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Nowadays, more and more sciences are involved in strengthening the work of law enforcement authorities. Scientific documentation is evidence highly respected by the courts in administering justice. As the involvement of science in solving crimes increases, so does human subjectivism, which often leads to wrong conclusions and, consequently, to bad judgments. From the above arises the need to create a single information system that will be fed with scientific evidence such as fingerprints, genetic material, digital data, forensic photographs, information from the forensic report, etc., and also investigative data such as information from witnesses' statements, the apology of the accused, etc., from various crime scenes that will be able, through formal reasoning procedure, to conclude possible perpetrators. The present study examines a proposal for developing an information system that can be a basis for creating a forensic ontology—a semantic representation of the crime scene—through descriptive logic in the owl semantic language. The Interoperability-Enhanced information system to be developed could assist law enforcement authorities in solving crimes. At the same time, it would promote closer cooperation between academia, civil society, and state institutions by fostering a culture of engagement for the common good. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crime scene investigation (CSI) is the complex act of reconstructing the dynamics that led to a crime and the circumstances of its perpetration. Crystallizing the CSI is a difficult task for the forensic pathologist; however, it is often requested by the public prosecutor and many judicial cases remain unsolved precisely for this reason. Recent years have seen an improvement in the ability of 3D scanning technology to obtain dense surface scans of large-scale spaces, for surveying, engineering, archaeology, and medical purposes such as forensics. The applications of this new technology are growing every day: forensic measurement of wounds in clinical reports, for example, reconstruction of traffic accidents, bullet trajectory studies in gunshot wounds, and 3D bloodstain pattern analysis. A retrospective analysis was conducted across all crime scene investigations performed by the forensic staff of the Department of Forensic Pathology of the University of Catania from January 2019 to June 2022. Inclusion criteria were the use of a laser scanner (LS), the use of a camera, a full investigative scene, and collection of circumstantial data thanks to the help of the judicial police. Cases in which the LS was not used were excluded. Out of 200 CSIs, 5 were included in the present study. In case number 1, the use of the LS made it possible to create a complete scale plan of the crime scene in a few hours, allowing a ship to be quickly returned to the judicial police officer. In case 2 (fall from a height), the LS clarified the suicidal intent of the deceased. In case number 3 it was possible to reconstruct a crime scene after many years. In case 4, the LS provided a great contribution in making a differential diagnosis between suicide and homicide. In case 5, the LS was fundamental for the COVID team in planning the study of COVID-19 pathways and areas within a hospital with the aim of reduction of nosocomial transmission. In conclusion, the use of the LS allowed the forensic staff to crystallize the investigative scene, making it a useful tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining when DNA recovered from a crime scene transferred from its biological source, i.e., a sample's 'time-since-deposition' (TSD), can provide critical context for biological evidence. Yet, there remains no analytical techniques for TSD that are validated for forensic casework. In this study, we investigate whether morphological and autofluorescence measurements of forensically-relevant cell populations generated with Imaging Flow Cytometry (IFC) can be used to predict the TSD of 'touch' or trace biological samples. To this end, three different prediction frameworks for estimating the number of day(s) for TSD were evaluated: the elastic net, gradient boosting machines (GBM), and generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) LASSO. Additionally, we transformed these continuous predictions into a series of binary classifiers to evaluate the potential utility for forensic casework. Results showed that GBM and GLMM-LASSO showed the highest accuracy, with mean absolute error estimates in a hold-out test set of 29 and 21 days, respectively. Binary classifiers for these models correctly binned 94–96% and 98–99% of the age estimates as over/under 7 or 180 days, respectively. This suggests that predicted TSD using IFC measurements coupled to one or, possibly, a combination binary classification decision rules, may provide probative information for trace biological samples encountered during forensic casework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latent fingermarks contain precise information about the identities of individuals present at the crime scene. Cyanoacrylate (CA) fuming is a popular and effective technique for fingermark development on non-porous surfaces, but few approaches have been proposed for processing vehicles. We report the use of a large CA fuming chamber for latent fingermark development in vehicles related to serious crimes in Brasilia, Brazil. The chamber consists of a fuming compartment with a stainless-steel structure and is supplied with movable heating trays, air circulation fans, humidifying system, gas evacuation system, and an integrated control unit for process monitoring. Processing an entire regular vehicle requires 16 g of liquid CA and ~2 h. Identifiable fingermarks were recognized on the exterior and interior of the examined vehicles, including the door handles and the seat belt metallic tongue. Detected fingermarks were positively matched to individuals whose involvement in criminal activities was confirmed. The results support the efficiency of the CA fuming technique for fingermark development in the interior and exterior of vehicles and indicate certain parts of vehicles as being of potential interest. Considering the efficiency of the CA polymerization reaction for fingermark development in vehicles involved in crimes, large-scale chambers may offer important advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to being an unusual form of crime, sexual homicide (SH) sometimes includes unusual crime scene behaviours, such as carving on the victim, evisceration (i.e., removal of internal organs), skinning the victim, cannibalism and vampirism. The current study investigates these unusual crime scene behaviours to better understand their meaning as well as to explore whether such behaviours are associated with a specific crime‐commission process. Using a sample of 762 SH cases, the study uses a combination of chi‐square and stepwise forward logistic regression analyses to identify the differences between cases with and without unusual acts. Findings reveal that SH cases with unusual acts present a specific crime‐commission process. This crime‐commission process is characterised by a greater level of sadism—as demonstrated by the presence of mutilation and foreign object insertion—as well as a greater level of organisation from the selection