Investigation of cremations and severely burned bodies

Among the most difficult cases for law enforcement and medicolegal investigators to investigate are those in which victims have been deliberately burned to cover up a crime, or those in which cremation has resulted from an accident or suicide. This difficulty arises from the fact that the bodies may be destroyed or fragmented. The major objective in these investigations are twofold: The first task is to identify the body using every means available, including the aid of such experts as forensic pathologists, forensic anthropologists, dentists, toxicologists, and serologists as well as fire investigators, who can contribute to the investigation by providing information about the course of the fire.     

A forensic examination of four popular cross‐platform file‐sharing apps with Wi‐Fi P2P

File‐sharing apps with Wi‐Fi hotspot or Wi‐Fi Direct functions become more popular. They can work on multiple platforms and allow users to transfer files in a concealed manner. However, when criminals use these apps in illegal activities, it becomes an important issue for investigators to find digital evidence on multiple platforms. At present, there are few studies on this topic, and most of them are limited to the single platform problem. In this paper, we propose a forensic examination method for four popular cross‐platform file‐sharing apps with Wi‐Fi hotspot and Wi‐Fi Direct functions: Zapya, SHAREit, Xender, and Feem. We use 22 static and live forensic tools for 11 platforms to acquire, analyze, and classify the forensic artifacts. In our experiments, we find many useful forensic artifacts and classify them into six categories. The experimental results can support law enforcement investigations of digital evidence and provide information for future studies on other cross‐platform file‐sharing apps.     

Augmented reality in forensics and forensic medicine – Current status and future prospects

Forensic investigations require a vast variety of knowledge and expertise of each specialist involved. With the increase in digitization and advanced technical possibilities, the traditional use of a computer with a screen for visualization and a mouse and keyboard for interactions has limitations, especially when visualizing the content in relation to the real world. Augmented reality (AR) can be used in such instances to support investigators in various tasks at the scene as well as later in the investigation process. In this article, we present current applications of AR in forensics and forensic medicine, the technological basics of AR, and the advantages that AR brings for forensic investigations. Furthermore, we will have a brief look at other fields of application and at future developments of AR in forensics.     

Explosion Scene Forensic Image Interpretation

Image interpretation is an important aspect in the field of forensic science; however, it is seldom reported how to use these techniques in explosion scene forensic investigations. On 12 August 2015, a series of explosions killed 165 people and injured hundreds more at a container storage station at the Port of Tianjin. In this study, we applied image interpretation methods to determine the seat of the explosion by analyzing low‐quality video clips of the event. The interpretation fits well with recently published standard operating procedures, including the hypothesis, evaluation, inference, and confirmation. Image processing was adopted to enhance the images while the explosion scene was reconstructed with the same images. Some important features were extracted and utilized to distinguish whether the flashes were caused by reflection or a real blast. We reveal the real explosion location, which guides the overall investigation. The results indicate that image interpretation is a powerful tool for forensic investigators to analyze low‐quality images in complicated explosions or fire accidents.     

FriendlyRoboCopy: A GUI to RoboCopy for computer forensic investigators

One of the most pressing challenges in digital investigations today is the extraction and forensic preservation of a subset of data on computer clusters and other large storage systems. As the number and capacity of computer systems increases, it is no longer feasible to create forensic duplicates of every system in their entirety. Although forensic tools are being developed to cope with such situations, they do not support all file systems. Experienced digital investigators use tools such as RoboCopy to preserve a subset of data on target systems, and take steps to document their process and results. This paper explores the need for these tools in digital investigations, and demonstrates the strengths and weaknesses of using RoboCopy to acquire data on a network share. This paper then introduces FriendlyRoboCopy, which provides an effective, user-friendly interface to RoboCopy that addresses the requirements of forensic preservation.     

