A Lifetime of Forensic Science ‹ CrimeReads

I was deeply immersed in forensic science before I learned to read or ride a bicycle. My younger sister and I worked our first “case” with my father, the county coroner, when we were six and eight years old. There was a two engine plane crash at our small regional airport. We collected parts of the victims' brains and skulls. For now, this was just an anatomy lesson and nothing more.

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Over the next 20 years, I was able to experience countless investigative adventures and forensic lessons first hand. My father was a coroner and my mother was the office manager of the coroner's offices in three counties in northern Michigan. These were rural counties that had no budget for an official ME office, so it was set up in our home. This also allowed my father to maintain a strict chain of custody.

It doesn't take a psychologist to connect the pieces of my forensic childhood with my current career as a crime writer. Since forensics is embedded in my DNA, my plans are driven by this inner scientist. And as a crime fiction fan, I know I'm not alone when I say we read them in part for the juicy details of the forensic mystery. In fact, during the initial edits of my new release Frozen livesmy editor gave me a note advising me to add another body drop and more of that gory forensic stuff. That wasn't a problem! Here are a few forensic tidbits to look forward to in my new release: Frozen lives and the science behind the fiction. Don't worry. No spoilers!

What happens to a body when it is frozen? As the title suggests, the investigators are there Frozen livesencounter a frozen body or two. This raises a complicated question for a coroner regarding decomposition and what it can reveal about a person's death. Weather, temperature, insects, maggots, body composition – all influence how quickly a body breaks down. In frozen bodies there is a phenomenon called Freezing artifact. As the body thaws, tiny bubbles form inside the cells. This proves that it was once frozen (if that wasn't already known). A body rots very quickly after the thawing process begins, similar to how frozen fruit turns brown and mushy when removed from the freezer.

What happens to a person if they are shot at close range? A shootout ensues at close range Frozen lives. (Not a spoiler, considering that almost every crime book always involves a shootout!) What happens to a body when it's shot really depends on the type of ammunition and weapon used. In the case of Frozen livesA small semi-automatic handgun is used. This means the shooter uses a magazine to load a cartridge, so he doesn't have to reload a bullet every time he wants to shoot. In the book I don't describe the type of ammunition used, but let's assume it was a hollow point bullet. A hollow point bullet is pointed at the tip and has a hollowed out center. When the bullet hits its target, the metal material blooms like petals, causing more damage to the target as it penetrates flesh than, say, a jacketed bullet, which does not expand upon striking a target and leaves a small hole.

When it comes to the actual crime scene where a shooting occurs, there are many steps and things to pay attention to. Investigators would attempt to recover the bullet casings either from the crime scene or from the body. If it comes from the body, the medical examiner can find this piece of evidence during the autopsy. The investigator would also try to determine the trajectory of the bullet, i.e. where the shooter was standing and how far away he was from the victim. This can often be determined by the pattern of blood spatter. Spatter (not splatter) occurs when blood leaves the body as a ball and travels through the air, being pulled downward by gravity to form a teardrop shape. It remains in this form until impact. Then it forms a pattern with a body and a tail. The tail is actually the front of the blood spot and points back towards the mother drop. An investigator would also want to search any potential suspect for back spatter, which is the victim's blood splattered on the shooter and covering his hands, face, clothing and weapon.

In the case of Frozen livesWhen shot at close range, blood spatters are present at high speed, forming a mist pattern. Think of it like using spray paint. The diameter of each drop of blood is less than 1 mm.

How do you prove death by drug overdose? There is one death from a drug overdose Frozen lives And it's happening in a place where hundreds of medications are legally stored and administered. A hospital. This can make it difficult to determine whether it was a drug overdose and which drug was the cause. There are many things about a victim's physical appearance that could indicate an overdose death, including a slumped body, stopped breathing, vomit, low body temperature, purple lips, blue fingertips and clammy skin.

Scientifically, a blood draw is one of the best ways to confirm a drug overdose. Unlike what you see on TV, when a sample goes to toxicology, the real lab will run a typical drug panel on that sample unless other drugs are queried by name. In the case of Frozen livesThe medical examiner needs the toxicologist to find out what medications the patient may be taking. And whether other drugs were present at the time of death. A good investigator will search the offspring's premises to determine if other drugs were present. In Frozen livesThat's exactly what happens thanks to our clever heroine, Dr. Emily Hartford ME checking the organic waste bin next to the hospital bed. I won't spoil what she found.

A common misconception in drug investigations is that you have to obtain a search warrant to look for the drugs. One such case where this is not necessary is when there are exigent circumstances, i.e. there is a good reason that a life or evidence needs to be saved. Another circumstance is called a protective sweep. An investigator may conduct a search for and seize drugs if there is sufficient evidence and there is a risk that criminal activity is occurring.

There are many more exciting forensic moments Frozen livesand the three previous books in the series, The coroner, Secret remainsAnd The last man alive. And if you're looking for more real-life forensics, check out the good old standbys on my forensics shelf:

Criminalistics for crime scene investigators, Richard Saferstein

Medical-legal death investigation, Spitz & Fisher

Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life, Jason Hanson

400 Things Cops Know, Adam Plantinga

100 Deadly Skills, Clint Emerson

Death's Acre, Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson

Predators, Gregory Cooper and Michael R. King

Psychology of intelligence analysis, Richards J. Heuer

The Anatomy of the Subject, John Douglas and Mark Olshaker

Forensic Speak, Jennifer Dornbush

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