forensic

For postgraduates and professionals in forensic, what has been the most challenging part of the journey? I'm in my third year at uni and it's definitely not been a walk in the park

Welcome to our weekly discussion thread about forensic science!

Forensic Scientists and Professionals! What's going on this week?

Use any of the following as a prompt if you need to

• What do you do?
• What kind of work are you doing?
• Are you doing any new kinds of analyses?
• What is your work week like?
• Do you have crazy stories from the field/lab? Tell us!

Remember! Don't reveal identifying info on decedents or victims. Change names or use nicknames if you must.

Students! How's school?

Use any one of the following as a prompt if you need to

• What degree are you pursuing?
• What are you learning about?
• Have you learned something new and/or exciting?
• Are you involved in research?
• Is there anything about the field you'd like to know?

Remember! Don't ask us to do your homework or assignments for you. We did the work and you have to do it too.

If you are asking for education or employment advice, please read our subreddit guide first and then look at our resources in the sidebar. If what we have doesn't address your needs, you can ask us a question here! Let us know where you are and which country or countries you're considering for school.

Don't know where to start when it comes to schools, programs, or degrees? Take a look at our subreddit wiki for a good rundown of what you should look out for.

Confused by all the job titles, requirements, and worried about things like starting salary? Please take a look at this collection of posts from /u/Cdub919, one of our verified forensics members.

Have questions for someone working in the field? Take a look at our list of verified forensics professionals. They are frequently tagged in comments and posts when mods or other community members see that their expertise is needed. You might reach out to them in a private message or chat if you need their help. Please be respectful of their time and advice and don't harass anybody for a response.

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Hi, I am currently in college, and for my current assignment, I have to interview someone in a career I am interested in doing after college. It would be better if I PM one of you guys since I am required to write down some personal information. I'm guessing it's so the professor knows we didn't just straight-up lie.

Here are the questions

Describe your typical work day.

What do you enjoy most about your career and current position?

What do you dislike about your career or current position?

What challenges or barriers did you have to overcome to get into your career?

What skills do you feel are most important for a position in this field?

As a college student, what do I really need to know/do to have a successful entry into this career?

Thank you to anyone that responds :)

I am seeking advice in regards to a high profile case involving a female who was located deceased in a “Clandestine Grave” with obvious characteristics of murder. The M.E. was given witness testimony and he was observed by detectives doing the autopsy. The body is photographed and marked but the report doesn’t match the photos. ◦ Her clothes are removed and photographed but are oddly clean to found in red clay dirt. These clothes were not even processed by Dept of Forensics ◦ There is severely swollen eye and bruising covering her face. Her body is covered in bruises and suspicious imprints on her face ◦ The ME said he couldn’t clip her fingernails bc they had been cut down to her nail beds. This was not done by the ME and there is no way she could have done that to herself ◦ The date of death was recorded to have happened 13 days before her body was recovered but she has minimal decomposition. ◦ A second autopsy performed found she could not have been deceased more than 1-3 days prior to being buried and 6 days was the absolute maximum amount of days ◦ The hole was 2’x3’x2’ and net body was in the fetal position with her back facing up. Her head was at the highest level and angled upward ◦ Wrapped in 2 sheets, Both tied at each end. These sheets were not sent for forensic testing ◦ She had been redressed but messily ◦ The rape kit was sent out but no one admitted to seeing the results. Her death was classified before those results even came back. After obtaining a copy of those results, there was blood located in all 3 cavities. ( The people who admittedly had her were convicted sex offenders and violent to say the least) ◦ Her toxicology results came back with disclaimers saying the results are not to be used for forensic purposes. The Dr had to sign a waiver saying her blood was grossly coagulated and the results would be wrong. The Dr signed that release. ◦ The witness statements ended up coming from the people that were with her & 5 years later, there has been ever changing stories. The ME was going off of information that ended up to not be true, at no fault of his own ◦ No one contacted the family regarding prescriptions she was taking, she was prescribed Wellbutrin ◦ This death was ruled an “Accidental Overdose” Meth & Morphine Toxicity

Her body was exhumed this year and a second autopsy was performed. Unfortunately, because the death is classified accidental, there is nothing LE will do to investigate this case. Is there any advice or recommendations on how to ask the ME to revisit his findings??? There are a lot of parts to this case and we really do not want to come across to the ME as accusatory or disrespectful. Please, any help would be appreciated.