of a contact location where the risk of being seen or heard was low. These findings provide a better understanding of these behaviours and could help investigators facing such cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the alignment work that Swedish crime scene technicians perform at the crime scene. It takes as its point of departure the understanding that the criminal justice system is a collaboration of very different epistemic cultures with at times different understandings of "the same" forensic evidence and its production. Nonetheless, the collaboration and the legal security of forensic evidence depends on knowledge in the form of forensic evidence(-to-be) moving easily and stably through it, despite epistemic differences. One way of attaining such stable movement, the article argues, is the crime scene technicians' alignment work when they recover and package traces from the crime scene - for example body fluids, fingerprints, and fibers - for transport to the forensic science laboratory. Their crime scene alignment work, it shows, is not only a core part of the crime scene technicians' contribution to the collaborative production of forensic evidence, it is also a source of professional pride, identity, and community for them. Thus, the crime scene technicians' alignment work is not only important for the movement of knowledge through the Swedish criminal justice system, but is also an integral part of their professional self-understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mummification is regarded as a particular form of decomposition. External factors such as sun, wind, humidity, and temperature are known to accelerate or slow down the mummification period. The process can take weeks or months to complete. Consequently, the diversity of external factors makes postmortem interval (PMI) estimations difficult. This case study reports on the first example of precocious natural mummification in Northern Cyprus and involves a 20-year-old male found hanging from the railing in the stairwell of an unfinished building. The individual had been missing only seven days. The body underwent complete computed tomography scanning, autopsy, and toxicology analysis. A fractured hyoid with associated ecchymosis is documented, indicating death by asphyxiation. The crime scene environmental factors and seven-day weather report during which the individual was missing were assessed to understand the factors that influenced this rapid mummification. Reporting on this case contributes to PMI studies in studies in Cyprus and other locations with similar environmental factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New rdvrnces in the growth of reserrch methodologies to evrlurte rmong vrrious tools rre of crucirl to crerte the best evrlurtion possible rbout whether r print residue seized rt r crime scene rrises from r tool detected. Strndrrd rnrlyticrl techniques rre not used to evrlurte the red tools for the prospective use of X-rry nrvigrtors. In this study, the trrce rmounts of strontium rnd brrium reverled by XRD, the main mineral filler, namely strontium sulphate rnd brrium sulphrte, r strtisticrl rpprorch wrs used, rnd it crn dirgnose some forensic tool print during r home invrsion. This work is the best exrmple rmong others of XRD for rn enhrnced chrrrcterizrtion of tool prints in rn effective method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contact-based biometric applications primarily use prints from a finger or a palm for a single instance in different applications. For access control, there is an enrollment process using one or more templates which are compared with verification images. In forensics applications, randomly located, partial, and often degraded prints acquired from a crime scene are compared with the images captured from suspects or existing fingerprint databases, like AFIS. In both scenarios, if we need to use handprints which include segments from the finger and palm, what would be the solution? The motivation behind this is the concept of one single algorithm for one hand. Using an algorithm that can incorporate both prints in a common processing framework can be an alternative which will have advantages like scaling to larger existing databases. This work proposes a method that uses minutiae or minutiae-like features, Delaunay triangulation and graph matching with invariant feature representation to overcome the effects of rotation and scaling. Since palm prints have a large surface area with degradation, they tend to have many false minutiae compared to fingerprints, and the existing palm print algorithms fail to tackle this. The proposed algorithm constructs Delaunay triangulated graphs (DTG) using minutiae where Delaunay triangles form from minutiae, and initiate a collection of base triangles for opening the matching process. Several matches may be observed for a single triangle match when two images are compared. Therefore, the set of initially matched triangles may not be a true set of matched triangles. Each matched triangle is then used to extend as a sub-graph, adding more nodes to it until a maximum graph size is reached. When a significant region of the template image is matched with the test image, the highest possible order of this graph will be obtained. To prove the robustness of the algorithm to geometrical variations and working ability with extremely degraded (similar to latent prints) conditions, it is demonstrated with a subset of partial-quality and extremely-low-quality images from the FVC (fingerprint) and the THUPALMLAB (palm print) databases with and without geometrical variations. The algorithm is useful when partial matches between template and test are expected, and alignment or geometrical normalization is not accurately possible in pre-processing. It will also work for cross-comparisons between images that are not known a priori. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Forensic Science & Technology is the property of Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Barbara Browning's book "The Miniaturists" delves into various aspects of miniaturism, blending autobiography and essayistic prose in a fictocritical style. The book explores topics such as entomology, feminism, shrinking narratives in movies, and miniature writing, among others. Browning's work reflects her enjoyment of learning and includes personal anecdotes, making it a multi-layered and engaging exploration of the concept of "the miniature" throughout history. [Extracted from the article]

