Blood Pattern Analysis
Scenario
BPA is an important investigative tool carried out by Forensic Biologists at crime scenes to give information as to how a crime may have been perpetrated. It is a time consuming process, using the expertise of the scientist and rigorous recording and recovery methods to establish certain events that may have occurred at the time of the incident.
The following questions will use your knowledge gained from lectures and practical sessions and will also require you to research the subject of Blood Pattern Analysis. You should use in-text referencing where appropriate.
1. Describe the main types of blood patterns that can be found at crime scenes and what these different patterns may indicate.
2. Being able to calculate the angle of impact of multiple bloodstains can lead to a point of origin for those bloodstains being determined. Calculate the angle of impact for the two stains shown below and show your calculations for how you arrived at the result.
3. Besides determining a point of origin based upon the angle of impact of blood spatter it would often be useful to know from what height a drop of blood has fallen from. Is it possible to determine this? Explain your answer fully.