An exercise in scientific problem-solving: Illustrating the utility of the principles of the Sydney Declaration

In forensic science, scientific problem-solving is characterized by the recognition of traces as part of iterative reasoning processes to assign meaning to those traces in order to interpret and reconstruct events. Through a set of fundamental principles, the Sydney Declaration presents a foundation of forensic science through the lens of a scientist. The distinction between a scientist and a technician may require clarification—where a prototypical technician follows a prescribed set of ‘standard operating procedures’ and may be limited in the interpretation of the resultant data, the scientist utilizes knowledge, skills, experience and imagination to identify the issue at hand and develop lines of inquiry for testing and interpretation. This case report draws on the Sydney Declaration in order to highlight the importance of learning about events from careful consideration of both obvious and less obvious traces. A case involving the assault of a police officer is examined to illustrate the use of the Principles: the problem originally defined by investigators at the scene and later by prosecutors resulted in incorrect analysis and interpretation of traces, hampering efforts at an accurate reconstruction of events. This exercise serves to demonstrate that in order to engage in scientific problem-solving, it is necessary to apply observation and reasoning in forensic investigations in order to yield an outcome that can be clearly articulated. The overarching goal is to support the drive to improve forensic science practice, education, and research through a case illustrating the value of the principles of the Sydney Declaration.     

Forensic medicine and criminalistics

The supplementary designation "criminalistics" in the title of certain forensic medical institutes in the first half of this century is to be regarded as a reaction to faulty developments in our specialty, which almost led to the elimination of forensic medicine as an independent scientific discipline in the 1960s. The ability to think in terms of criminalistics and the corresponding working procedures has always been a crucial precondition for the forensic physician, since forensic medicine is the application of medical knowledge for juridical purposes. Forensic medicine originated with the appraisal of cases of violent death by doctors, i.e., reconstruction of the facts in the case. To use the term "criminalistics" in the form of a supplementary designation is thus not required. An attempt is nevertheless made to define "medical criminalistics" as a small but important component of criminalistics. They are subdivided into two phases: the first part begins at the scene of the crime or the place of discovery (local evidence). Here, the trained eye of the forensic physician is indispensable to the criminal investigation department and the prosecutor. Medical criminalistic thinking and working procedures continue at the autopsy. Here, forensic autopsy differs from that practiced by the pathologist. Without knowledge of the situation at the discovery location, the forensic physician runs the risk of not recognizing facts that are important for reconstruction and thus becoming a "destroyer of clues". The second part of medical criminalistics is the actual detection of medical clues, i.e., the investigation of medical clues with special methods, including histological and toxicological investigations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

We are meeting on Microsoft Teams: Forensic analysis in Windows,Android, and iOS operating systems

Microsoft released a new communication platform, Microsoft Teams, in 2017. Due in part to COVID-19, the popularity of communication platforms, like Microsoft Teams, increased exponentially. Given its user base and increased popularity, it seems likely that digital forensic investigators will encounter cases where Microsoft Teams is a relevant component. However, because Microsoft Teams is a relatively new application, there is limited forensic research on the application particularly focusing on mobile operating systems. To address this gap, an analysis of data stored at rest by Microsoft Teams was conducted on the Windows 10 operating system as well as on Android and Apple iOS mobile operating systems. Basic functionalities, such as messaging, sharing files, participating in video conferences, and other functionalities that Teams provides, were performed in an isolated testing environment. Cellebrite UFED Physical Analyzer and Magnet AXIOM Examine tools were used to analyze the mobile devices and the Windows device, respectively. Manual or non-automated investigation recovered, at least partially, the majority of artifacts across all three operating systems. In this study, a total of 77.6% of the populated artifacts were partially or fully recovered in the manual investigation. On the other hand, forensic tools used did not automatically recover many of the artifacts found with the manual investigation. Only 13.8% of artifacts were partially or fully recovered by the forensic tools across all three devices. These discovered artifacts and the results of the investigations are presented in order to aid digital forensic investigations.     

Accidental Trauma Mimicking Homicidal Violence

Homicide investigations represent an important function of death investigators. Although recognizing nonobvious homicides is crucial, an equally important role involves the identification of cases that initially present as possible homicides, but are ultimately discovered to not represent homicides. Failure to recognize such cases results in wasted time, squandered resources, false allegations, and potential life‐altering consequences. The authors review a series of cases wherein initial investigation suggested a possibility that the deaths represented homicides. By carefully considering additional information, including scene findings, history, and postmortem examination, each was determined to represent an accidental traumatic death. In addition to highlighting the importance of recognizing accidental traumatic deaths that initially present as homicides, the cases serve to highlight the fact that forensic pathology cannot be practiced without knowledge of appropriate ancillary information. Although guarding against cognitive bias is important in all forensic disciplines, including forensic pathology, access to vital case‐related ancillary information is an essential component of practicing medicine as a forensic pathologist.     