Cyberbullying on social networking sites (SNS bullying) is an emerging societal challenge related to the deviant use of technologies. To address the research gaps identified in the literature, we draw on crime opportunity theory and the affordance perspective to propose a meta-framework that guides our investigation into SNS bullying. The meta-framework explains how SNS affordances give rise to the evaluation of favorable SNS environmental conditions for SNS bullying, which, in turn, promote SNS bullying. The research model was empirically tested using a longitudinal online survey of 223 SNS users. The results suggest that the evaluation of SNS environmental conditions predict SNS bullying, and SNS affordances influence the evaluation of these environmental conditions. This work offers a new theoretical perspective to study SNS bullying, highlighting the critical impacts of environmental conditions in shaping such behavior. It also provides actionable insights into measures that combat SNS bullying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stand-off detection of latent traces avoids the scene alteration that might occur during close inspection by handheld forensic lights. Here, we describe a novel sensor, named Crime Light Imaging (CLI), designed to perform high-resolution photography of targets at a distance of 2–10 m and to visualize some common latent traces. CLI is based on four high-power illumination LEDs and one color CMOS camera with a motorized objective plus frontal filters; the LEDs and camera could be synchronized to obtain short-exposure images weakly dependent on the ambient light. The sensor is integrated into a motorized platform, providing the target scanning and necessary information for 3D scene reconstruction. The whole system is portable and equipped with a user-friendly interface. The preliminary tests of CLI on fingerprints at distance of 7 m showed an excellent image resolution and drastic contrast enhancement under green LED light. At the same distance, a small (1 µL) blood droplet on black tissue was captured by CLI under NIR LED, while a trace from 15 µL semen on white cotton became visible under UV LED illumination. These results represent the first demonstration of true stand-off photography of latent traces, thus opening the way for a completely new approach in crime scene forensic examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification and recovery of suspected human biofluid evidence can present a bottleneck in the crime scene investigation workflow. Crime Scene Investigators typically deploy one of a number of presumptive enhancement reagents, depending on what they perceive an analyte to be; the selection of this reagent is largely based on the context of suspected evidence and their professional experience. Positively identified samples are then recovered to a forensic laboratory where confirmatory testing is carried out by large lab-based instruments, such as through mass-spectrometry-based techniques. This work proposes a proof-of-concept study into the use of a small, robust and portable ion mobility spectrometry device that can analyse samples in situ, detecting, identifying and discriminating commonly encountered body fluids from interferences. This analysis exploits the detection and identification of characteristic volatile organic compounds generated by gentle heating, at ambient temperature and pressure, and categorises samples using machine learning, providing investigators with instant identification. The device is shown to be capable of producing characteristic mobility spectra using a dual micro disc pump configuration which separates blood and urine from three visually similar interferences using an unsupervised PCA model with no misclassified samples. The device has the potential to reduce the need for potentially contaminating and destructive presumptive tests, and address the bottleneck created by the time-consuming and laborious detection, recovery and analysis workflow currently employed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Processing a crime scene is complex. When scenes are processed well, higher quality specimens can be detected and collected. Inadequately managed scenes increase risk of ineffective investigations and poorer justice outcomes. Government reports from around the world have stated that some crime scene examiners outperform their peers. If processing a crime scene is vital for optimal outcomes, then who should we employ, and train, for this complex and challenging role? What skills do they need? In 2010, the seminal work into the technical and non‐technical skills of top crime scene examiners commenced in Australia. This team used empirical techniques from occupational psychology and business management to identify a cluster of 7 key cognitive, social, leadership skills, and technical/scientific knowledge to develop a profile of top crime scene performers. This work was published in a series of papers between 2012 and 2017. In 2023, the original work was combined with current international empirical findings to build a robust, comprehensive, and more generalizable picture of the holistic skillset of top crime scene examiners. The rationale for developing a skillset is to assist forensic agencies to create targeted recruitment procedures and inform the content of early career training programs for their crime scene teams. With recruitment and training done well, organizations are better placed to attract, develop, and retain personnel with potential to excel in complex roles. When top examiners attend scenes, it is possible the risk of poorer justice outcomes arising from crime scene work could be reduced. This article is categorized under:Forensic Science in Action/Crime Scene Investigation > Crime Scene ExaminationForensic Science in Action/Crime Scene Investigation > Education and FormationForensic Science in Action/Crime Scene Investigation > From Traces to Intelligence and Evidence [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decomposition of animal bodies is a process defined by specific stages, described by the state of the body and participation of certain guilds of invertebrates and microorganisms. While the participation of invertebrates in decomposing is well-studied and actively used in crime scene investigations, information on bacteria and fungi from the scene is rarely collected or used in the identification of important factors such as estimated time of death. Modern molecular techniques such as DNA metabarcoding allow the identification and quantification of the composition of microbial communities. In this study, we used DNA metabarcoding to monitor fungal succession during the decomposition of juvenile pigs in grasslands of New Jersey, USA. Our findings show that decomposition stages differ in a diversity of fungal communities. In particular, we noted increased fungal species richness in the more advanced stages of decomposition (e.g., bloat and decay stages), with unique fungal taxa becoming active with the progression of decay. Overall, our findings improve knowledge of how fungi contribute to forensically relevant decomposition and could help with the assessment of crime scenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trace DNA is a significant type of evidence for its ability to be collected from touched items or surfaces at crime scenes to link suspects to their crimes. In cases of violent crimes like assault, sexual offences, or even homicide, often touch DNA is collected from the victim's skin. However, the collection of touch DNA from the victim's skin can be complex because of the mixture of DNA present, as there is likely to be a small quantity of the offender's DNA compared to the victim's DNA. Validating different collection methods or techniques can improve touch DNA sampling; therefore, this study investigated three collection techniques involving cotton and nylon swabs to test their efficiency for the collection of touch DNA from the human neck. There was a significant difference between the three recovery techniques used to recover touch DNA with a cotton swab (CS) (p < 0.05) and nylon swab (NS) (p < 0.05), with more alleles observed when the neck skin was moistened with 