A Sketchy Scene Initial Investigation
When investigating a death, forensic teams carefully document and analyze everything at the crime scene. In this case, Anna Garcia's body was discovered by her classmate Taylor Diaz at approximately 10 AM in the Gentry Life Science Building, where Anna worked part-time in a research lab.
Investigators use specific search methods depending on the crime scene type. The link method follows logical connections between evidence pieces, while the line method involves team members arranged at intervals searching along straight lines. For larger areas, the grid method combines two line searches in perpendicular directions, and the zone method divides scenes into manageable sections. Spiral and wheel/ray methods work well for circular scenes without physical barriers.
The evidence collected at Anna's scene included a glass bottle containing clear liquid, flies around the body, tape with hair attached, maggots, vomit, a paper note in her pocket, blood splatter on a table corner, and Anna's phone.
💡 Crime scene sketches and evidence logs are critical tools that help investigators organize information and develop hypotheses about what happened before, during, and after a death occurred.
For each piece of evidence, investigators formulate questions, hypotheses, and determine appropriate tests. For example, the clear liquid requires pH and identification tests to determine if it's toxic, while the presence of flies and maggots helps establish time since death.