A writer's journey...

Do you hear voices?   In this case I’m not referring to the creative urging that propel writers to sit at their computers churning out thousands of words, I am referring to the actual condition that many experience. It’s actually more common than most would think.  There is a lot of controversy about this condition. Psychiatry still considers it a symptom of schizophrenic disorders, manic depression and psychosis, but it’s usually a consequence of abuse or a traumatic life situation. In fact, 70% of people who hear voices first detect them after physical or sexual abuse, an accident, or the loss of a loved one. In actuality only one out of three “voice hearers” requires psychiatric help. However, it is often treated with major tranquilizers, but it’s not the solution and in many cases make things worse. These drugs can silent any good voices and increase the intensity of the bad ones--the ones that encourage harmful or illegal behavior. “Anti-psychotic drug...

WARNING: Don’t read this post if you are squeamish. It contains graphic information. (I have eliminated photos.) In real life: Yes, there is such a thing as ‘wax mummies.’ When a body is discomposing it needs oxygen and moisture, but when these levels fall of balance, it can result in the process of saponification resulting in adipocere. Ideally, for this to happen the environment is deprived of oxygen yet contains a high level of moisture. This process begins within a month and can carry on for centuries. Women, infants, and overweight persons are more likely to be affected. What is adipocere exactly? I’ll let Wikipedia explain.  “Adipocere, also known as corpse, grave or mortuary wax, is a wax-like organic substance formed by the anaerobic bacterial hydrolysis of fat in tissue, such as body fat in corpses. In its formation, putrefaction is replaced by a permanent firm cast of fatty tissues, ...

Lividity, also known as livor mortis, is the result of blood settling where a dead body comes to rest. It can play a vital role in a murder investigation and provide investigators with an approximate time of death. Here are some questions and answers I’ve gleamed from my research. What does it look like? It presents itself as a purplish discoloration on the skin. Where does it form? The blood settles in response to gravity. For example, if the body is lying on its back it will undoubtedly show in the shoulders and back of the legs. What prevents lividity from showing? It will not show where the body is in direct contact with a hard surface but “the impression against the skin displays itself as an indentation surrounded by gravity-pulled blood”. When does lividity start? It starts within 20 minutes of death and typically fully develops within 4-5 hours. “Maximum lividity occurs within 6-12 hours.” Does lividity disappear? It depends on the condition o...

Do you think you know everything there is to know about guns and bullets?  I bet there are things you don’t know—unless it’s your job to know.  But as an author in the crime genre, it’s imperative to get the facts as straight as you can.  I was fortunate enough to be contacted by an educated source who has offered to help me with detailed technical and forensic questions.  They are giving of their assistance free of charge.  I want to “pay it forward” and pass on what I learn.  I believe that’s fair. J Here’s a few things I’ve learned already. Clips and magazines are the NOT same. Unless you’re active with guns, I doubt you knew that.  It’s common for online resources to use the words interchangeably but they couldn’t be more wrong.  So what is the difference? A clip holds bullets and goes into a magazine. Here’s a video that may help you see this  clearly. All bullets are NOT created equal Bullets are de...

The scientific study of hair is called trichology and this field dates to the mid 1800s.  If you’re an avid researcher of forensics you’ll know that hair can tell an investigator a lot of things such as where the hair came from (animal or human), and if human, what part of the body it came from, the race of the person, and if the scenario is just right DNA. But did you know scientists are working on the connection between hair and diet and environmental factors?   It turns out you are what you eat to the tips of your hair. Scientists have discovered that with animals everything they eat and drink is recorded in their tissues and this includes their hair.  With water, for example, it reasons that chemical elements come in different forms and concentrations depending on where the water comes from. “The hair becomes a linear tape recorder,” says Ehleringer. “So it tells us a little story about the history of what an animal was eating or drinking.” ...

Autopsies are conducted when the cause of death is suspicious or unknown.  Most of us would never see one, but if you’re a crime author, you should know what they look like and the basic format they follow.  This is the purpose of this post. Page one of the report will start with the summation of the basics and final diagnoses. It will read similar to this at the top:   Lambton County Medical Examiner’s Office Autopsy Report ME No.: 13-1352 CASE TITLE:  SUSPICIOUS DEATH DECEASED:  JOHN SMITH                              SEX:  M                 AGE:  25 DATE AND HOUR OF DEATH:  01-05-13; 05:16 a.m. DATE AND HOUSE OF AUTOPSY:  01-05-13;  3:30 p.m. PATHOLOGIST:  MICHEAL HENR...

The wait has come to an end!  Today, Forensic Friday is back with a special guest, Richard Goodship.  I met Richard on Twitter, and as soon as I realized he was not only a fellow writer but a retired Forensic Investigator, I knew he would be a terrific guest to have. Richard has answered some questions below, but has also agreed to answer any that you might have up until Sunday.  So be sure to leave them in your comment.  Without any more delay, here he is. Welcome to my blog Richard.     Glad to be here.~~~ Tell us a bit about yourself. Well, I started my career on the police 26 years ago and worked the last 22 years in the Forensic Identification section (FIS in Canada as opposed to CSI in the US). During that time I became a Bomb Tech/Post Blast Tech, Fingerprint Examiner, Firearms Reconstructionist/Weapons Expert, Blood Spatter and Arson Investigator.    There’s more but you get the idea. I understand you’re retired, but still yo...

So for those of you who may have missed my Forensic Friday post this past week, I found an interesting webpage that you might find interesting. The 26 Stages of Death Check it out.

Blood has the ability to reveal much to investigators.  They can conclude angle, height, and even the type of struggle that occurred.  They can determine the source, what happened, and how many people were at the crime scene.  They can even determine how long the blood’s been there. First off, let’s look at blood itself.  It is a complex substance consisting of both plasma (liquid) and cellular (solid) components.  It has the ability to spread over a surface and conform its shape to fit in a place, but it also possesses a measure of thickness and “surface tension” properties.  Surface tension is an “elastic-like property”.  It is the reason blood drops in a spherical shape.  Blood can leave the body in several ways such as dripping, oozing, flowing, gushing or spurting, and each of these leave a distinctive pattern.  As blood flows from the body, it will pool and clot within three to fifteen minutes.  Of course depending on certain dis...

Most of us are familiar with the term striations , and their association with ballistics analysis.  But how much to you really know?  Do you know exactly what’s involved with matching a bullet to a weapon, or where investigators start? First of all Ballistics, or “Ballistics Fingerprinting refers to a set of forensic techniques that rely on marks that firearms leave on bullets to match a bullet to the gun it was fired with” (as quoted from Wikipedia). The first thing that is determined is the caliber and type of bullet. It’s weighed, and even if it’s deformed, this can eliminate some calibers. They will also look at the type of jacketing to help identify the type of weapon used.  Rifles typically fire a fully jacketed bullet, whereas a small-caliber handgun fires a simple lead bullet. Spiral groves are machined into the barrel of a gun to cause the bullet to spin and ensure an accurate projection.  As these tools are used and worn, the impressi...