100 μL of distilled water using a spray bottle before collection with both swabs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last two decades, forensic pathology and crime scene investigations have seen a rapid increase in examination tools due to the implementation of several imaging techniques, e.g., CT and MR scanning, surface scanning and photogrammetry. These tools encompass relatively simple visualization tools to powerful instruments for performing virtual 3D crime scene reconstructions. A multi-modality and multiscale approach to a crime scene, where 3D models of victims and the crime scene are combined, offers several advantages. A permanent documentation of all evidence in a single 3D environment can be used during the investigation phases (e.g., for testing hypotheses) or during the court procedures (e.g., to visualize the scene and the victim in a more intuitive manner). Advanced computational approaches to understand what might have happened during a crime can also be applied by, e.g., performing a virtual animation of the victim in the actual context, which can provide important information about possible dynamics during the event. Here, we present an overview of the different techniques and modalities used in forensic pathology in conjunction with crime scene investigations. Based on our experiences, the advantages and challenges of an image-based multi-modality approach will be discussed, including how their use may introduce new visualization modalities in court, e.g., virtual reality (VR) and 3D printing. Finally, considerations about future directions in research will be mentioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The text discusses the link between the Covid-19 pandemic and cases of feminicide registered in Pará, based on the analysis of journalistic narratives published by the G1 Pará in 2020 and 2021. The argumentative starting point is the observation of the absence of systematization records of feminicides and violence against women during the pandemic. Initially, we noted the lack of systematization of records of feminicides and violence against women during the pandemic. Then, we discuss the structural character of gender violence and feminicide as the maximum expression of these oppressions. Examination of the journalistic coverage revealed two main aspects: first, most of the news addresses femicide as the tragic fate of its victims, placing emphasis on the scenes of these crimes; second, only the reports on surveys of records and occurrences established a link between the increase in cases of feminicides and the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FORENSIC CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION IS A FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENT OF THE JUSTICE INVESTIGATION PROCESS. IT IS OFTEN THE FIRST STAGE AT WHICH EVIDENCE IS COLLECTED, DOCUMENTED AND ANALYSED, AND THE QUALITY OF THIS INVESTIGATION CAN HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE SUBSEQUENT SUCCESS OF SOLVING THE CASE. TO FULLY UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS EVIDENTIAL PROCESS, WE NEED TO FOCUS ON THE CONTEXT AND MOTIVATIONS BEHIND THE CRIME SCENE FORENSIC INVESTIGATION. TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES HAVE BROUGHT SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS TO THE FIELD, ALLOWING INVESTIGATORS TO OBTAIN MORE ACCURATE EVIDENCE AND SOLVE CASES MORE EFFICIENTLY. TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS HAVE BROUGHT WITH THEM THE EXPANDED USE OF ADVANCED IMAGING TECHNIQUES, DNA AND BIOMETRICS ANALYSIS, COMPUTER SIMULATIONS AND MORE, PROVIDING INVESTIGATIONS WITH A RICHER ARSENAL OF TOOLS. ONE OF THE MOST OBVIOUS PURPOSES OF CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION IS THE IDENTIFICATION AND APPREHENSION OF OFFENDERS. BY COLLECTING EVIDENCE, INCLUDING PHYSICAL TRACES, BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE AND INTELLIGENCE, FORENSIC SCIENTISTS HELP ESTABLISH THE IDENTITY OF SUSPECTED CRIMINALS, WHICH FACILITATES THE PROSECUTION PROCESS. THE QUALITY OF EVIDENCE COLLECTED AND DOCUMENTED AT THE SCENE HAS A DIRECT IMPACT ON THE JUDICIAL PROCESS. WEAK OR INADEQUATE EVIDENCE CAN LEAD TO FAILURES IN COURT, WHILE STRONG AND WELL-MANAGED EVIDENCE CAN STRENGTHEN THE CASE FOR THE PROSECUTION OR DEFENCE. THIS UNDERLINES THE IMPORTANCE OF CRIME SCENE FORENSICS IN ENSURING A FAIR AND JUST TRIAL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• TiO 2 -coated self-cleaning glasses are challenging substrates for trace DNA analysis. • TiO 2 -coated glasses, Bioclean® and SaniTise™, most likely degrade trace DNA via photocatalysis. • Rapid trace DNA sample collection reduces impact of photocatalytic DNA degradation. Titanium dioxide (titania, TiO 2) is frequently used as a coating for a variety of self-cleaning products, such as antifogging vehicle mirrors, ceramic tiles, and glass windows because of its distinct physiochemical features. When exposed to light TiO 2 causes photocatalytic decomposition of organic contaminants, potentially compromising DNA integrity. The impact of TiO 2 -coated commercial glasses, Bioclean® and SaniTise™, on trace DNA persistence, recovery, and profiling was investigated. DNA in saliva and touch samples deposited on self-cleaning glass slides exposed to indoor fluorescent light for up to seven days was more degraded than control samples indicating some degree of fluorescent light-induced photocatalytic activity of the self-cleaning surfaces. When exposed to sunlight, DNA yields from saliva and touch samples deposited on the titania-coated substrates decreased rapidly, with a corresponding increase in DNA degradation. After three days no DNA samples applied to self-cleaning glass and exposed to natural sunlight yielded STR profiles. These results suggest that the photocatalytic activation of TiO 2 is the likely mechanism of action underlying the extreme DNA degradation on the Bioclean® and SaniTise™ glasses. Consequently, rapid sample collection and use may be warranted in casework scenarios involving TiO 2 -coated materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present study was to find out importance of forensic science from the point of view of the investigating officers i.e., police. The police officers who are involved in the work of crime investigation in the city of Nagpur, Maharashtra, India were selected as a sample of the study. The data was collected by personally visiting randomly selected police stations and distributing the questionnaire to the investigating officers there at. In all total 152 participants data was collected and analysed. The results indicated that near about all the investigating officers were aware about forensic science and its utility in the process of crime investigation. Similarly, participants agreed with the fact that crime scene management plays very important role in the process of investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tatort (scene of crime) is a must-see programme on Sunday evenings for many Germans. With its enormous reach, the crime series also deals in more than half of its episodes with active pharmacological substances, surprisingly most of them are used curatively. There are lots of ways representing the active pharmacological substances: simply naming the preparation to details such as information on how to take it