Management of crime scene units by Quebec police senior managers: Insight on forensic knowledge and understanding of key stakeholders

What do policing leaders think and know of forensic science? Beyond crime scene investigators or detectives, how do police senior managers perceive the role, utility and limitations of forensic science? Very few empirical studies have addressed the issue. Forensic scientsts should be concerned about the perception that law enforcement senior managers have of their discipline for two reasons. First, strategic and financial decision-makers are obviously key players in the overall administration and provision of forensic science, either as a supervisor, money provider or as a customer. Second, literature has highlighted that other actors involved in forensic science underestimate the scope and possibilities offered by forensic science, hence limiting its exploitation and potential. Following interviews with 18 police senior managers from Quebec (Canada), this study shows that they generally restrict forensic science to a reactive discipline whose role and utility is to identify offenders and support the Court. This understanding of forensic science, like that of many others including a significant share of forensic scientists, differs from the perception of other police activities in modern law enforcement agencies where proactive action is sought. Considering these findings and the growing body of literature which calls for forensic science to connect more tightly with policing and security, we advocate a more extensive education of police leaders regarding the scope of forensic science.     

Effective use of forensic science in volume crime investigations: Identifying recurring themes in the literature

New scientific, technological and legal developments, particularly the introduction of national databases for DNA and fingerprints, have led to increased use of forensic science in the investigation of crime. There is an assumption, and in some instances specific assertions, that such developments bring improvements either in broad criminal justice terms or more narrowly in terms of economic or practical efficiencies. The underlying presumption is that the new technological opportunities will be understood and effectively implemented. This research investigates whether such increases in activity have also been accompanied by improvements in the effective use of forensic science. A systematic review of thirty-six reports published (predominantly in England and Wales) since the 1980s, which have considered the use of forensic science in the investigation of volume crimes, was carried out. These reports have identified a number of recurrent themes that influenced how effectively forensic science was used in investigations. The themes identified included forensic knowledge and training of investigators, communication and information exchange between specialists and investigators, timeliness of forensic results, interagency relationships and deployment of crime scene examiner resources. The research findings suggest that these factors continue to hinder the effective use of forensic science despite technological advances and this paper considers their potential causes.     

Suicide by blasting caps: a case study of rare cranial trauma

Suicide is a deliberate act of ending one's life. Suicide by use of any explosive device, when not involved in a terrorist act, is quite rare in occurrence when compared with other methods routinely utilized. In this paper, we present to the medicolegal community a case of an adult male who committed suicide with blasting caps and the subsequent extensive damage to the cranial hard tissue. Although the cause and manner of death were relatively straightforward, consultation with forensic anthropologists was requested for an anthropological trauma assessment of the highly fragmented skull. After the skull was cleaned and reconstructed, the analysis revealed similarities between blasting cap trauma to the head and high velocity gunshot trauma to the head. Therefore, in a case where some evidence may have been removed or destroyed, forensic analysis involving trauma of this magnitude could result in a misinterpretation of the true mechanism responsible for the osseous damage. In this case, cooperation among the law enforcement agency, coroner's investigators, the forensic pathologist, and forensic anthropologists provided a comprehensive death case analysis.     

The history of the forensic applications in radiology

The history of progress in any field of science is related directly to technical advances which have occurred during that period. The microscope contributed immensely to the advancement of forensic investigations in the late 19th century, with its use to study trace evidence including blood, semen, soil, paint, and biological material. The application of the discovery of x-radiation by Dr. R?entgen of Würzburg, Germany, in 1895 provided an important new tool for medical practitioners throughout the world. Its application was also realized as a potential weapon by medicolegal investigators. Discovery of the location of foreign objects, including bullets, thus became a clinical as well as a forensic technique in support of the investigation of living and deceased persons. The early application of x-ray methodology in England in 1896 by Prof. Arthur Schuster of Owens College, Manchester, in a case of a gunshot wound of a woman, is described as well as some aspects of the primitive technique which were used.     

