1.

Cast-off pattern : A bloodstain pattern created when blood is released or thrown from a moving
blood- bearing object.

2. Transfer or contact pattern : A bloodstain pattern created when a wet, bloody surface comes in
contact with a second surface; a recognizable image of all or a portion of the original surface
may be observed in the pattern.
3. Void : An absence of stains in an otherwise continuous bloodstain pattern, like a reverse
shadow.
4. Drip pattern : A bloodstain pattern that results from blood dripping into blood.

5. Swipe pattern : The transfer of blood from a moving source onto an unstained surface; the
direction of travel may be determined by the feathered edge.
6. Wipe pattern : A bloodstain pattern created when an object moves through an existing stain,
removing it or changing its appearance.

7. Expirated blood : Blood that is blown out of the nose, mouth, or a wound as a result of air
pressure or air flow, which is the propelling( cause to move) force.

( has little air bubbles)

8. Impact pattern : Bloodstain pattern created when blood receives a blow or force resulting in the
random dispersion of smaller drips of blood.
 Higher velocity the smaller and the more the dots are.
9. Misting : Blood that has been reduced to a fine spray as a result of the energy or force applied
to it.

10. Arterial spurting ( or gushing) pattern : Bloodstain pattern(s) resulting from blood exiting the
body under pressure from a breached artery.
11. Angle of impact: The acute angle formed between the direction of a blood drop and the plane of
the surface its strikes.

12. Back spatter : Blood directed back

toward the source of energy or force
that caused the spatter.
provide
an interpretation of the physical events that gave rise to their origin.
The following Information may be obtained from a
proper Bloodstain Pattern Analysis:

1. Distance from the blood source to the target

2. Direction of travel and impact angles
3. Nature of the force used to cause the bloodshed
4. The object used to cause the bloodshed
5. Sequencing of multiple bloodshed events
6.Interpretation of contact or transfer patterns
When properly documented, bloodstain patterns found at the crime scene, or
on a
particular person's clothing, can be used to:
      1. Confirm or refute the position of a victim, witness, suspect, or defendant
      2. Determine if there is evidence of a struggle, or if the assault is "one
sided"
      3. Confirm or refute statements made by principles in the case:
                IE: Are stain patterns on a particular person's clothing consistent
                     with accounts given by the victim, witness, or defendant?
Blood Flight Characteristics:

Blood will not break up unless it is acted upon by force. The force must be
great enough to
overcome the surface tension of the blood

Blood forms a spherical shape (perfect circular shape) almost immediately

upon separating
from the blood source. The spherical shape is caused by the surface tension
of the blood.

Surface Tension causes the blood drop to pull itself in; both horizontally and
vertically.
The blood drop will settle into a spherical shape,
as a result of the surface tension.

The surface tension will maintain the sphere

shape of the blood drop until it impacts with the
surface.
The fascinating
world of forensic
science...made

determining
spatters from transfers. Spatters are created when blood is acted upon by
force, and
travels through the air before landing on a target surface. Transfers occur
when a blood
source comes in direct contact with a target surface area.
Transfer - Swipe Pattern
Transfer - Wipe Pattern
TARGET SURFACE TEXTURE:

 Bloodstains can occur on a variety of surfaces. The type of

surface that free falling blood strikes affects the
appearance of the resulting spatter.
 Blood drops on a smooth surface will make a more uniform
or regular circular shape.
 Blood drops on a rough surface will make an irregular

LOW FORCE (VELOCITY) IMPACT SPATTER/PASSIVE DROPS:

 Blood that falls at the speed or force of normal gravity

 These spatters usually fall from an open wound, or from a

surface that is saturated with blood

 The majority of the Low Force Impact Spatters are large,

circular, spatters with diameters of 4mm or more

 Low Force Impact Spatters will increase in size as the

distance fallen increases, however, the size of the spatters
will remain constant after approx 4 feet
                                                              
MEDIUM FORCE (VELOCITY) IMPACT SPATTER:
OR PROJECTED SPATTER

 Produced with more energy or force than gravity

 The force of the impact causes the blood to break into
smaller size spatters  relative to the amount of  force applied
 This type of spatter is usually seen in blunt force, stabbings,
and secondary spatters
 Produced when the majority of larger drops of blood are
broken into smaller spatters with diameters of 2 – 4 mm
 The force associated with this type of spatter is greater than
25 ft per second                        

HIGH FORCE (VELOCITY) IMPACT SPATTER:

 Impact spatter that measures less than 2mm in

diameter
 The force necessary to produce this size spatter
is greater than 100 ft per second
 This type of spatter is usually associated with
gunshots, explosions, and high speed collisions
 High Force Impact Spatter takes on a "mist like"
appearance

It is important to note that the term "Velocity" does not measure the speed at
which the blood is
traveling, but rather is used to describe or measure amount of force applied to
the blood, to cause it
to spatter.
Direction:
The "tail" points to the direction of
the blood drop
Angle of Impact:  
The steeper the impact, the more
elliptical or elongated, the blood drop
Angle of Impact
    

 Measure the width and the length of the stain/spatter

                                              sine=  width    =   9mm             
                                                         length   =  18mm

 9 divided by 18 = 0.500
 Arcsine 0.500 = 30 degree angle of impact

 Do not measure the “tail”

            • it is a secondary force or event.

 Divide the smaller number by the larger number

BACK SPATTER OR "BLOWBACK"

 When a bullet strikes a target, some high

force impact spatter may be directed back

toward the gun that fired the shot. This is
known as "back spatter"  

 If the bullet exits its target, a larger

amount of high force impact spatter may
be directed in the same direction as the
bullet. This is known as "forward spatter".