or how it is manufactured illegally. Diseases of great interest to the public such as hypertension or depression are taken up. In addition to the correct presentation, in 20% of cases the active pharmacological substances were presented incorrectly or implausibly. But even with correct presentation, it may yield a harmful influence on viewers: Stigmatisation of preparations occurred in 14%, especially in the case of active pharmacological substances that are used in psychiatric therapies; presentations that could be considered dangerous occurred in 21% of the mentions. In 29%, content was presented positively to the audience beyond the correct presentation. Analgesics and active pharmacological substances used in psychiatry are frequently titled. But drugs such as amiodarone, insulin or "cortisone" are also mentioned. The potential for misuse is also presented. Tatort also educates the audience about common diseases and their treatment, for example hypertension, depression or the use of antibacterial drugs. However, the series does not educate the general public on the mechanism of action of commonly used drugs. There is a natural dilemma between informing the public and guiding them to misuse medicines. Finally, we discuss how future episodes could be improved with respect to pharmacological content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study reports offender, victim and offence characteristics of the entire population of known serial homicide offenders identified in Italy between 1848 and 2019 (59 offenders, 244 victims, of whom 50.4% were men, and 21.7% were sex workers). We found that most of the offenders (72.4%) had a personality disorder. The offenders' age during their series was 35.1 (SD = 11.3) years, on average. Sexual elements were found in 28.4% of the crime scenes. The median time interval between homicides was 2.8 months. Also, we investigated the consistency of the offence characteristics over the series and found significant correlations between the offence characteristics between a previous and the subsequent homicide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To analyze trace evidence found at crime scenes, non-destructive analysis techniques or analysis techniques requiring minute amounts of sample are preferred. One such technique is solid sampling electrothermal vaporization (ETV) coupled to inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICPOES), which requires only 0.1–5 mg of sample. As a result, it has been utilized in several applications of forensic research. This article discusses the capabilities of ETV-ICPOES among current analytical methods and introduces its value as a tool for the analysis of forensic evidence. The latest advancements of ETV-ICPOES demonstrate the diverse opportunities for the identification, determination, and discrimination of evidence. Methods of ETV-ICPOES for the direct analysis of various physical evidence, including trace evidence, are reviewed. Some methods involve quantification of multiple elements using, commonly, matrix-matched external calibration with certified reference materials. Other methods combine qualitative multi-element analysis, based on the area of each analyte peak produced during the vaporization step of the ETV temperature program, and multivariate analysis using principal component analysis or linear discriminant analysis. In all cases, internal standardization with an argon emission line first compensates for sample loading effects on the plasma. Perspectives for utilizing ETV-ICPOES in future forensic settings are also offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Suicide notes are significant in forensic investigations as they can provide profound insights into the intellectual capacity of individuals who have taken their own lives. Those who experience suicidal ideation or tendencies tend to leave behind a variety of explanations for their actions, such as apologies to their loved ones, reasons for their decision, or as a final chapter of their life. Case Details: This case study examines a real-time crime scene where suicide notes were discovered on the floor and wall using unconventional writing instruments such as blood and colored pencil respectively. This presented an additional challenge during the investigation and examination process. The handwriting on the floor and wall was compared with specimen handwriting samples from the suspect to determine authorship. Through examination helped in establishing the authorship for both the questioned (unconventional) and specimen (conventional) handwriting samples of the suspect. Conclusion: This report highlights the challenges and issues encountered in crime scene investigation and handwriting analysis. The author asserts that a correlation can be established between unconventional (questioned) and conventional (admitted/specimen) handwriting samples, which can be utilized as evidence in a court of law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological evidences are the most commonly encountered physical evidence at the scene of crime. The term "biological evidence" covers a broad range of physical evidence, including hairs, bodily fluids, tissues, and bones, among others. Being a source for both genetic and non-genetic information, they play a vital role in a criminal investigation. Their presence at a crime scene not only aids in the individualization of the donor but also in the reconstruction of the crime scene, thereby leading the investigation in the right direction. With the scientific and technological advancement, the forensic analysis of the biological evidence has witnessed manifold developments. One such approach is flow cytometric technique based on the analysis of a single cell in a complex cellular population. Although this technique is not new to the forensic domain, the improvements in this technique in the past decades have mitigated the limitations which hindered its incorporation in the forensic domain. However, limited literature related to the application of flow cytometric technique for the analysis of the biological evidence, is available. This study provides a review of the application of Flow cytometry in the analysis of biological evidence to pool all the available data so that the lacuna in the literature can be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a focus on taxonomy, field botany, anatomy, and ecology, forensic botany is a broad arena that covers many zones of plant sciences. Expanding the use of forensic botany in criminal investigations, particularly in cases of war crimes, genocide, homicide, sexual assault, major physical assault, illegal trade in endangered species, and wildlife crime, presents a tremendous opportunity on a global scale. The use of plant anatomy as a forensic technique in criminal investigations can be significant. The presentation of four instances in which anatomical information about plants or plant parts was used in research understanding of how to prepare plant parts. Forensic botany must include the study of these fragments as well as the interpretation of the data. This study aims to illustrate the value of forensic botany at crime scenes. The following collection of unusual case studies, which aims to demonstrate the value of forensic botany, will look at the determination of post-mortem or the post-depositional interval, evidence for a