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2017
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06
How to Identify a Disguised Crime Scene
A disguised crime scene refers to a situation in which the perpetrator deliberately alters physical evidence at the crime scene to mislead investigators and divert police attention away from the true nature of the crime. Crime scenes contain vast amounts of information, much of which could be used to detect signs of tampering. Yet even highly experienced investigators can sometimes overlook these clues. There is no doubt that in many cases, crime scenes have been deliberately altered; in fact, the actual number of such disguised scenes far exceeds the number that have been identified so far. Moreover, dynamic changes to evidence can alter, obscure, or even eliminate crucial forensic clues, rendering them unrecognizable. To identify evidence that has undergone dynamic changes—whether at a disguised crime scene or any other type of scene—reconstruction specialists must carefully examine bloodstains, clothing, hair, body posture, bullet trajectories, and other relevant pieces of evidence. Reconstruction specialists should possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to interpret these complex evidentiary relationships accurately.
To identify disguises at a crime scene, what types of evidence should reconstruction personnel look for? Generally speaking, we must search for evidence that is inconsistent with the overall circumstances of the scene or with behaviors that would normally be expected there. In some cases, it may be sufficient to find just one piece of evidence that doesn't align with the logical progression of a particular incident or series of incidents—or the absence of certain evidence that would otherwise be expected in connection with those incidents. In other cases, the act of disguising the scene may be corroborated by numerous pieces of contradictory evidence that are interconnected. Each case is unique, and therefore requires careful and thorough examination.
The topics discussed below can help reconstruction personnel properly address issues related to simulated crime scenes; of course, these topics cannot cover every possible aspect. These questions are intended to further stimulate the imagination of reconstruction personnel and guide them to continually explore new frontiers. They do not exhaust all possible scenarios.
On-site entrances and exits
Among the many elements involved in crime scene reconstruction, the most common is the presence of open or broken windows. Professionals engaged in crime scene simulation believe that such conditions create an impression suggesting that the perpetrator may have entered the crime scene precisely through that location. Consequently, for reconstruction specialists, examining the entry and exit points of a crime scene becomes critically important. The following guidelines may prove highly beneficial to reconstruction specialists: First, identify all points of entry and exit at the crime scene (including doors, windows, passageways, roads, etc.). Second, determine whether these locations were accessible at the time the crime occurred—for instance, certain windows and doors might have been blocked or permanently sealed, while others could be situated at such a height that they would be difficult for an average person to reach. Third, by analyzing both transfer evidence left at the scene (such as bloodstains, fingerprints, shattered glass, and dropped objects) and reverse transfer evidence (e.g., the absence of footprints in dust outside windows, or the lack of any signs indicating forced entry), ascertain whether these locations were indeed associated with the criminal activity. Finally, assess whether the entry and exit points at the crime scene align with the manner in which the crime was committed—for example, whether the perpetrator forcibly entered from the outside, stole valuable items, and left behind the necessary transfer evidence. This may require reconstruction specialists to conduct appropriate experimental simulations.
Since the evidence at the entry and exit points of a crime scene is bound to be altered or relocated, determining whether there is sufficient evidence to confirm that the perpetrator entered and exited the crime scene in the manner anticipated is often the most decisive factor in establishing whether the crime scene has been deliberately disguised. Many cases of disguised homicides involve intruders breaking into victims’ homes to commit murder. In such cases, an unfamiliar perpetrator must both enter and leave the crime scene. By analyzing the characteristics of the crime scene’s entry and exit points—such as doors secured by double bolts or windows whose surfaces show no signs of disturbance—other possibilities can be ruled out, thereby confirming the presence of deliberate disguise at the crime scene.
Weapons located at the crime scene or taken from the crime scene
For all weapons found at the crime scene, the following questions need to be addressed: Was the weapon found near the victim the very one that caused the injury? If the answer is no, then why was this particular weapon at the crime scene? Are there any other weapons present at the crime scene? Was this weapon used for a specific purpose?
