Final Test: Solving the Ultimate Crime

Our ultimate test was one big crime scene investigation. When we first walked in we saw a bag of crack (not real of course), a shoe, a hairband, an earring, an ripped up note, a glass with fingerprints on it, and some blood. There were many different suspects. It was our job to figure out what took place and who did what. We all of a suddenly assumed it was a drug deal. Our team first examined the drugs. This means that it probably involved Sam Tilson, Kooladria Jones, and/or Mr. Popadines. But especially Kooladria because she was a woman and there was obviously a woman involved. We used common sense and came to the conclusion that a drug deal involves 2 people or more. We found the blood type to be AB. This further pointed out Kooladria. The writing looked a bit like Kooladria's and Mr. Kelly's handwriting. But with further examination we figured it was Mr. Kelly's handwriting. There were two samples of hair: some synthetic hair and a white males hair. Kooladria was a hair designer and had bullet proof hair. And the white male further pointed out Mr. Kelly. The fingerprint left at the scene was an ulnar loop which matched Mr. Kelly's fingerprints.

1C: Hair Sample #1 (Synthetic):

2C: Note, match to Mike Kelly's handwriting (Mike Kelly depicted below):


3C: Hair Sample #2: White Male:

4C: Blood Sample, AB (match to Kooladria Jones, shown below)



5C: Earring, fake gold, female:


6C: Shoe, female size 8:


7C: Fingerprint, Ulnar Loop (match to Mike Kelly):

8C: Bag of Potential Illegal Substance (Cocaine):




Tameika's Scenario:
Mike Kelly being a skilled chemist discovered how to make is own crack like substance. He needed more money for his chemistry lab so he decided to sell his crack. Knowing Kooladria he saw her as the perfect target. He invited Kooladria over and with her she had a envelope. Thinking there was cash inside Mike gave her the crack without looking inside. When he realized that in the envelope was just a note that said "Ha Ha Ha I love crack" he became infuriated and tried to suffocate Kooladria with a pillow thus knocking out her earring. Kooladria fought back by taking off her shoe and throwing it at Mike. While Mike was distracted Kooladria ran off and was shortly followed by Mike


Ari's Scenario:

Kooladiria Jones comes to Mike Kelly for cocaine (Exh. 8C). She enters the deserted warehouse and walks into the back rooms where Mike Kelly has a drug lab set up (in interrogation, Mike Kelly admitted to having a Masters Degree in chemistry). Mike Kelly hands over the drugs (Exh. 8C), however, when Kooladria cannot pay, he pushes her against the wall where she knocks her head against a cabinet (producing Exh. 1C). Kooladria Jones then begins to fight back against Mike Kelly, tearing out some of his hair (Exh. 3C) and also getting her earring torn out in the process (producing exhibits 4C and 5C). Kooladria Jones then proceeds to flee from the scene, leaving behind her shoe (Exh 6C). Later at the crime scene, forensic evidence analysts discovered a leftover beaker with Mike Kelly's fingerprints (Exh. 7C) and the drug lab's motto/title on a scrap of paper (Exh 2C).


Hamp's Scenario:
Mr. Kelly went to Kooladria, a well known hooker, and figured she was probably into drugs. And because of Kooladria's background of taking drugs she accepted. Mr. Kelly was very good at staying in the dark because he had no record. Kooladria accepted and began to bargain with Mr. Kelly. Mr. Kelly, upset from losing his tennis match, was not willing to be ripped of and said "NO! EITHER YOU HAVE THE MONEY OR YOU DON'T!" She said she didn't have the money but took the drugs anyway. When she did this Mr. Kelly viciously attacked Kooladria (he was also probably on drugs) and preceded to beat her and she got one good slap across his face with her nails. That was her chance and she took it: she ran. But leaving some of her belongings behind.



***Thanks to Tameika Young for the Pictures!

Blood Typing: Major Types of Blood

There are 4 different types of Blood: A, B, AB, and O (based on the ABO system). This is based on the presence or absence of antigens on the surface of the red blood cell.There are technically 2 different types: A and B. AB is when you have both types and O is when you have none.

Blood Typing: Mixing Blood/Transfusions & +/- Blood

Transfusions are intended to save a lives. A transfusion is taking blood from one blood type and giving it to someone with the same blood type to help them with things like massive blood loss due to trauma. Although various diseases can be passed from one to another through transfusions like HIV, Hepatitis B and C, Malaria etc.

Have you ever wondered why people bother with blood typing? Or why people who donate blood have to have their type verified first?

Is because blood typing is very important when doctors make transfusions or mix different kinds of bloods. In fact, there is a whole field devoted to taking blood samples and studying them: its called Phlebotomy.

Transfusions are intended to save a lives. A transfusion is taking blood from one blood type and giving it to someone with the same blood type to help them with things like massive blood loss due to trauma. Although various diseases can be passed from one to another through transfusions like HIV, Hepatitis B and C, Malaria etc.