victim's post-mortem transfer, evidence for the identification of a primary crime scene, and evidence for the identification of a victim's dismemberment site. The review was executed by manual search strategy on google scholar, and PubMed, and data are summarised in tabular form to capture relevant information to establish the purpose. The published article exhibited great potential in criminal investigation, especially the victim's location, the period of its deposition, and the possible sequence of events that occurred at a specific scene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Time since death is one of the most important factors connected with the investigation of a case. Determination of the TSD (time since death) is one of the primary goals of medico-legal autopsies. Hospital records, witness statements, police - investigation reports, and other sources of information can all aid in determining the time of death, but it can be difficult to predict when such data is unavailable, particularly in cases of unwitnessed death. Estimating the time since death with blood pH is one solution which is critical in guiding law enforcement in establishing a timeline, determining the location of the victim's final action, and excluding or narrowing down the number of suspects involved. Results: The study shows a highly significant negative correlation between time and the person's pH score. From the statistical analysis and from the graph, it is evident that there is a substantial decrease in the blood pH levels with the rise in the time since death. Conclusions: The study comprised 20 cases brought to the hospital. Blood was analysed for pH levels using a meter. Results have been presented in comparison to findings obtained in other studies done on dead individuals. In this study, it is found that there is a highly significant negative correlation between time and the person's pH score.So, it can be used as a tool to estimate time of death such as from the crime scene as well as from the corpse which can be a valuable investigating tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Already for some decades lateral flow assays (LFAs) are 'common use' devices in our daily life. Also, for forensic use LFAs are developed, such as for the analysis of illicit drugs and DNA, but also for the detection of explosives and body fluid identification. Despite their advantages, including ease-of-use, LFAs are not yet frequently applied at a crime scene. This review describes (academic) developments of LFAs for forensic applications, focusing on biological and chemical applications, whereby the main advantages and disadvantages of LFAs for the different forensic applications are summarized. Additionally, a critical review is provided, discussing why LFAs are not frequently applied within the forensic field and highlighting the steps that are needed to bring LFAs to the forensic market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microfluidic technology is a powerful tool to enable the rapid, accurate, and on-site analysis of forensically relevant evidence on a crime scene. This review paper provides a summary on the application of this technology in various forensic investigation fields spanning from forensic serology and human identification to discriminating and analyzing diverse classes of drugs and explosives. Each aspect is further explained by providing a short summary on general forensic workflow and investigations for body fluid identification as well as through the analysis of drugs and explosives. Microfluidic technology, including fabrication methodologies, materials, and working modules, are touched upon. Finally, the current shortcomings on the implementation of the microfluidic technology in the forensic field are discussed along with the future perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secretion analysis is a useful tool in forensic genetics, since it establishes the (cellular) origin of the DNA prior in addition to the identification of the DNA donor. This information can be crucial for the construction of the crime sequence or verification of statements of people involved in the crime. For some secretions, rapid/pretests already exist (blood, semen, urine, and saliva) or can be determined via published methylation analyses or expression analyses (blood, saliva vaginal secretions, menstrual blood, and semen). To discriminate nasal secretion/blood from other secretions (like oral mucosa/saliva, blood, vaginal secretion, menstrual blood, and seminal fluid), assays based on specific methylation patterns at several CpGs were set up in this study. Out of an initial 54 different CpG markers tested, two markers showed a specific methylation value for nasal samples: N21 and N27 with a methylation mean value of 64.4% ± 17.6% and 33.2% ± 8.7%, respectively. Although identification or discrimination was not possible for all nasal samples (due to partial overlap in methylation values to other secretions), 63% and 26% of the nasal samples could be unambiguously identified and distinguished from the other secretions using the CpG marker N21 and N27, respectively. In combination with a blood pretest/rapid test, a third marker (N10) was able to detect nasal cells in 53% of samples. Moreover, the employment of this pretest increases the proportion of identifiable or discriminable nasal secretion samples using marker N27 to 68%. In summary, our CpG assays proved to be promising tools in forensic analysis for the detection of nasal cells in samples from a crime scene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the key questions in forensic cases relates to some form of age inference, whether this is how old a crime scene is, when in time a particular crime was committed, or how old the victim was at the time of the crime. These age-related estimations are currently achieved through morphological methods with varying degrees of accuracy. As a result, biomolecular approaches are considered of great interest, with the relative abundances of several protein markers already recognized for their potential forensic significance; however, one of the greatest advantages of proteomic investigations over genomics ones is the wide range of post-translational modifications (PTMs) that make for a complex but highly dynamic resource of information. Here, we explore the abundance of several PTMs including the glycosylation, deamidation, and oxidation of several key proteins (collagen, fetuin A, biglycan, serum albumin, fibronectin and osteopontin) as being of potential value to the development of an age estimation tool worthy of further evaluation in forensic contexts. We find that glycosylations lowered into adulthood but deamidation and oxidation increased in the same age range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Touch DNA has become increasingly important evidence in todays' forensic casework. However, due to its invisible nature and typically minute amounts of DNA, the collection of biological material from touched objects remains a particular challenge that underscores the importance of the best collection methods for maximum recovery efficiency. So far, swabs moistened with water are often utilized in forensic crime scene investigations for touch DNA sampling, even though an aqueous solution provokes osmosis, endangering the cell's integrity. The aim of the research presented