Just want to note, we have received all official autopsy photos

What hours / how many hours a day do you work?

Would I still be able to spend time with family/ how often?

How many off days (not at work) per year?

Is it good pay?

As someone with ptsd how might it effect my mental health?

What is the most disturbing thing you might expect to see or have to do?

If someone had a forensics podcast in the works...what questions would you want to hear answered?

My great uncle passed in a house fire. My parents have been told multiple times that the house is a crime scene. Is this normal for a house fire or indicative of something being suspicious? Google is not giving me the answer I’m looking for.

Edited to add: he was 98 with no major medical issues. He was so badly burned that he is only identifiable by dental records. I am sick over the fact that he passed this way.

After leaving home for half an hour and returned , I found mom(79F) curled in bed and her neck in weird stretched position. she never sleeps in fetal position. When I checked, she was breathless. She was about to sleep when I left home . She had overthrown her blanket.paramedics took her to hospital and she got ROSC after intubation . After a sustained ROSC for 8 hours , her blood pressure dropped and heart stopped again. On her death certificate only cardiac arrest is written. They have not been able to diagnose what caused it. I am about to lose my mind how mom was good before I left and suddenly passed away. She was feeling cold in summer like all old women. She was good and about to sleep. What can cause her death ?

Hi all so I decided to apply for my masters and have gotten into almost all colleges i applied to. I have questions about internships where can i start looking for one and with who? Im willing to go anywhere and everywhere for an internship at this point for any experience moving forward but dont know where to start looking and applying?

Is it the peridontal ligamets drying up and keeping them in or simply friction?

I never thought I’d be posting here, but I need help. My 33-year old brother was found unresponsive last Sunday, 10/27, sitting upright in his recliner at the assisted living facility/group home where he resided. He saw my mom two days prior and wasn’t feeling well, but the caretakers at the home said he was acting normal and getting better. We were told he got up on Sunday morning, ate breakfast, showered, and went to relax in his chair around 10:30 AM. They called him for lunch at about 12/12:30 PM, and he didn’t come out, which wasn’t abnormal. But after an hour or so went by, they went to check on him and found him at about 2 PM. That’s the time of the 911 call.

EMTs came and attempted CPR. EMTs apparently told the residents that they got a pulse and were taking him to the ER. They attempted to revive him at the ER, but minutes after he arrived, he was pronounced dead.

My mom said that he felt cold soon after he was pronounced dead at the ER, had a nosebleed while she was sitting with his body, and was starting to develop rigor mortis and mottled skin by the time she left the hospital three hours later.

My brother was overweight (5’4 and 300 lbs), but only 33. His death was unattended. However they did not recommend an autopsy and insisted he passed of natural causes. The medical examiner reviewed his records and released him to the funeral home a day later.

However, today, I was told that his primary care doctor needed more information regarding what happened and was questioning “natural causes” due to my brother’s age. He had no chronic or diagnosed conditions except for sleep apnea. Did not drink or use substances, and was not suicidal. I think they neglected to investigate because of his size. My mom was too bereft to question it and trusted the word of the caretakers at the home. He also looked totally relaxed as though he passed in his sleep. No signs of any distress.

However, I’m in a state of panic about what actually happened to him.

It’s been 10 days since his passing. Can cause of death be determined after this amount of time?

Can they determine if it was sleep apnea, aneurysm, cardiac arrest, or something else?

Can they still ascertain his true time of death? If he was cold moments after his declared time of death in the ER, what was the actual timeline?

Something isn’t adding up. We need answers, and I need your help. I truly appreciate any insight anyone here can provide.

Thank you.

Hi, I have a master’s degree in biology, have been working in the molecular biology industry for years.

Becoming a criminalist was my dream. Now I finally get my green card and eligible for government jobs.

I wonder is being a criminalist a stressful job? As myself is dealing with anxiety, work stress really affects my career choices. I got burn out doing CLS during the pandemic, had to quit CLS.

Welcome to our weekly general discussion thread!

Feel free to chat with your fellow forensically-minded redditors about anything! Introduce yourself, show us pictures of your cat, complain about your kids, lament about exams/work, tell us what you're eating today... whatever you want!

Here are a few resources that might answer your questions:

A subreddit wiki with links and resources to education and employment matters, archived discussions on more intermediate topics in education and employment, what kind of major you need, what degree programs are good, etc.

