Forensics Lab Procedures

HAP Forensics Unit

A possible crime has taken place on the Monte Vista High School campus. Obtain a copy of the Crime Scene Scenario.  As the newest recruits of the CSI forensics class it is your task to collect and analyze evidence.  You need to compile a  Forensics report which will  profile the deceased and the most probable cause of death, determine if the death is due to a crime or natural causes (including accidental death) and turn your information over to the Coroner (  Mrs. C).   Good Luck to each CSI team.  Your grades will be based upon the following rubric.  Follow the CSI Lab Report format

A bonus awaits the team that is first to correctly hand over this document to the Coroner (Mrs. C).  It is a competition among each of the lab groups in all 5 class periods so working collaboratively among ONLY your own team is encouraged!  Only one team will survive the competition and win the reward . Everyone will of course receive a grade (see the grade  rubric.)...however only one team will earn the reward!

Your Tasks: It is important that you remember the various lab skills you have been trained to do this year. If you have not kept your labs for this year, you may need to revisit the first and second semester calendars to review procedures.  In some cases, links have been provided that give you additional information that may be valuable to your CSI team.

ENJOY!!

Mrs. C (aka) The Coroner

1. Identify the gender of the victim by looking at various bones including the skull   Other bones to determine gender The materials can be found at the lab station marked Skulls
2. Identify the nationality  of the victim.  The skull of the victim can be found at the lab station marked Skulls
3. Determine the Blood Type. The materials can be found at the lab station marked Victim's Blood Analysis.
4. Determine the  RBC count and WBC count. The materials can be found at the lab station marked Victim's Blood Analysis.
5. Determine the Hematocrit. The materials can be found at the lab station marked Victim's Blood Analysis.
6. Determine the deceased WBC differential count.
7. Identify the age of the victim by looking at various bones and slides of bone tissues.  Link to Bone growth and development   http://www.siumed.edu/~dking2/ssb/skeleton.htm#development  The directions and materials can be found at the lab station marked Victim Age
8. Identify the height of the victim by using the actual bones of the victim. Follow  the procedure.  Follow this link  determine suspect and victim height    The materials  can be found at the lab station marked Victim  & Suspect Height. 
9. Identify the height of the most probable suspect by looking at a set of footprints.    Follow the procedures for determining height of the suspect by a set of footprints.   http://www.cyberbee.com/whodunnit/foot.html . 
10. Crime Scene Blood:  Perform a luminol  test to determine if the stains found at the crime scene are blood or not.   The materials & directions can be found at the lab station marked Crime Scene Blood. 
11. Perform a urinalysis to help  determine if the victim was healthy or unhealthy and therefore died of natural causes instead of criminal activity. Use the links here  to give you background information. Your team will do a urinalysis of the victims urine remaining in the bladder.  The materials can be found at the lab station marked Urinalysis.
12.  Examine the digested stomach contents of the victim (follow the lab procedure for testing unknowns. Print it. ) The materials can be found at the lab station marked Stomach Contents
13. Identify the fingerprints at the crime scene.  Determine which belong to the victim and those of the suspect.  Compare to a possible list of valid suspects.  Find the procedure at this link.   to finger print analysis Print it.  The materials can be found at the lab station marked Fingerprints
14. Identify the time of death. Listen to an expert! In this video, a forensic entomologist talks about his work fighting crime using maggots. Not for the weak of stomach. Take notes on the video lecture  & attach to the the forensics report that will be turned in.  I’ve placed a “dead body” (actually several pieces of the dead body aka pieces of steak)  on campus.  Your group will have to  use a map to find the body assigned to your team, "dig up" the body, take the required samples  and return it back to the "buried" spot for other teams throughout the day to find.  Use the maggots to help you determine the time of death. Blow Fly Life Cycle and Maggot age    Follow these directions  for collecting the specimens.   The materials can be found at the lab station marked Maggot Collection. When you are ready to "find the body" and make your collections obtain a map from Mrs. C. 
15. Hair analysis.  Examine the hair found at the scene   versus the hair of the suspect and determine if the suspect was at the crime scene.  Follow the directions located at the lab station marked HAIR SAMPLES. 
16. DNA analysis.  Prepare a gel.  Load gel with "DNA" from the location the body was found.  Run gel.  Determine if the "suspect" and determine if the person was at the location where the body was found. Follow the directions located at the lab station marked DNA

Good Luck CSI teams!!  Have fun and remember to review the grading rubric  and to the lab report format to insure that you've adequately covered all of the grade criteria.

Created by Patti Carothers

Unpublished work © 2009 Patricia Carothers.