here was to systematically determine whether DNA recovery from touched glass items can be significantly increased by varying swabbing solutions and volumes compared with water‐moistened swabs and dry swabbing. A second objective was to investigate the possible effects of storage of swab solutions prior to genetic analysis on DNA yield and profile quality when stored for 3 and 12 months, as is often the case with crime scene samples. Overall, the results indicate that adapting volumes of the sampling solutions had no significant effect on DNA yield, while the detergent‐based solutions performed better than water and dry removal, with the SDS reagent yielding statistically significant results. Further, stored samples showed an increase in degradation indices for all solutions tested, but no deterioration in DNA content and profile quality, allowing for unrestricted processing of touch DNA samples stored for at least 12 months. One further finding was a strong intraindividual change in DNA amounts observed over the 23 deposition days which may be related to the donor's menstrual cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are without cure and troublesome to manage because of the considerable diversity between patients and the lack of reliable biomarkers. Several studies have demonstrated that diet, gut microbiota, genetics and other patient factors are essential for disease occurrence and progression. Understanding the link between these factors is crucial for identifying molecular signatures that identify biomarkers to advance the management of IBD. Recent technological breakthroughs and data integration have fuelled the intensity of this research. This research demonstrates that the effect of diet depends on patient factors and gut microbial activity. It also identifies a range of potential biomarkers for IBD management, including mucosa-derived cytokines, gasdermins and neutrophil extracellular traps, all of which need further evaluation before clinical translation. This review provides an update on cutting-edge research in IBD that aims to improve disease management and patient quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Odors are valuable memory cues and can act as memory triggers. • We tested if odor exposure can aid recall of a virtual reality crime scene. • The crime scene content recall was tested in a free recall and a forced-response test. • We found no significant effects of odor exposure on a virtual crime scene recall. Environmental context reinstatement has a particular value for recall of information in forensic interviews. Since odors are valuable memory cues and can act as memory triggers, in our preliminary study we explored whether odor exposure can help people recall details of a crime scene. The study comprised 58 women and 15 men aged 22–35 who immersed in a carefully controlled environment closely resembling an actual crime setting, i.e., a virtual reality crime. Participants were exposed to an odor at encoding, recall, both or neither of these instances, yielding a total of 4 experimental groups that further completed a memory recall task. The crime scene content recall was tested in a free recall and a forced-response test immediately after seeing the crime scene and one month later. We found no significant effects of odor exposure on the free or the cued recall of the crime scene. The memory scores correlated neither with the self-assessed olfactory/visual sensitivity of the subjects, nor with the perceived odor pleasantness. These preliminary findings suggest that introduction of a vanilla odor while encoding and recalling a crime scene does not aid witness recall accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Using machine learning and computer vision for automatic shoeprint image retrieval. • Automated crime scene linking with shoeprint images. • Advance performance for shoeprint image retrieval process. A shoeprint image retrieval process aims to identify and match images of shoeprints found at crime scenes with shoeprint images from a known reference database. It is a challenging problem in the forensic discipline of footwear analysis because a shoeprint found at the crime scene is often imperfect. Recovered shoeprints may be partial, distorted, left on surfaces that do not mark easily, or perhaps come from shoes that do not transfer marks easily. In this study, we present a shoeprint retrieval method by using a convolutional neural network (CNN) and normalized cross-correlation (NCC). A pre-trained CNN was used to extract features from the pre-processed shoeprint images. We then employed NCC to compute a similarity score based on the extracted image features. We achieved a retrieval accuracy of 82% in our experiments, where a "successful" retrieval means that the ground truth image was returned in the top 1% of returned images. We also extend our shoeprint retrieval method to the problem of linking shoeprints recovered from crime scenes. This new method can provide a linkage between two crime scenes if the two recovered shoeprints originated from the same shoe. This new method achieved a retrieval accuracy of 88.99% in the top 20% of returned images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestic violence is a multifaceted issue within today's society. Acts of violence perpetrated against individuals constitute a blatant infringement upon human rights. The majority of such instances are directed at women and children. The legal regulation of domestic violence is defined in Lithuanian and international legal acts. However, shortcomings within the legal framework concerning domestic violence hindered the effectiveness of police assistance to victims. It is of utmost significance to highlight that the new Law on Protection from Domestic Violence came into effect on July 1, 2023. This legislation has introduced a novel legal mechanism in the form of a Domestic Violence Protection Order. The legal aspect of domestic violence is examined in the scientific literature; however, it lacks analysis of the personal positions of police officers who are the first to go to the crime scene after receiving a domestic violence call. Thus, the aim of the article is to reveal the peculiarities of legal regulation of domestic violence and empirically investigate the insights from the perspective of police officers. In order to achieve this goal, the analysis of scientific literature and legal acts were used for defining the concept of domestic violence and the peculiarities of legal regulation. A written survey was conducted for the empirical investigation of police officers' insights about domestic violence; the collected data were processed using quantitative analysis methods. The analysis has shown that domestic violence is understood as all intentional physical, mental, economic, sexual and other actions of the abuser towards the victim, if these actions violate the victim's constitutional rights and freedoms, and cause economic, physical, mental or moral damage to the victim. Police officers must respond immediately to a call of domestic violence and be the first to arrive at the crime scene. The newly adopted 15-day order restraining the abuser from the victim is a very important tool for solving the problems of domestic violence. However, as the experience of foreign countries shows, even after the adoption of appropriate laws to solve