• The subreddit Guide - Consider this an FAQ about our community and our field. Look here for basic education and employment questions/answers you might have. Didn't find what you were looking for? Please post in our weekly scheduled posts or to the subreddit. Note: please do use a desktop browser to view all features.
• List of verified forensics professionals
• Subreddit collections (please view on desktop browsers) on the following topics:
  • Education and Employment
  • Mental Health and Preparation for Working in Forensics
  • What It's Like Working in Forensics
  • Employment: Job Titles, Job Requirements, and Starting Salary in Forensic Science

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Q "All drugs carry the risk for what type of dependency?" a. physical b. psychological c. physiological d. mental e. all of the above

The correct answer is e and I chose b. To my knowledge, drugs like LSD or marijuana are not considerd to be physically addictive ( although I have heard personal testimonies about physically rough withdrawl symptoms )

Weather or not I'm right or wrong, I think it is important ( for my ego lol ) to mention that my book said:

"Long - term abuse of cannabinoids has the potential to lead to psychological dependence. It's often viewed as the gateway drug, which means those who engage in regular marijuana use will often experiment with more serious drugs that lead to physiological addiction."

Which I think IMPLIES that it does not make one physiologically dependent. Especially because the book also never gave definitions of addiction vs dependence; leading me to googling and gathering that they are essentially the same damn thing! whats the difference :'D ?

From just some hobby searching I did a few years ago, I learned that dependence = you will die without the drug. This does not seem to be true lol -

This is from my Intro to Forensic Science class btw. It's a homeschool thing, I have no teacher to ask, just the book.

( Warning : Im a dummy and dont know nothing about forsenics, I have ZERO credentials and exprience, and im not the sharpest tool in the box 😅 )

Heyy, I was wondering about this question cause I watching a documentary about this thief and then went down the rabbit hole of forensics science and how, specifically, touch dna works. And this question is the one that stomps me the most, how come DNA from skin cells it isnt found at every scene? Does certain clothing or environmental factors prevent such from happening? I'd love to learn from you guys! I respect the work you intelligent people do.

Curious to see- how many of y’all’s departments require you to wear a body worn camera on scenes? Our department has decided to start requiring us to wear BWCs to every scene and while packaging evidence. I want to know if this is common.

Hi, I'm currently working towards a Forensic Science BA (likely followed with an MS, but undecided) with a heavy focus on chemistry and biology in the courses. I was wondering if any Europeans here (especially Germans) would know about the process for landing a DNA analyst job abroad as someone obtaining their degree in the US. From what I understand, crime scene technician jobs require citizenship, but since I'm uncertain about lab work any advice would be helpful as I'm struggling to find any information on this online. Thanks!

Long story short My brother went missing over a year ago and I think his girlfriend at the time had something to do with it. She moved out of the house where they both lived a few months after he went missing. I went by their house and found interior car parts in the yard. There was plastic pieces that pops off. ( seat belt bolt covers, door panels, floor mats) pretty much everything inside except the seats and carpet) I reported this to the investigators but they told me there wasn’t a crime that was committed so they don’t want the parts. I did my research and ordered blue-star spray. And it did glow. Am I able to send them anywhere to see it’s actually blood and test to see if the DNA is indeed my brothers?

So I tried googling the answer but nothing was really coming up, and then I wasn’t sure which subreddit to ask this in so I chose a pretty broad one, and this one.

Okay so I‘m a college student, and I’ve just started attending parties on my campus, and predictably, they’ve been serving alcohol every time. I always want to participate to get that college life experience and have a little fun, you know?

But recently I’ve been doing a lot of research into the employment qualifications and disqualifications of federal jobs. I know that they polygraph test you when you apply, and obviously I don’t want to lie on that test, but I also obviously don’t want to say I’ve been drinking underage.

So I’m wondering if anybody here would know what the federal governments rules are for underage drinking, and if you get asked any questions about it on the polygraph test? Should I avoid it entirely or would I be fine if I indulged every once in a while?

Welcome to our weekly discussion thread about forensic science!

Forensic Scientists and Professionals! What's going on this week?

Use any of the following as a prompt if you need to

• What do you do?
• What kind of work are you doing?
• Are you doing any new kinds of analyses?
• What is your work week like?
• Do you have crazy stories from the field/lab? Tell us!

Remember! Don't reveal identifying info on decedents or victims. Change names or use nicknames if you must.

