You are a detective for the local metro police department. You and your partner have been dispatched to a possible crime scene investigation in which a mother reported that she found her teenage son d

In the scope of the crime scene, evidence is collected that may provide clues or support any theories as to the nature of the events. Professional coroners and medical examiners investigate the cause of any death in the United States. During a death investigation, fingerprints are collected for biometric testing.

In this section, we will discuss how critical evidence is collected and tested to create these conclusions. 2 No matter the cause of death, there's always an investigation handled by government medical personnel and law enforcement. Regardless of whether the incident was intentional or by accident, an investigation must take place to legally account for what happened.

Law enforcement investigators are to collect evidence from the crime scene for testing while medical examiners are to scientifically review the evidence to certify whether a death resulted from natural causes, was an accident, or was of suspicious nature, such as a suicide or homicide. Medical examiners are critical in death investigations.

The process begins with the examination of the body and the evidence collected at the scene of the crime. Then, that evidence is processed through physical examination, laboratory tests, and the findings of those tests. In a death investigation, the evidence is the key to explaining the facts of the story.

The ultimate goal of the investigation is to understand the cause, timing, and manner of death under the criminal justice system. 3 Fingerprints: A fingerprint is an impression that consists of the friction ridges of a human finger. Any type of moisture or oil on a finger will result in a print of that finger if placed on a solid surface such as glass or metal.

The recovery of a fingerprint from a crime scene is an important element of forensic science. Fingerprints are collected at the scene of any investigation to narrow down the parties involved in the incident. What fingerprint analysis may explain are the evidence that exists to convict, exonerate, and identify victims of a crime.

Both forensic analysis of fingerprints have also assisted in identification of individuals involved in disasters and conflicts, such as war. Fingerprint information will help to establish presence of individuals at the crime scene as well as the possible order of events in which the crime occurred. 4 DNA fingerprinting revolutionized forensic investigations. Since the 19th century, fingerprints have been used in forensic investigations for the identification of individuals. In the United States, DNA databases have expanded significantly. But so have the criteria of inclusion in which the different types of DNA and how long to retain the DNA analysis results. The question of efficiency and the infringement of personal privacy has been argued.

Your fingerprints are not only collected and stored from the scene of a crime but also in activities such as banking or mobile applications. Individual fingerprints have such distinctive markings that no one person has the same fingerprint. Scientifically, each individual is given a unique pattern or friction ridge in both hands and in the soles of their feet.

Here's a better brief understanding of the development of fingerprints. The development of the finger ridge skin occurs in the womb between the 9th and the 24th week of embryo development. The final pattern of the friction ridge skin is different for each individual, even identical twins. Fingerprints are the contact impression of the raised portion of the finger friction ridge skin.

A fingerprint remains unchanged through a person's lifetime. In a crime scene investigation, when a finger touches a surface, an impression is formed of that ridge pattern. This impression is known as a latent fingerprint because of its invisibility to 5 the naked eye. A sample of this impression is collected from the area and brought to a medical facility for testing. 5 Forensic biometrics: The basic foundation of forensics is science. Forensic biometrics is the science of analyzing data within a forensic application. Biometrics may be a human -based or automated method. Essentially, there are two types of biometric systems. These systems enable authorities to link a person and their identity. Not only have biometric systems assisted in criminal investigations, but the U.S. military and the intelligence community, including the Central Intelligence Agency and the Defense Department, have used them in the war on terrorism.

When an individual combatant on the battlefield was detained, biometric information was taken such as retinal eye scan, a swab of his or her cheek, and a photograph with facial recognition. This allowed authorities in the United States such as Customs and Immigration Service, and Customs and Border Patrol to positively identify those individuals from the battlefield and keep them from entering the United States as a threat.

A person may be uniquely identified through biometric verification. This is an evaluation of one or more distinguishing biological traits. Traits may include fingerprints, voice wave, DNA, and signatures. Also, impression evidence may be analyzed such as tire marks, shoe marks, and tool marks. 6 A biometric system can be based on any psychological or behavioral characteristics.

That information is compared, but the following information is taken into account: (2) the universality that every person should have eyes, nose, hair type characteristics; (2) the uniqueness that no two persons have the same exact characteristics; (3) permanence — that the characteristic should be invariant with time, meaning never changing; (4) collectability — the characteristics must be measurable and easy to acquire; (5) performance — the biometric technique must be accurate; (6) and then the acceptability — the level of the information, meaning accuracy and timeliness; (7) and then circumvention — that the level of difficulty to forge an identification or authentication is not made easy.

Once testing is complete, the forensic technicians will complete a detailed report of their findings of a biometric identification conclusion and then present them to the legal representatives, such as a district attorney, the assistant U.S. attorney, and ultimately a judge and a jury. This information is used in a court of law to further explain the evidence presented in the case. It is up to the judge and/or the jury to render a verdict on the facts. 7 In conclusion, fingerprints and biometric testing are critical in investigating the cause of death of an individual. No matter how the individual died, there's always an investigation handled by medical personnel and law enforcement. At the scene of the crime, fingerprints are collected. These rigid impressions are then sent to a lab for biometric testing to uniquely identify a person's traits.

Forensic analysis is important as it helps to convict criminals, exonerate those wrongly accused, and identify victims of a crime, say in a disaster or a war. 8 9