The forensic examination of structural fires in Victoria,Australia: Decision-making processes and impact on judicial outcomes

There is a body of published research that has evaluated the contribution of forensic science to the criminal justice system, but many disciplines of forensic science remain unexplored in this regard. The aim of this study was to examine the contribution that forensic fire examination services provide to criminal investigations and court processes in arson cases. Forensic fire examination services differ in a number of ways to the disciplines covered in previous research on the impact of forensic evidence on justice outcomes. Forensic fire examinations involve a combination of scene examination and laboratory analyses, and the results can provide critical evidence of whether an incident that has occurred is a criminal offence (i.e. whether a fire has occurred as the result of an act of arson). Forensic fire examination is also a discipline that has faced challenges and undergone development in recent decades regarding its scientific basis and the issue of contextual bias. In this study, data were collated for 273 structural fires that were examined by the forensic fire services in Victoria, Australia. In this jurisdiction, scene and laboratory forensic services are delivered within short time frames with a focus on providing impartial scientific and investigative services to assist criminal investigations conducted by police. The current dataset was highly skewed in terms of criminal justice outcomes and was not suitable for conducting the planned statistical analyses. Nonetheless, the pattern of findings obtained suggested that the inclusion of forensic evidence which supported the prosecution of arson may be associated with an increased likelihood of suspects being charged and defendants found guilty. Examination of the decision-making process of the forensic fire examiners has provided insight into the variety of evidence that is considered by forensic experts in reaching the important conclusion about the origin and cause of structural fires.     

The CSI effect and the Canadian and the Australian Jury

Television shows, such as CBS's CSI and its spin-offs CSI: Miami; CSI: Las Vegas; and CSI: New York, have sparked the imagination of thousands of viewers who want to become forensic scientists. The shows' fictional portrayals of crime scene investigations have prompted fears that jurors will demand DNA and other forensic evidence before they will convict, and have unrealistic expectations of that evidence. This has been dubbed the "CSI effect." This phenomenon was explored using results from a Canadian study based on 605 surveys of Canadian college students who would be considered jury-eligible and Australian quantitative and qualitative findings from a study that surveyed and interviewed real posttrial jurors. Information about the way jurors deal with forensic evidence in the context of other evidence and feedback about the way in which understanding such evidence could be increased were gained from both these studies. The comparison provides insights into the knowledge base of jurors, permitting adaptation of methods of presenting forensic information by lawyers and experts in court, based on evidence rather than folklore. While the Canadian juror data showed statistically significant findings that jurors are clearly influenced in their treatment of some forensic evidence by their television-viewing habits, reassuringly, no support was found in either study for the operation of a detrimental CSI effect as defined above. In the Australian study, in fact, support was found for the proposition that jurors assess forensic evidence in a balanced and thoughtful manner.     

Validation studies of the ParaDNA® Intelligence System with artificial evidence items

Short tandem repeat (STR) profiling is one of the mostly used systems for forensic applications. In certain circumstances, STR profiling is time-consuming and costly, which potentially leads to delays in criminal investigations. LGC (Laboratory of the Government Chemist, UK) Forensics has developed a robust STR profiling platform called the ParaDNA^® Intelligence Test System which can provide early tactical intelligence and aid investigators in making informed decisions on sample prioritization for detection. Here, we validated the ParaDNA intelligence test for its application in forensic cases using a range of mock evidence items following guidelines set by the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM). Specifically, we tested the sensitivity and accuracy of the ParaDNA intelligence test, as well as the success rates for detecting mock samples and for use in case scenarios. Our findings demonstrate that the ParaDNA intelligence test generates useful DNA profiles, especially for samples such as blood, saliva, and semen that contain ample DNA, indicating the benefits of including ParaDNA as a prior step in forensic STR profiling pipelines.     