Students! How's school?

Use any one of the following as a prompt if you need to

• What degree are you pursuing?
• What are you learning about?
• Have you learned something new and/or exciting?
• Are you involved in research?
• Is there anything about the field you'd like to know?

Remember! Don't ask us to do your homework or assignments for you. We did the work and you have to do it too.

If you are asking for education or employment advice, please read our subreddit guide first and then look at our resources in the sidebar. If what we have doesn't address your needs, you can ask us a question here! Let us know where you are and which country or countries you're considering for school.

Don't know where to start when it comes to schools, programs, or degrees? Take a look at our subreddit wiki for a good rundown of what you should look out for.

Confused by all the job titles, requirements, and worried about things like starting salary? Please take a look at this collection of posts from /u/Cdub919, one of our verified forensics members.

Have questions for someone working in the field? Take a look at our list of verified forensics professionals. They are frequently tagged in comments and posts when mods or other community members see that their expertise is needed. You might reach out to them in a private message or chat if you need their help. Please be respectful of their time and advice and don't harass anybody for a response.

​

I plan on pursuing a career in forensics, and while I'm still debating on which field, I would like to hear some opinions and get some insight from anyone who actually works in forensics of any kind.

What was school like? How did you get the job? Where did you have to go and where do you go to work?
Any insight would be very helpful.

Generally speaking, how hard is it to start a career in forensics with just a bachelor’s degree? I’m in my third year of uni before I graduate. Do employers mainly focus on candidates with a master’s degree and higher?

Okay so the reason I ask this question is due to the fact that the apple community thinks they know the answer, they say no unless a forensic tools find a cached image, does this sound right? And when I mean deleted I mean deleted from recently deleted actually permanent, some get confused and say if it’s in recently deleted.

hi ! new to the sub, sorry if this isnt allowed and will delete if i have to, but i have a bachelors in criminal justice and im really interested in the forensics and crime scene investigation field, i have no idea where to get my foot in the door and ive tried going to local police stations to see if they have any contact info of people who work in the field, and i never get an email back from them. i really dont wanna be a cop as a start, id love to do volunteer work, lower level but some type of forensic/csi involvement jobs, anything to get my foot in the door. im also in texas if that helps, thanks in advance!

EDIT: just wanted to say thanks to everyone that responded, seriously has been alot of help. :)

Hey, all. I have a few questions for which I'm desperately seeking answers.

During the colder months, a family member went missing under incredibly odd circumstances. Foul play is suspected. They were, ultimately, found in a body of water after 9 days.

The temperatures in that week and a half had gotten to around 40°F and stayed fairly cool during the days, highs up to 70°F. All that to set the stage for questions about decomp.

We are currently waiting for a second MD to review the case as the first coroner could not determine a cause of death. No drugs or alcohol in the system. No water in lungs. Decedent passed before they were placed in the water. No gunshot wounds or stab marks.

We're in the dark right now and it's been quite a long time, so I'm hoping to learn a few things here.

With 9 days in water, would the decomp present hinder being able to see bruising and possible marks around the neck if it's was strangulation? Or really, contusions to any part of the body?

Thanks so much for any help!

1. Speaking of blood spatters at the crime scenes: are there any colloquial terms to name any especially interesting ones? Say, a huge circular spatter on the ceiling or a particularly telling one that helps identify the weapon with a lot of precision?

2. What would be some main differences between blood stains at the crime scene that got there during the assault vs ones that would be brought there in a container and smeared around?

3. Any beginner-friendly non-fiction sources that deal with blood spatters, preferably with pictures?

Hello, I have a double bachelor’s degree in Biology and Statistical & Data Sciences and hope to become a forensic DNA analyst. I know that it can be difficult to get an entry level forensic DNA analyst position right off the bat, and that labs don’t often have openings. I am wondering if starting out as a crime lab tech working under forensic scientists would give me a better chance at becoming a forensic scientist via mentorship and networking. I already have some practical lab experience but no internships, so I’m at a bit of a disadvantage. I also intend to get my Master’s degree (probably in genetics) so that I have room for career growth. Please let me know if anyone has done this or if it would be better to get my Master’s before entering the field. Thanks!

Since the coroner with jurisdiction in the assassination attempt did not order an autopsy of the attendee Comperatore - is it safe to assume there was no autopsy on his body? https://peteryim.substack.com/p/no-order-for-autopsy-of-assassination