1. Physical Evidence

2. Trace fibers/
prints from suspects Discarded items or
Clothing or gloves tools
Broken glass Broken glass
(inside/outside) often causes
cuts/blood
Latent prints Weapons
(fingers/palm)

3. Significance of physical evidence
Identification test
- Determine physical or chemical identity
Eg. Accelerant residues in fire debris, drug mixtures.
Any test must exclude all other substances.
Conclusions have to be substantiated beyond all reasonable doubt.
1.Physical evidence can be either identified or compared.
2.identification with as near absolute certainty as exsisting techniques allow.
3. Each test has a differnet degree of specificity too!

4. Comparison test
- determine within the same test whether specimens have a common origin.
eg. Hair, paint chips.
Probability defines the mathematical odds or frequency of the specimens being of the same origin.

5. Individual versus Class Characteristics.
Individual: properties of evidence can be attributed to a common source with a high degree of probability.
Class: properties of evidence that can only be associated with a group and never with a single source.

6. Which are individual and which are class characteristics?
1. Fingerprints from 2 different sources
2. Two paint chips with one layer of paint
3. Two paint chips with several layers of paint
4. Markings on tools or bullets
5. Two blood specimens of human origin typed as “O positive”.

7. Class physical evidence
- Allows corroboration of events with data that are free of human error and bias.
- it can exonerate or exclude a person from suspicion.
- further testing may allow class physical evidence to have individual characteristics.

8. Blood Typing Blood Factors Frequency O 37% Rhesus + 46% EsD1 85%
PGM 2+2- 2%
Still class characteristics//multiply frequencies to obtain % of probable suspects.
BUT, DNA profile would be best//DNA=individual characteristic

9. Crime scene reconstruction

10. Crime scene reconstruction
Team effort!
Reconstruction: likely sequence of events by observation and evaluation of the physical evidence AND statements made by witnesses and those involved with the incident.
Collaborative between law enforcement personnel, medical examiners and forensic scientists.