In some cases, there is evidence suggesting that a weapon was used at the crime scene; however, no weapon was actually found at the scene. For each crime scene, investigators must determine whether there is any evidence indicating that someone took a weapon from the scene. If this fact can be established, it becomes necessary to further investigate the purpose for which the person took the weapon. If the answer to the first question is negative, then there is no need to address the second question.
Firearms
Many types of firearms are the most likely weapons to be found at a crime scene. In light of this, reconstruction experts must carefully address several fundamental questions related to various types of firearms in order to establish the connection between the firearm and the criminal act.
First, do the wounds on the victim’s body correspond to the account provided by the victim? In cases of suicide, could the victim have pulled the trigger themselves? Second, we must determine whether the firearm was properly loaded with ammunition and whether this matches the evidence found at the scene as well as the testimony of witnesses. Another issue that requires attention is whether the firearm discovered at the crime scene had any defects. Could the firearm hold multiple rounds and fire them?
These questions help identify the specific firearms involved in a particular case. In cases involving firearms—indeed, not just those involving the concealment of crime scenes—reconstruction experts must accurately answer the above questions in each case.
Gunpowder deposits
The compositional components of gunshot residue include carbon, soot, unburned gunpowder, and residues from the firing process. When gunpowder burns, it is ejected from the barrel (and in some cases from other locations, depending on the firearm’s design) and comes into contact with the skin, leaving behind characteristic gunshot residue marks. These gunshot residues should be consistent with the presumed mechanism of their formation.
Many suicide incidents are caused by contact or near-contact gunshot wounds. In such cases, the distribution pattern of gunpowder must be consistent with the conditions created by the shooter. If no gunpowder is detected, it indicates that the shooting distance was relatively far or that there were obstacles in between.
The gunpowder discharged from a firearm can travel from the shooter’s position to the victim’s wound, which may be as far as three feet away. Forensic pathologists must examine the bullet for traces of gunpowder particles in order to determine whether such particles were present. However, the mere presence of a single gunpowder particle is not sufficient evidence of a close-range shot, because a fired bullet may have already picked up gunpowder particles from lubricants, and these particles could have traveled some distance along with the bullet.
To collect gunshot residues from the victim’s hand, the firearm must have been discharged in close proximity to the victim’s hand. If the distance is sufficiently short, gunpowder deposits will form—and in some cases, even gunpowder burn marks may appear. The morphology of these gunpowder deposits may not correspond to the way the firearm was held. In other words, holding a firearm in the hand can lead to gaps or discontinuities in the pattern of gunpowder deposits, a phenomenon that is usually readily apparent at first glance. If such patterns exhibit anomalies, it may indicate that the scene has been deliberately staged or disguised.
The movement of the corpse
The practice of relocating the victim’s body to a second crime scene—or what is known as the “disposal site”—is not particularly common. Typically, perpetrators tend to disguise the crime scene precisely at the location where the body was found, and this may even be due to the fact that the body happened to have fallen in a specific spot, making it highly inconvenient to move the body elsewhere. Specific circumstances might include situations where it’s impossible to move the body before it’s likely to be discovered, or where it’s simply not feasible to thoroughly clean up the crime scene. To determine the precise cause, forensic investigators must carefully examine all aspects and conditions at the crime scene, thereby effectively addressing this issue. At each crime scene, the specific findings will depend on the interaction between the victim and the surrounding environment, as well as any transfer evidence that might be expected to be present.
Factors that reconstruction personnel need to consider—including, but not limited to—include: evidence of drag marks and smearing traces on surfaces of the floor and surrounding objects (such as folded carpets, dirt tracked in by shoe heels, bloodstains extending from another room, etc.); clothing found folded or rolled up on the victim’s body; livor mortis that does not correspond to the final position the body assumed (where blood deposition is oriented against the force of gravity); rigor mortis that does not match the final position of the body (with joint stiffness occurring in a direction opposite to that caused by gravity); bloodstain evidence found in locations where blood should not have been present originally; and trace substances discovered on the body that show no connection to the crime scene.
Clothes
Were the victim’s clothes pulled or twisted in a specific direction? If someone was dragged along the ground by their feet, their shirt would be lifted upward, and the most severe twisting of the clothing would occur precisely at the point where the body first made contact with the ground. If someone was dragged along the ground by their hands, their pants would be pulled downward, their shirt would be stretched taut, and their feet would appear to be splayed outward. At the same time, their hands might be positioned in a “normal” posture.
