical evidence, then recording the evidence and provision of the physical existence of the crime scene.
Procedure
The procedure I used in the investigating the two crime scenes used the above-mentioned methodological approach to processing a crime scene. The approach followed after a sound analysis of peripheral clues from the police. First, the procedure entailed the collection of biological evidence present in the crime scene. For instance, blood and other body fluids collected from the crime scene victims to facilitate the performance of a low-level DNA analysis and discern the presence of other parties in the crime scene. After the collection of biological evidence, the crime scene was swept for any traces of foreign fingerprints, so as to form the basis of the crime, and provide the department with primary suspects. Then, it followed the collection of digital evidence from the victim’s residence. The collection of evidence was necessary to provide a recapture of events that conspired before the occurrence of death. Other forms of physical evidence collected were drug vials, cigarette butts, footwear evidence and traces of foreign material liken soil, and vegetation not found in the locality of the crime scene. All physical evidence collected was documented to avoid other parties from manipulating the evidence collected.
Results
The first crime scene was concluded to be likely a homicide. The judgement was from the evident morphine, cigarette and narcotics vials found within the main area of disturbance. The victim’s hands also seemed stiff, suggesting that she had been dead for approximately two hours before her body was found. Rigor Mortis is a condition which causes the muscles of a body to stiffen and lasts for roughly two hours (Olgin, 1989). The victim was possibly hit or strangled and died with her head facing down. Strangling is evident from the reddish purple coloration of her neck and head. The coloration shows that someone tampered with the body, and placed it in its current position to cover their tracks. Livor Mortis is the darkening of the body, usually depicted by the purple or deep red color, as a result of the gravitational settlement of blood in body cells (Olgin, 1989).
The same condition of Livor Mortis is evident in her arms, and absent in the rest of her body, showing that the body was not in that position at the time of death. Some of the other reasons to rule this as a homicide is the level of disturbance evident around the body. The body shows signs of struggle, probably a drug fight.it is also very unusual for bodies to swell much after death, and the swelling provides an evidence of blunt force to the head which caused a possible swelling of the body, showing that the victim was possibly murdered. However, the crime scene did not provide us with the source of the blunt force, but the table beside her is likely to have been used as the murder weapon. The position the body was also found reveals an interesting issue. The victim was lying in a defensive position, with a can of beer in her hand, giving us the motive of the murder. The victim was likely to be arguing with someone, and protecting the killer from taking the drugs from her, which drove the murder to occur. Due to the above evidence, it is conclusive to rule the crime scene as a homicide.
The second crime scene was ruled to be a possible heart attack. The heart attack was evident from the darkened palms, with a dark brown and purple pigmentation. The pigmentation is evidence that the victims’ blood pressure was high at the time of demise. The condition of the coloration of the victim’s palms and mouth is called Tache Noire. Tache Noire is a condition that causes the darkening of body parts exposed to high pressure at the time of death, and also, cause the secretion of purple pigments as evident in the victim’s body (Olgin, 1989). The position of the body at the time it was found also provided an evident pain at the time of the death as the victim groped for his heart, before he hit the floor. The environment in which the victim died does not contain any evident struggle, showing that the possibility of murder is very low. The age of the victim also makes him susceptible to heart attack, which is much among the old. The heart attacks could have been most caused by coronary fats or the environment in which the victim resided. The heart attack could have resulted from the toxins in the soda bottle found near the victim at his time of death. The contents of the bottle accelerated the heart attack. The fluid on the floor just beneath the victim is also an evidence of foaming, just before the heart attack kicked in.
Reference
Domnauer, T. (2007). Crime scene investigation. Columbus, OH: School Specialty
Goddard, K. W. (1977). Crime scene investigation. Reston, Va: Reston Pub. Co.
Olgin, H. A. (1989). Autopsy. South Yarmouth, Ma: J. Curley.
