I wanted to focus this blog post on Crime Scene Research. When writing one of my mysteries, I always have to particularly focus on one branch of forensics and this time it was crime scenes. The basic concept is that "every contact leaves a trace". So, there's no way to walk into a room without leaving a piece of you, no matter how small, behind. Crime scene investigators focus on four main things: (1) is something unique to the crime scene, (2) the evidence has a low probability of being there by chance, (3) is the evidence out of place from its surrounding, and (4) is it a physical match. Investigators use these to determine what was naturally at the scene and what was "brought in" from the crime. These four things really remind me of Sherlock Holmes, my favorite detective, who would gather multitudes of information by just observing the crime scene. What should be there, what wasn't there, or something odd in the room that nobody else noticed. It seems to me that a lot of things go unnoticed by the average person. Maybe that's because we are overloaded by information, emails, job stress, families, and etc. But, what would happen if we actually took the time to notice our surroundings...or perhaps you don't want to.
Crime scene investigators are the collectors and gatherers of all the crime scene evidence. Ranging from crime scene photos, to fingerprints, trace evidence, and other items that are part of the crime. Probably like many of you, I was a fan of the TV show CSI, and I always thought it was so fascinating how they processed the crime scene. So, I was a little disappointed when I found it how it really happens, but to my consolation, the actual science behind it still rather fascinating. My next mystery will focus on crime scene forensics and so the bulk of my research or 'reminder research' is on what is found at a crime scene. It still amazes me how much information you can forget, especially something as particular as forensics. I guess that's part of the thrill for me as a mystery writer. To research these things, utilize them in my stories, and have a believable mystery that readers will enjoy. So, the question is what has gone unnoticed by you lately? Until next time...
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AuthorA North Carolina author who published her first novel, Killer Deception, in 2020. She doesn't profess to be a professional blogger, just a writer with many thoughts. Archives
November 2024
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