Application of computational fluid dynamics modelling in the process of forensic fire investigation: problems and solutions

Fire modelling has been gaining more and more interest into the community of forensic fire investigation. Despite an attractiveness that is partially justified, the application of fire models in that field of investigation rises some difficulties. Therefore, the understanding of the basic principles of the two main categories of fire models, the knowledge of their effective potential and their limitations are crucial for a valid and reliable application in forensic science. The present article gives an overview of the principle and basics that characterise the two kinds of fire models: zone models and field models. Whereas the first ones are developed on the basis of mathematical relation from empirical observations, such as stratification of fluid zones, and give a relatively broad view of mass and energy exchanges in an enclosure, the latter are based on fundamentals of fluid mechanics and represent the application of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to fire scenarii. Consequently, the data that are obtained from these two categories of fire models differ in nature, quality and quantity. First used in a fire safety perspective, fire models are not easily applied to assess parts of forensic fire investigation. A suggestion is proposed for the role of fire modelling in this domain of competence: a new tool for the evaluation of alternative hypotheses of origin and cause by considering the dynamic development of the fire. An example of a real case where such an approach was followed is explained and the evaluation of the obtained results comparing to traces revealed during the on-site investigation is enlightened.     

Forensic drug intelligence: an important tool in law enforcement

Organised criminality is a great concern for national/international security. The demonstration of complex crimes is increasingly dependant on knowledge distributed within law-enforcement agencies and scientific disciplines. This separation of knowledge creates difficulties in reconstructing and prosecuting such crimes. Basic interdisciplinary research in drug intelligence combined with crime analysis, forensic intelligence, and traditional law enforcement investigation is leading to important advances in crime investigation support. Laboratory results constitute one highly dependable source of information that is both reliable and testable. Their operational use can support investigation and even provide undetected connections or organisation of structure. The foremost difficulties encountered by drug analysts are not principally of a chemical or analytical nature, but methodologies to extract parameters or features that are deemed to be crucial for handling and contextualising drug profiling data. An organised memory has been developed in order to provide accurate, timely, useful and meaningful information for linking spatially and temporally distinct events on a national and international level (including cross-border phenomena). Literature has already pointed out that forensic case data are amenable for use in an intelligence perspective if data and knowledge of specialised actors are appropriately organised, shared and processed. As a particular form of forensic case data, the authors' research focuses on parameters obtained through the systematic physical and chemical profiling of samples of illicit drugs. The procedure is used to infer and characterise links between samples that originate from the same and different seizures. The discussion will not, however, focus on how samples are actually analysed and compared as substantial literature on this topic already exists. Rather, attention is primarily drawn to an active and close collaboration between magistrates, forensic scientists, law enforcement investigators and crime analysts from different institutions with the aim of generating, using and validating relevant profiling case data as integral part of investigative and crime analysis processes. Original advances are highlighted through experiences from criminal investigations of offences related to the unlawful importation, exportation, supply and possession of illicit drugs.     

BitTorrent Sync: First Impressions and Digital Forensic Implications

With professional and home Internet users becoming increasingly concerned with data protection and privacy, the privacy afforded by popular cloud file synchronisation services, such as Dropbox, OneDrive and Google Drive, is coming under scrutiny in the press. A number of these services have recently been reported as sharing information with governmental security agencies without warrants. BitTorrent Sync is seen as an alternative by many and has gathered over two million users by December 2013 (doubling since the previous month). The service is completely decentralised, offers much of the same synchronisation functionality of cloud powered services and utilises encryption for data transmission (and optionally for remote storage). The importance of understanding BitTorrent Sync and its resulting digital investigative implications for law enforcement and forensic investigators will be paramount to future investigations. This paper outlines the client application, its detected network traffic and identifies artefacts that may be of value as evidence for future digital investigations.     

Challenges in Producing Defensible Environmental Chemistry Measurements for Litigation

The quality, integrity, interpretation and proper use of environmental forensic chemistry measurements should be a paramount concern to investigators, claims professionals and litigators. These issues are complicated for forensic chemists who often use nonstandard methods to discern unique chemical contaminant attributes. In addition, data fraud remains a constant, if not increasing, problem. The evolving interpretation of the Daubert ruling further complicates litigators' strategies in designing an effective forensic chemistry study which will be admissible in court. The purpose of this paper is to advise forensic investigators and litigators to the potential pitfalls in producing defensible environmental measurements, and provide perspectives for generating data that will not wither under scrutiny.