Use of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis to Investigate Crimes Against Wildlife

Blood “in flight” produces bloodstains in a predictable, consistent, and reproducible manner. At crime scenes investigators or analysts able to read bloodstains can with a high degree of certainty, reconstruct those forceful actions which caused the stain. Thus, those in specialized investigations trained in bloodstain pattern analysis can deduce the particulars of a crime perpetrated against humans or wildlife. Death investigators around the world—whether homicide detectives, law enforcement officers evaluating hunting accidents, or game wardens investigating wildlife crimes—may enhance the probability for success if they employ the established forensic discipline of bloodstain pattern analysis. Currently, only elite investigators drawing on every available means to crack a case implement this forensic discipline. Although not all experts agree on the implications of any given stain, all do concur that under controlled laboratory conditions that same geometric stain pattern can be reproduced in the laboratory.

Publication date
Starting page
528
Ending page
543
ID
13903