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A Reflection Paper in MSCJ 207

(Crime Scene Reconstruction: Bloodstain Pattern

Analysis)

Submitted by: Ms. Jerine A. Pueblo, RCrim

Submitted to: Prof. German B. Guaza, PhD.Crim

Date of Submission: 14 Oct. 2021

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Pages

Title Page 1

Table of Contents 2

Introduction 3

Body Paragraph 4-7

Conclusion 8
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Introduction

This paper is my reflection for the topic of Chapter 4 which is the Crime

Scene Reconstruction and the Blood Pattern Analysis. To begin with, forensic

crime scene reconstruction is the process of establishing the sequence of events

that occurred during and after a crime .Also, this topic includes the study and

interpretation of scene patterns, as well as the analysis of physical evidence that

can be used to reconstruct crime scenes. Several types of reconstructions may

include blood spatter interpretation, trajectory and shooting reconstruction,

accident reconstruction and sexual assault reconstruction.

Furthermore, forthcoming topics will be anchored to discussions of

Bloodstain Pattern Analysis. The study of bloodstain pattern analysis provide

important forensic information about the crime under investigation; it explains

what happened during the commission of crime. Bloodstain patterns are divided

into numerous types, each of which reveals a piece of the crime scene puzzle.

There are seven bloodstain categories: passive bloodstain; projected

bloodstains; impact spatter; cast-off bloodstains; arterial gush or spurt

bloodstains; wipe bloodstain patterns; and transfer bloodstains. 

Paramount to this reflection paper, detailed information will explores the

concepts of crime-scene reconstruction and the people who work on it, the

characteristics of bloodstain creation in general, explain the differences between

low-, medium-, and high-velocity impact splatter, discuss the ways for

determining the impact splatter patterns' area of convergence and origin. In

addition different types of blood patterns are produced and which characteristics
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of each pattern may be utilized to help in the reconstruction of events at a crime

scene and how to photograph bloodstain patterns at a crime scene will be

discuss.

Body Paragraph

It was elucidated that crime-scene reconstruction is a process of

examining and assessing physical evidence and statements made by persons

engaged in the incident to establish a plausible sequence of events at a crime

scene. Information from re-enactments might potentially be used as proof. As a

result, when investigators employ correct documentation and collecting

procedures for all forms of evidence, reconstructions have the highest chance of

being accurate. Physical evidence left at a crime scene is critical in recreating the

chain of events leading up to the crime. Although the evidence may not be able

to explain all that happened, it might corroborate or refute witness statements.

Bloodstains and spatters can be used to interpret and recreate the

circumstances that caused the bleeding. An investigator or bloodstain pattern

analyzer can deduce the directionality and angle of impact of blood when it struck

the deposition surface from individual bloodstains. Bloodstain patterns, which are

made up of many individual bloodstains, may also reveal the location of victims

or suspects, the movement of bleeding persons, and the number of strikes given

to the analyst.

It was emphasized that in terms of Classifying an Impact Spatter we have

three types; Low Velocity, Medium Velocity and High Velocity. Spatter with a Low

Velocity Low-velocity spatter is an impact pattern with a preponderance of big

single or compounded droplets with sizes of 4 millimeters or greater. This type of

spatter is usually caused by gravity alone, a little force, or an item falling into a
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blood pool and spraying blood. An applied force traveling at up to 5 feet per

second can cause low-velocity stains. Next in Spatter with a Medium Velocity the

Medium-velocity spatter is a pattern that consists primarily of tiny droplets with

diameters of 1 to 4 millimeters. This sort of impact splatter is usually connected

with a person's blunt-force trauma or other applied pressures. While High-velocity

spatter is defined as very tiny droplets with a majority of sizes of less than 1

millimeter. An applied force of 100 feet per second or faster can cause the

splatter in this case. This sort of splatter is frequently produced by gunshot exit

wounds or explosions. However, because the drips are so little, they may not

travel very far; they may fall to the floor or the ground, where they may be missed

by investigators.

