Who Done It?
Hillcrest’s Honors Forensics class investigates a mock crime scene.
November 2, 2016
On October 4th, the Honors Forensics Class discovered a gruesome mock crime scene in the courtyard across from the Hawks Room. The “victim” was a young male whose assumed cause of death was blunt force trauma. Seven students, Dylan (Senior), Jada (Senior), Amari (Junior), Marquel (Junior), Heavon (Senior), Danielle (Junior), and myself (Senior), worked diligently to secure the crime scene and collect evidence. I measured the crime scene and documented the space between all objects and the victim and the exit. These measurements would be used to sketch the crime scene on grid paper.
Dylan collected evidence and bagged them properly. “I first took pictures of the crime scene and recognized that the evidence was already numbered. I photographed it and bagged the evidence to be sent to the lab. After Jada dusted for finger prints, I placed the evidence into brown paper bags, so they wouldn’t become contaminated. I also assisted Darlena in measuring the crime scene. What I learned during this activity is that it is important to work together as a team. There’s no way someone could handle a crime scene by themselves. As a team, there’s so much we could accomplish. If we work well together, we might even solve a murder.”
When analyzing the evidence, the team was required to wear gloves to not contaminate evidence. Wearing protective gear prevents other hairs and fingerprints from getting onto the items.
Our instructor, Ms. Allison, surveyed they crime scene while we were operating. She made sure we were collecting evidence properly, we were taking appropriate measurements, that our finger print technique was appropriate, and she also filmed a video of her surveying the scene.
As a team, there’s so much we could accomplish. If we work well together, we might even solve a murder.
— Dylan
After the crime scene, our skills were put to the test. We had to make a rough sketch of the crime scene. The notes Danielle took would then come in handy. We were to draw the scene of the crime exactly how we saw it. We needed the measurements of the scene, the measurements of how close the body was adjacent to other things, where the evidence was placed, and the distance between exits. All of these are important because recreating the crime scene can be used in a court of law.
Forensics plays a pivotal role in the justice system. Without it, many cases could not have been solved. Cases like the Central Park Jogger, which involved DNA analysis, would have let five innocent young men stay in jail, while the real culprit almost got away with attempted murder. Without finger print or DNA analysis or any other forensic units, crime would always remain a “Who Done It?”