Reconstruction personnel also need to pay attention to the following issues: Were the victim’s clothes removed or taken away from the crime scene? What was the purpose of doing so? Were the victim’s clothing pockets ever rummaged through? Were these pockets turned inside out or even torn open? Was the victim’s body rolled around, causing the clothing to become disheveled? Are there any signs of staining on the victim’s clothes that might indicate the body was dragged along (such as traces of dirt, vegetation, or water)? Are there any unusual features on the victim’s clothing? Did any objects fall out from inside the clothing, or did any objects enter the clothing from the outside? Does the scene appear as though the victim’s clothing had been rearranged after the attack? If this is indeed the case, why were the victim’s clothes initially removed in the first place? Why would the perpetrator go to the trouble of re-dressing the victim? What purpose might the perpetrator have been trying to achieve?
Reconstruction personnel need to conduct experiments to determine why the victim’s clothing was in the condition it was in at the time of the incident.
Shoes
In a traffic accident, the soles of the victim’s shoes may bear parallel scratches, which can indicate the direction and position of the victim’s body at the moment when the standing feet were injured. If the victim’s shoe soles show no such scratches, this suggests either that the vehicle was traveling at a very low speed at the time of the accident, or that the body was dumped at this location after the incident.
Reconstruction personnel should pay attention to the following matters: Do the victim’s shoes match the size and shape of their feet? Are there any transferable pieces of evidence on the victim’s shoes that do not correspond to the crime scene? Was the victim wearing shoes at the time of the crime? Alternatively, do the characteristics found on the soles of the victim’s feet—such as bloodstains, injuries, or transferable evidence from the crime scene, like soil or grit—suggest that the shoes may have been removed? Where are the knots tied in the victim’s shoelaces?
When people put on their own shoes, they usually bend over and tie the laces in the middle of the shoe, or else lift one leg and place it atop the other before tying the laces—resulting in the knot formed by the laces ending up on the inside of the leg. When a mother is putting shoes on her child, she may also tie the laces in this manner, in which case the knot will be located on the outside of the leg. When a perpetrator puts shoes on a victim, it’s easy for them to make this same kind of mistake.
Bloodstain
Bloodstains can record the actions that occurred at the time the injured person was bleeding. The universal principle that bloodstains must follow is the law of gravity. Blood typically moves vertically downward, and will only change direction under the influence of other external forces. To reiterate, blood usually moves vertically downward and does not move horizontally.
First, considering the location of the body and the laws of gravity, did the blood at the crime scene actually flow in the direction it should have? Second, do the bloodstains correspond to the actions claimed by both the victim and the suspect?
Hair
The location of the hair is a clue that is often overlooked. The victim’s hair can usually reveal why the victim was in the position they were found in at the time of the incident. This phenomenon is particularly evident in victims with long hair, but it is not limited to such cases—short hair can also indicate movement.
When someone is being pushed forward, her hair will stretch in the direction she’s moving. If someone’s hair is first lifted and then let down, her hair will take on a “high-top” style—a women’s hairstyle characterized by the front hair parted and styled high.
In fact, if someone is dragged along while holding one arm, only one side of their hair will exhibit this “high-curled” pattern. When a person with long hair falls backward onto the ground, her hair will scatter outward from the head, forming a halo-like distribution. If a person with long hair falls face-down onto the ground, her hair will also spread out from the head—but this time, the hair won’t end up beneath her face.
Hair also obeys the laws of gravity; typically, hair hangs downward unless acted upon by external forces. Injuries sustained by the victim prior to death could cause the hair to stick to one side of the head due to blood clots. Dried bloodstains on flat surfaces may even reveal the patterns of hair movement. Hair can display remarkably clear striation patterns. When examining all these clues, we must understand how the victim’s body was bent and moved, and at the same time, we must keep in mind the effects of gravity.
Camouflage, crime scene, whether, victim, evidence, or, presence, hair, possibly, gunpowder
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