Forensic Toxicology by: Julie & Scott

What is forensic toxicology?? Toxicology is the science of adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms. A forensic toxicologist detects and identifies foreign chemicals in the body with a particular emphasis on toxic and hazardous materials.

Types of toxicologists... descriptive toxicologist- performs toxicity tests to evaluate the risk that exposure poses to humans. mechanistic toxicologist- determines how substances exert deleterious effects on living things. regulatory toxicologist- judges whether or not a substance has low enough risk to be available to the public.

Qualifications to be a toxicologist... To become certified as a toxicologist you have to have a Ph.D in one of the natural sciences, and an undergraduate degree in theses areas or in biology or chemistry. however, some states allow a “grandfather clause” for those lacking the degree but who have been working in the field for six years of more. Certification is awarded by the American Board of Forensic Toxicology.

methods of finding toxins samples of body fluids, stomach contents and organ parts are first subjected to acid-base tests to check for drugs. the next step is a screening process and the final step is a confirmation step.

the screening process... screening allows for processing a wide range of toxins in a short time. physical tests- boiling point, melting point, density and refractive index. crystal tests- treatment with a chemical reagent to produce crystals. chemical spot test- treatment with a chemical reagent to produce color change. chromatography- used to separate components of a mixture

The confirmation test... Mass spectrometry- a combination of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry which is accepted as the confirmation test of choice. Each toxin has a known mass spectra which is infallible proof of its chemical level.

supporting technologies for drug overdosing and alcohol poisoning a toxicologists may call upon a D.R.E, or a Drug Recognition Expert. Are trained to identify and recognize certain types of drugs, based on impairments and physiological symptoms. standardized checklists and computer programs create a growing area of modern drug testing.

specific drug testing... Opium- Marquis Test (formaldehyde/sulfuric acid) Marijuana- Duquenois-Levine test (vanilla/hydrochloric acid/chloroform) LSD- Van Urk test (p-dimethylaminobenoldesone/ hydrochloric acid) Cocaine- Scott test (cobalt thiocyanate/hydrochloric acid/chloroform) Barbiturates- Dillie-Koppanyi test (cobalt acetate/isoprophylamine)

The Rose Petal Murder A young man, Gregory De Villers, only a few days before his 26th birthday, was found dead on the floor of his bedroom. His chest was covered with rose petals, and beside his head was his wedding picture. Near the body a love letter was crumbled, a letter written to his wife from another man.

The rose petal murder... upon review of Greg’s body, they found many narcotics but among them was a synthetic opiate called fentanyl. This opiate is 100 times stronger than morphine. This drug was so rarely prescribed that most medical examiners did not check for or would not detect. Was it murder or a case of suicide?

The rose petal murder The De Villers had a troublesome marriage from the beginning, Kristen Rossum, Gregs wife had second thoughts about the marriage even before they were married. Kristen soon started having an affair with her boss, Michael Robertson. She worked at a medical examiners office, she was in charge of maintaining the drug log.

The rose petal murders Kristen said from the beginning of the investigation she thought that Greg killed himself, but things never seemed to fit together. Tissue from Greg’s body were tested again at another examiners office, the examiners found 57 nanograms of fentanyl. That amount was seven times the amount needed to kill him.

The rose petal murder an audit of the examiners office that Kristen Rossum, and her boss Michael Robertson, found that fifteen fentanyl patches were missing, these same fifteen samples were samples that Kristen Rossum had worked with.

The rose petal murder finding this new evidence police arrested Kristen Rossum, she was convicted of first degree murder with special circumstances. She was sentenced to life in prison without parole.