LIsa Black
Cape Coral, FL
Female, 49
I spent the five happiest years of my life in a morgue. As a forensic scientist in the Cleveland coroner’s office I analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence, as well as crime scenes. Now I'm a certified latent print examiner and CSI for a police department in Florida. I also write a series of forensic suspense novels, turning the day job into fiction. My books have been translated into six languages.
I don't know what you mean by 'abusement'. Like child abuse, or sexual abuse? Basically you look for whatever confirms or refutes the victims' story or your theory of the crime. First was the suspect at the right location at the right time for this crime to have occurred--you look at receipts, witness statements, GPS, anything that puts the relevant people in the right places. Then is there physical evidence of the alleged action occurring--bruises, blood, semen, a weapon found at the location. Then is that evidence tied to the suspect by DNA or other means?
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Okay, I emailed you.
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As far as I know--and I am not a DNA expert--multiplying the frequencies of each allele tested is what gives us the astronomically high numbers of elimination of people having that same set of alleles. A SET of data points eliminates many more people than a single data point, in other words.
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I'm afraid you'd have to ask a doctor. I'm not an expert in that area, but I could make a guess that it depends a great deal on what he lands on when he falls. Also, has anything in the loft changed recently? Maybe he rearranged the furniture so his bed is closer to the edge?
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I did not know gooseflesh was a characteristic of rigor, and if I'm understanding rigor to mean rigor mortis then of course they'd already be dead before reaching that stage. But as for how likely it is that pre-mortem gooseflesh would remain after death or be affected by freezing after death, I'm afraid you'd have to ask a pathologist. I don't have the expertise to answer that.
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I'm sure you are, since most positions are civilian positions without those kinds of restrictions.
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You can't go wrong with science classes. When I was in college they didn't have courses specifically in forensic science, so that wasn't an option. Look especially for classes where you can do hands-on work in the lab or field. And different agencies will have different requirements, so you might want to go online and check out the different vacancies to get some idea of what requirements are out there.
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