Investigating A Crime Scene
As the lead investigator, I will enter the crime scene with my unit and evaluate the scene from an objective standpoint. If I am the first responding investigator on the scene, I would take careful note of the date and time and I would pay close attention to my surroundings, particularly whether there are any persons or vehicles nearby (U.S. Department of Justice, 2000, p. 11). I would also be on the lookout for potential safety hazards that may be present at the scene and advise others at the scene to proceed with caution (U.S. Department of Justice, 2000, p. 12).
The first step I would take is to secure the crime scene. While there are two crime scenes in this case, the park and the dumpster, there will not be a lot of evidence recoverable from the park since it was a kidnapping. I would want to speak with the older brother right away. But this interview would occur after the crime scene at the dumpster was properly documented and evidence was gathered and stored.
Since the victim was found in the dumpster, the dumpster and the immediate area surrounding it is the scene of the crime. The purpose of securing the scene is to prevent any cross-contamination or damaging of evidence. As the lead investigator, I would make sure to identify and control the number of persons at the crime scene and remove persons that did not need to be at the scene, such as curious bystanders (U.S. Department of Justice, 2000, p. 14). I would also ensure that persons did not tamper with or destroy evidence, either intentionally or accidentally. After the crime scene was secured off and all persons were properly identified, I would begin the process of searching for and gathering evidence.
Collection of Evidence
The collection of physical and forensic evidence at the scene of the crime is crucial to an effective and successful criminal investigation (Budowle, et al. 2006, p. 6431). The manner in which the evidence is handled and preserved is critical. This is because evidence gathered at a crime scene will later be used to bring charges against a defendant. If the evidence was compromised or was handled improperly, key evidence could be excluded from the case. Therefore, it is very important that evidence be handled and stored properly by trained personnel.
Once the crime scene has been secured, it is time to photograph and document the scene. Known as the documentation phase, this involves taking photographs, sketches, and videos of the evidence that is present at the scene of the crime (Carter and Spafford, 2003, p. 9). This phase is very important because it captures and preserves the crime scene and ensures that the crime scene is properly recorded (Carter and Spafford, 2003, p. 9). Photographs and videos of the scene should be taken both before and after the collection of physical and biological evidence.
After the crime scene has been fully documented, the first step is initially searching for evidence at the crime scene. The goal for crime scene investigators is to be able to recognize, document, collect, and preserve relevant evidence (Lee and Pagliaro, 2013). Every crime scene contains an abundance of evidence, but not all evidence is relevant. Thus, investigators should be trained on how to detect a pattern of potential evidence depending on the particular facts and circumstances of the crime (Lee and Pagliaro, 2013). In this case, the victim was strangled to death and found nude. Since strangulation necessarily involves compression of the neck, the suspect most likely placed his hands around the victim’s throat.
I would begin looking for latent fingerprints that the suspect may have left behind on the victim’s throat. Because latent fingerprints are invisible to the naked eye, the fingerprint would need to be located through the use of some type of physical or chemical development (Spraggs, 2007). One method of locating latent fingerprints is to use a fingerprint brush and black fingerprint powder (Spraggs, 2007). The black fingerprint powder appears dark on light surfaces, like skin and will enable investigators to see if there are fingerprints present on the surface.
The victim was found nude, which is highly indicative of some sort of sexual assault. I would therefore search the victim for any biological evidence. I would keep a sharp eye for blood, saliva, or semen. If found, I would then preserve this evidence and send it to the forensic laboratory for DNA testing and analysis. Biological evidence contains the unique DNA profile of the individual which can then be compared to known DNA profiles such as CODIS to eliminate potential suspects.
Investigative Techniques
The older brother saw the abduction take place and could be a valuable witness in the case. I would ask him to describe the man and the vehicle that the man was driving. While the brother would probably not be able to provide small details, he could give a general description of the man, such as height, build, ethnicity, and recall the color or type of vehicle the man was driving. Particularly if DNA evidence or fingerprints were found on the victim, the brother’s eyewitness testimony could be a tremendous help in narrowing down the suspect pool.
Conclusion
The purpose of the investigation is to gather relevant evidence that will help narrow down the list of potential murder suspects. While eyewitness testimony is helpful for eliminating groups of persons from the suspect pool, many juries today rely on some type of DNA or forensic evidence in order to convict. With national databases of DNA, the recovery of DNA evidence allows investigators to quickly search through and eliminate suspects that are not a match.
References
Budowle, B. et al. (2006). Quality sample collection, handling, and preservation for an
effective microbial forensics program. Applied and Environmental Microbiology
72(10): 6431-6438.
Carter, B. and Spafford, E.H. (2003). Getting physical with the digital investigation
process. International Journal of Digital Evidence 2(2).
Lee, H.C. and Pagliaro, E. M. (2013). Forensic evidence and crime scene investigation.
Spraggs, D. (2007, Feb 1). How to lift fingerprints. Police. Retrieved from
http://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/articles/2007/02/how-to-lift-
fingerprints.aspx
U.S. Department of Justice. (2000). Crime scene investigation. National Institute of
Justice. Retrieved from https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/lab/forensic-science-
communications/fsc/april2000/twgcsi.pdf