this problem, there are psychological and organizational obstacles in providing qualified assistance to victims of domestic violence. After conducting a survey of police officers, it was found that in most cases the reasons of domestic violence are alcoholism, drug addiction, unemployment and poverty. Most frequently the age of abusers is between 31-40 years; in most cases violence occurs in families after living together from 1 to 12 years. The victims of violence are mostly women. When preventing domestic violence, first of all, continuous prevention is necessary. Police officers lack psychological and practical knowledge the most when solving these issues. Police officers are not capable of solving these problems alone, the involvement of the prosecutor's office, courts, psychologists, and social workers is also needed here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crime scene serves as the starting point for forensic science and can generate valuable data that must be meticulously, methodically, scientifically, and lawfully gathered. If the crime scene is not handled appropriately, it can become misleading and render crucial information useless, leading to an investigation on the wrong path. Forensic science has undergone a revolution thanks to the use of DNA technologies. Many times, due to the investigator's lack of scientific expertise regarding the proper collection, preservation, storage, and transportation of biological evidence, the investigator is unable to acquire accurate DNA analysis results, which reduces the value of the evidence in court. Purity, quantity, and rate of DNA degradation are just a few of the many variables that go into creating a decent DNA profile from a biological sample. We highlight and provide useful strategies and recommendations to assist medical, forensic, and law enforcement professionals in handling biological evidences for DNA analysis to prevent contamination, deterioration, and loss of biological evidence's value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the implications of consumer data tracking, particularly the use of geofence warrants by law enforcement to access data collected by BigTech companies like Google, Snapchat, and TikTok. It discusses how these warrants, which allow police to identify individuals in proximity to a crime scene, raise significant privacy concerns, especially after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.

This article explores the increased attractiveness of a 'post-conflict' Belfast as a television setting for British television police series. The Fall (2013, 2016), Bloodlands (2021) and Marcella (2021) are all set in Belfast, while most of the hit series Line of Duty (2012–) has been filmed in Northern Ireland. How do these new Belfast-set crime dramas negotiate the tropes and iconography of twentieth-century Troubles Belfast, while also participating in the transformation of the city associated with the arrival of transnational audiovisual industries? While recognising that much recent scholarship focuses on the creation of the Titanic Quarter through the redevelopment of the Harland & Wolff shipyard and the production of the HBO-Warner series, Game of Thrones, this article pursues the recent appearances of contemporary Belfast on screen in Bloodlands, Marcella (2021) and Line of Duty. Building on scholarship, such as the work of John Hill, Martin McLoone and Ruth Barton which has established the contours of the Troubles film, the history of Belfast on film and genre in the Northern Ireland context, the existence of an identifiable chronotope 'Troubles Belfast' is proposed. Is Belfast recognisable as a specific place outside a Troubles chronotope? What are the stories that can be told of Northern Ireland outside a Troubles chronotope? In particular, which is pertinent to an industry desperate to maintain its attractiveness to transnational productions, the tension between the identification of Belfast as a specific place and the generation of new and different stories is explored in the case studies. To what extent is the televisual use of the new screen Belfast caught in the paradox that it is the old Belfast which makes it an attractive setting for crime drama? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers autoethnographic storytelling and analysis, considering what multispecies framing can offer post-war memorialisation discourse and practice. During 2019, I undertook initial scoping and consultation around the potential of a new museum or memorial site for post-war Kosova. The aim for this new site is to encourage reflection, peace building, and action around human rights. In Kosova there are multiple and conflicting memorialisation practices enacted by war veterans, politicians, mourning widows and mothers, activists, and survivors. These all take different forms from statues to protests, oral histories and curatorial interventions. As in all wars, the physical landscape of Kosova is the site of crime and resistance, mythologising and denial. Amidst the human memorial activity live the stray dogs of Prishtina. The dogs activated my attentiveness to the potential of a living landscape as a site of multispecies enquiry for rethinking processes of memorialisation and heritage-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smartphones play an extensive position withinside most company investigations into cyber intrusions. Investigations from the Law Enforcement additionally contain cellular gadgets sporting crucial proof that could assist carry the case to its logical conclusion. Smartphones are utilized in several crook justice contexts. The company presents mobile telephones to lots of its personnel as a part of their task duties, and the BOYD (carry your very own tool) idea is broadly adopted, permitting customers to get admission to workplace applications (like Outlook, Skype, etc.) the usage of their very own transportable gadgets. Based on forensic proof from research starting from conventional crimes (homicide, robbery, kidnapping, etc.) to technological crimes like cybersecurity incidents on company-huge cellular facilities, unlawful get admission to or exchanges, or facts theft, the cybercrime inquiry unit can be required to capture the cellular gadgets and ship them to FLS for added analysis. The chain of custody high-quality practices for securing mobile telephones, iPads, company cellular telephones, and BYOD gadgets in a manner that protects the integrity of the proof and is consequently suited in courtroom docket are in short defined on this paper. This paper's chain of custody technique was created especially for cellular platforms which require specific application of mind and use of tools in the reconstruction of the scene of crime as well as management of the evidence due to the variety of operating systems and nature of dynamic evidence which mobile devices have. The necessities of the commercial enterprise and regulation enforcement agencies that might use the record for normal cellular tool investigations in India have been taken into consideration while it was being developed. This paper has been written retaining in view the necessities of each enterprise in addition to the Law Enforcement Agencies to apply it for his or her everyday cybersecurity investigations concerning cellular gadgets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]