There are several different kinds of blood (A, B, AB, O, positive or negative, etc). They are usually based on two systems, the AbO system (A, B, AB, and O) and the Rh system (positive or negative). The Rh system classifies blood as positive or negative depending on whether or not it contains the RhD antigen. If it does, it is positive, and if it does not, it is negative and likely to make anti-RhD if exposed to the RhD antigen through transfusion. Therefore, when you receive a blood transfusion, the type of blood you receive should match your own blood type. If it doesn't, your immune system may form antibodies and begin attacking the donor blood because it does not recognize it. However, a person with blood type AB can receive from either A, B, or O individuals but can only donate to another person with AB type blood. Someone with blood type A can donate to either an A or AB, but can receive from O (because it does not have any antibodies) and other people with type A blood. Type B blood can be donated to either AB or B and can receive from either B or O. Type O blood can donate to any of the other types (A, B, AB) but can only receive from O.



The RhD is also a very important factor. If the RhD is not the same then the consequences would be the same as mixing two different types of blood. RhD refers to the absence (-) and the presence (+) of the Rhesus, a type of antibody. This was discovered in an experiment in 1937 where Karal Landstiner and Alexander S. Wiener discovered that rabbits, when immunized with rhesus monkey cells, created agglutinates, an antibody.

Blood Typing: Lab Analysis/Comments

Blood Typing Lab:
We did a blood typing lab using simulated blood to learn how to determine the different kinds of blood based on the ABO system.



Sample #1 (Type A): Blue precipitate formed on the bottom of the slide in little flakes with the Anti-A serum. Nothing happened with the Anti-b serum.

Sample #2 (Type B): Orange precipitate formed when Anti-B serum, nothing happens with Anti-A serum.

Sample #3 (Type AB): Blue precipitate formed in small grains on the bottom of the slide when Anti-A serum was added, and yellow precipitate formed in small flakes when Anti-B serum was added.

Sample #4 (Type O): No change when either serum was added.

Hair and Fiber: History/Techniques to Identify

During a crime, at least two people interact. When they interact, both of them take something away and leave something behind. In some movies you may see specialists analyzing hair and fibers through a microscope. Well since humans lose about 100 hairs a day, hairs are a perfect thing to find and use at a crime scene. It is very common for hair from the owners pet took transfer to the criminal and then to be left at the crime scene. Hair and fiber analysis has played an important role in solving crimes, used in the Leo Rank Trial of 1913 to match the hairs of the victim with the crime scene. Hair analysis was also used in the Trial of Sacco and Vanzetti to match hairs found in a cap to those taken from Sacco. Here are some links to famous criminal cases which involved the use of hair and fiber analysis:

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/SaccoV/s&vaccount.html
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/frank/frankaccount.html

There are also several different types of hairs that differentiate between cat hairs, dog hairs, human hairs, ect. Most comparisons of hair and fiber are done with a microscope, although fibers can be run through a spectrometer (spectroscopic analysis) to determine the unknown material. A forensic scientist will take hairs from the crime scene and samples from the suspects to try and make matches.Some of these distinctions between different hairs and fibers may be determined by what the outside looks like. This can be classified into three groups:

Coronal:


Spinous:


Imbricate:

Hair and Fiber: Pictures/Analysis from Lab & Guesses/Justfication of Findings

Here are a few pictures from the Fiber Identification lab:



Guess: Wool (on high magnification)



Guess: Cotton Fibers (fibers are translucent, the picture is a little dark)



Guess: Acrilan (red, spindly, thin fibers)



Guess: Viscose Rayon (many thin, black fibers running together in one direction).




OTHER FIBERS:

1. Guess: Rubber Band
------Description: Yellowish-tan, uneven surface with black pits and lines and rough edges.
2. Guess: Linen
------Description: Looks like clear spaghetti, with some multi-colored particles on different strands. Rins in many directions.

Handwriting: A History

This is known as the Lindbergh kidnapping of 1932. Where someone wrote 14 ransom notes to a family. When the police got a hold on these letters they had no trouble identifying them as all the same person, but had a great deal of trouble identifying the culprit: Richard Bruno Hauptmann. They figured out the kidnapper's identity by using techniques that Albert Osborn discovered in 1910. Osborn recognized the significance of handwriting analysis, and he devised a means and techniques for matching them. Many of the techniques still used today. The technique used to determine the culprit in this case was to look for the differences. Anyone can look at the similarities with a fair amount of accuracy but to look at the differences, especially the ones that matter, is not hard and often requires years of training and practice. Handwriting changes over they years. Also, each time you write a word, it will look different (at least some parts will). The letter's will change depending on where they are placed in the word/sentence. The trick is, the one that Osborn discovered, is what letters don't change; better yet, what parts of the word/letter don't change.