Forensics For Dummies, 2nd Edition by Lyle, Douglas P. -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Cover Table of Contents Introduction

About This Book Foolish Assumptions Icons Used in This Book Beyond the Book Where to Go from Here

Part 1: Cracking Open the Case

Chapter 1: Understanding the World of Forensic Science

Defining Forensics: The Science of Catching Criminals Getting the Big Picture: Forensic Science in Action Investigating the Crime Lab Peeking Inside the Criminalist’s Toolbox The Cornerstone of Forensic Science: Locard’s Exchange Principle

Chapter 2: Getting to Know the Forensics Team

Gathering the Evidence: The Criminalist at Work From Analyzing Blood to Identifying Bugs: Forensic Science Specialists Forensic Investigation’s Head Honcho: The Medical Examiner Dealing with the Dead: The Coroner’s Technician Testifying as an Expert

Chapter 3: Collecting and Protecting the Evidence

Assessing the Scene of the Crime Classifying the Evidence Locating the Evidence Collecting and Preserving the Evidence Locating a Missing Corpse

Chapter 4: Delving into the Criminal Mind

Defining the Role of the Forensic Psychiatric Professional Assessing the Brain Dealing with Deception Assessing Competence and Sanity Tracking Serial Offenders Profiling the Perpetrator Linking Criminals and Crime Scenes

Part 2: Analyzing the Evidence

Chapter 5: Fingerprints: Your Personal Signature

Getting a Grip on Fingerprints Making Matching Easier: Classifying Prints Locating Those Sneaky Prints

Chapter 6: Painting A Gruesome Picture: Bloodstain Analysis

Understanding Blood’s Character Analyzing Bloodstain Patterns Putting It All Together: A Hypothetical Case

Chapter 7: Leaving Impressive Impressions: Shoes, Tires, and Tools

Stepping Out: Shoeprints as Evidence Tracking Down Tires Prying Clues from Tool Marks Finding Facts in Fabrics

Chapter 8: Burning Down the House: Is It Arson?

Striking the Match: Looking into Fire-Starters Determining Where and How the Fire Started Heating Things Up: Accelerants Investigating Homicidal Fires Evaluating Explosive Situations

Part 3: Examining the Body

Chapter 9: Determining the Cause and Manner of Death: Forensic Autopsies

Defining Death and Declaring It as Such Shadowing the Forensic Pathologist Performing an Autopsy Filing the Official Autopsy Report

Chapter 10: Identifying Unknown Victims

Identifying the Body Using DNA To Make the ID Dem Bones, Dem Bones: Working with Skeletons Reconstructing Faces Comparing Photographs

Chapter 11: Estimating the Time of Death

Defining Time of Death Examining the Body to Estimate Time of Death Gathering Other Clues

Chapter 12: Ouch! That Hurts: Traumatic Injuries and Deaths

Unleashing the Power of Guns and Gun Evidence Slicing, Dicing, and Stabbing Taking the Hit: Blunt-Force Trauma A Shocking Situation: Electrocution The R Word: Dealing with Rape

Chapter 13: Gasping for Air: Asphyxia

Understanding Asphyxia Gasping for Oxygen: Suffocation Grasping Strangulation Inhaling Deadly Air: Toxic Gases Drowning: Water, Water Everywhere

Part 4: Utilizing the Crime Lab

Chapter 14: Analyzing Blood and Other Bodily Fluids: Serology

Blood: Life’s Most Precious Fluid Identifying a Bloodstain’s Source Testing for Paternity Looking at Other Bodily Fluids

Chapter 15: Looking Deep Inside: DNA Analysis

Opening an Instruction Manual for Your Cells Fingering Criminals Using DNA Fingerprints Understanding the DNA Fingerprinting Process Using DNA to Determine Lineage

Chapter 16: Testing for Drugs and Poisons: The Toxicology Lab

Understanding Poisons Defining Toxicology Seeking Toxins Examining the Testing Procedures Looking at Common Drugs Checking Out Familiar Poisons

Chapter 17: Picking Apart Trace Evidence

Defining Trace Evidence Understanding Analytical Instruments Splitting Hairs: Linking Crime to Coiffure Fiddling with Fibers Cracking the Mysteries of Glass Puttering with Paints Getting Down and Dirty: Soils and Plants

Chapter 18: Bang! Bang!: Analyzing Firearms Evidence

Figuring Out Firearms Extracting Info from Ammo Getting Groovy: Comparing Rifling Patterns The Proof’s in the Powder: Gunshot Residues

Chapter 19: Questioning the Validity of Documents

Analyzing Handwriting Exposing Alterations Looking for Indentions Examining Papers and Inks Dissecting Typewriters and Photocopiers

Part 5: The Part of Tens

Chapter 20: Ten Famous Forensic Cases

Using a Homemade Ladder: The Lindbergh Kidnapping Sacco and Vanzetti and Sacco’s Gun Ted Bundy’s Bite Marks Stella Nickell’s Trail of Fingerprints Finding Fibers on Jeffrey MacDonald Georgi Markov and the Lethal Umbrella The Hendricks Family’s Last Meal Picturing John List Being Anastasia Romanov Faking Hitler’s Diaries

Chapter 21: Ten Ways Hollywood Gets It Wrong

The Quick Death The Pretty Death The Bleeding Corpse The Exact Time of Death The One-Punch Knockout The Disappearing Black Eye The Fast-Acting Poison The Untraceable Poison The Instant Athlete The High-Tech Lab

Chapter 22: Ten Great Forensic Careers

Criminalist Crime Scene Investigator Forensic Investigator Forensic Pathologist Forensic Pathology Technician Forensic Anthropologist Forensic Toxicologist Fingerprint Examiner Forensic Document Examiner Forensic DNA Analyst

Index About the Author Connect with Dummies End User License Agreement

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