An Introduction to Crime Reconstruction

Can be one or multiple of the below.

Anything that establishes or helps to establish when an event occurred or the order in which two or more events occurred.

Anything that shows where something was goign or where it came from.

Shows where something happened, or where something was, and its orientation with respect to other objects at location.

Defines anything that happened durign the commission of the crime.

Something that demonstrates whether and how tow persons, objects, or locations were at one point associated with eachother.

Something that helps answer the Who question with a digh degree of certainty.

Usually a form of trace evidence that can be identified or ownership evidence.

Defines the nature and boundries of the crime scene.

Anything that the reconstructionist thinks may have been at the scence when the crime occurred but was not actually found.

Anything that specifically denotes or expresses the passage of time at the the crime scene relative to the commission of the crime.

Any act committed by the perpetrator to satisfy a personal need or motivation.

Acts before, during, and after that are intended to confuse or mislead investigators or foresnic experts for the purpose of identifying the perpetrator or his connection to the crime.

Manipulation of the crimescene to change the apparent 'motive'.

Can include postmortem mutilation, necrophilia, and purposeful arrangement of a body or items in a scene.

Observing scene to decide whether or not it was or was not.

Influences the nature and quality of evidence that is left behind.

Influences the nature and quality of all evidence left behind.

Can obscure, obliterate, or mimic the evidnce of injury to a body.

The feeding activites of all manner of indigenous wildlife can relocate body parts, obliterate patterns, and further obscure, obliterate, or mimic injury to a body.

Can destroy all physical evidence related to criminal activities

First responder is to protect life not preserve evidence. Must refrain from touching evidence at the scene before it is properly documented.

May relocate and destroy evidence, obliterate patters, cause transfers, tear clothing, and add artifacts.

Limiting access to only necessary personnel and controlling it by means of a security officer who logs the entry times, exit tiems, reason for entry, and duties performed of each person who passes though the tape.