Solve the Crime Crime Scene The Case of the Sticky Finger Burglar

Crime Scene Report At approximately 7:15 a.m., Friday morning, Mr. Garcia, the eighth grade science teacher, thought something was fishy as he walked down the hall and noticed that his door was open. He walked into his classroom and immediately discovered that the small aquarium had been broken and his prized gold fish was gasping on the floor. Beside the broken aquarium were the shattered remains of the pink piggy bank that had been on the shelf above the aquarium. A can of blue paint was spilled on the floor. Footprints of a barefooted burglar led to an open window. Bits of a white powdery substance were found next to the broken, empty, piggy bank. The only other item found was a half-eaten large chunk of chocolate candy. When the police arrived they immediately began to gather forensic evidence.

Crime Scene Report Mr. Bryant Tyranous the Sleeper Suspects

Crime Scene Report Sticky fingerprints were lifted from the aquarium and piggy bank. Follow fingerprinting procedures and protocol (use fingerprint handout). Fingerprint suspects. Fingerprints

Crime Scene Report History of fingerprints Fingerprinting: A Lesson in Classification Fingerprints

Crime Scene Report The painted footprints were measured. Take pictures of footprints, record footprint sizes, record footprint shape, record individuals name, record individuals height, and record footprint irregularities. Footprints

Crime Scene Report Measure the length of the adult's left foot from the wall to the tip of the big toe. Divide the length of each person's left foot by his/her height. Multiply the quotient by 100. What do you get? You may also want to use the calculator on a computer for this activity. The results of your calculations should be about 15, illustrating that the length of a person's foot is approximately 15 percent of his or her height. Find out the approximate height of each of your classmates by measuring their foot and charting it on a spreadsheet. Use this proportion for your calculations: 15/100 = Length of Foot/x (person's height) When a forensic scientist has the length of a foot, the forensic scientist will be able to approximate the height of the individual. This works best on a full grown individual for the ratio of body parts is slightly different in growing children. Footprints

Crime Scene Report The chunk of chocolate candy was collected for examination. It appeared there were teeth imprints. Allow suspect to bite into styrofoam plate. Teeth Imprints

Crime Scene Report Forensic dentists assist in crime solving by studying teeth and teeth impressions. Dental records are often used to identify people. Because teeth are one of the hardest substances in the human body, they are frequently well preserved. Dental x-rays or records showing fillings, position of teeth, etc. can help forensic dentists find a match of teeth to the individual. Eighty percent of the time teeth impressions are used to identify unknown victims. As a forensic dentist you will have the chance to match teeth impressions to discover who took the bite? Teeth Imprints

Crime Scene Report The procedures for making teeth impressions are:Divide the styrofoam plate into six equal wedges. Cut the wedges. 1. Take two of the wedges and stack them together. Cut off 1 inch from the pointed end of the wedges. 2. Place the two wedges into your mouth as far as possible. 3. Bite down on the wedges firmly and then remove them. 4. Label the top and bottom wedges Top Teeth and Bottom Teeth. 5. Study the teeth impressions. Count the number of teeth in the top and bottom impressions. What other characteristics of the impressions do you notice? Compare the top teeth impressions to the bottom. Are there teeth missing, spaces, chips, etc.? 6. Practice being a forensic dentist by leaving the room. One student in the room will take a bite of thick cheese or thick chocolate. See if you can identify the individual who took the bite by comparing the impressions with the bite in the cheese or chocolate. Teeth Imprints

Crime Scene Report The white powdery substance by the piggy bank was carefully placed in a plastic bag and taken to the forensic chemist for identification. WHAT IS THAT WHITE POWDER? A forensic scientist may discover powder at a crime scene. In order to determine if it is illegal or not the crime lab will identify the substance using chemistry. Take on the role of a forensic chemist to identify unknown substances White Powder

Crime Scene Report Complete the appearance, texture, and smell activities before opening the vinegar and iodine bottles. 1. Place one-fourth teaspoon (1 ml) of the four white powders on a sheet of black construction paper. Label the powders with the white chalk or white crayon. 2. Study the powders with the magnifying glass. Examine what each powder looks like. How would you describe the powder's shape. Does it have large or small grains? Your observations should be written in the appearance column of the chart. 3. Examine the powders further by rubbing each powder between your fingers. Describe how each powder feels in the Texture column of the chart. 4. Determine if there is a smell to any of the powders. Record your findings in the Smell column of the chart. 5. Take the eyedropper and place a drop of water on each individual powder. Examine what happens? Do the powders dissolve? Is there a reaction? Write your observations in the Reaction to Water column. 6. Place one-half teaspoon (2ml) of each powder in a separate jar. Add 2 drops of iodine to each jar using the eyedropper. Record what happens in the Reaction to Iodine column. Iodine should be handled with care. White Powder

Crime Scene Report Flour Talc Powder Salt Powdered Sugar White Powder (pH)

Works Cited Joseph, Linda C, and Linda Resch. "The Case of the Sticky Finger Burglar." Adventures of Cyberbee. Cyberbee, 6 Oct Web. 10 Oct