Trace evidence collected at a crime scene can be pieced together to build a
picture of events leading to the offence and any potential suspects.SECRETS OF THE SCENE
FINGERPRINTS Fluorescent powder and UV light reveal a
fingerprint on the murder weapon’s blade. A match with a
print on the national crime database could provide a suspect.5
BLOOD DROPS These little dots are important because they
appear to have fallen from a height and could reveal actions
by the offender rather than the victim.6
FOOTPRINTS Blood-stained tracks can give police information
on the size and brand of the shoe worn by a potential suspect
and their movements at the scene.3
POOL OF BLOOD This blood pattern, which has been caused
by heavy bleeding, most likely came from the victim – it can
give clues about how long the body has been here.4
CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION KIT These portable cases
contain many tools for finding and sampling evidence, such as
LED torches that operate at various wavelengths.1
MARKING UP THE EVIDENCE Before samples are collected,
forensic officers use numbered tags to mark up evidence that
needs to be sampled – an often time-consuming task.2
48 Australian Geographic