Moreover, when calculating the direction and angle of impact of a

bloodstain, the surface texture as well as the form, size, and position of the stain

must be taken into account. The form of a bloodstain is strongly influenced by the

roughness of the surface. Because the tail or accumulation of blood occurs on

the side opposite the force, the directionality of an individual bloodstain may be

determined by the stain's tail or accumulation of blood. The angle of impact of a

bloodstain can be inferred by the stain's form, or it can be more accurately

calculated by the stain's widtht-length ratio.

Additionally, when an item collides with a blood source, forward spatter is

projected forward from the source, and back spatter is projected backward from

the source, forming an impact spatter pattern. Impact spatter patterns can be

categorized as low-velocity, medium-velocity, or high-velocity (drops less than 1

mm). These classifications are only descriptive and should not be used to

establish the type of force responsible for the pattern's appearance. On a two-

dimensional plane, the region of convergence of an impact splatter pattern is the

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area from which the individual stains emerged. In three cases, the region of

origin of a bloodstain pattern dimensional space may represent the position of

the victim or suspect when the stain-producing event took place.

Gunshot spatter is made up of very small particles that come from both

forward and back splatter from exit and entry wounds, or solely back spatter if the

bullet did not escape the body. Between delivering strikes to a target, blood from

an instrument, usually a weapon or fist, can make an arc pattern on a

surrounding surface. The pattern's characteristics can reveal the type of item that

generated it as well as the object's minimum number of strikes. The continuous

pumping of blood from an arterial damage causes the distinctive spurts seen in

an arterial spray splatter.

In relation to this, when an object with blood on it makes basic contact with

a surface, transfer patterns are formed, which can disclose the shape or textural

features of the object. Because gravity determines the direction of flows

beginning from a single drop or a significant volume of blood, the pattern's

direction may indicate the initial position of the surface when the flow was

produced. A drip trail pattern is created by single blood drops falling from an item

or injury and is distinct from other patterns. The presence of skeletonization of a

bloodstain's perimeter indicates that the stain was disturbed after the margins

had had enough time to skeletonize. It's crucial to know the exact look and

position of each bloodstain at a crime scene. As a result, each bloodstain pattern

discovered at a crime scene must be meticulously recorded in the form of notes,

pictures, and sketches. To demonstrate the direction and relative size of the

pattern and individual stains, medium-range and closeup pictures should be

taken using either the grid technique or the perimeter ruler method.
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Furthermore, the magnitude of the patterns is emphasized in two typical

techniques of recording bloodstain patterns. First one is the grid technique, it is

stringing a grid of squares of predetermined proportions over the whole design.

On the other hand, perimeter method entails creating a rectangular border of

rulers around the design. The big rulers in this approach indicate scale in the

overall and medium-range images, while the little rulers may be added to

illustrate scale in close-up photos. When the facts of the case justify it, the

bloodstain analyst may compute an area-of-origin decision at his or her

discretion.

Lastly, the study of bloodstain pattern analysis has grown in popularity

among forensic scientists as well as practitioners who call themselves crime

scene investigators. Hundreds of investigators (not necessarily scientists) in the

law enforcement community are pleased to be called blood spatter specialists.

There is no measurement to assess the consistency of training in this subject at

this moment. The Bloodstain Pattern Analysis Cortication program, run by the

International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis, provides the closest

training criteria.
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Conclusion

I learned that crime scene reconstruction is very important in any crime

investigation for the fact that it is significant in examination of the physical

evidence and circumstances of a crime, through with this , we can development

a theory about how the crime occurred and the scientific validation of that theory.

The victim or victims are always at the center of a crime scene reconstruction. If

the victim is still alive, those who were involved or were close to him or her must

be interrogated; if the victim is dead, those who were involved or were close to

him or her must be interviewed instead. We must take note that crime scene

must be photographed, and the positions of all things in the room must be

meticulously documented. The scene of the crime must not be changed, and

detectives must approach it with an open mind.

Moreover, I also learned that bloodstain pattern analysis is a powerful

technique for investigating violent crimes, but it must be done by people who

have been properly taught. It is one of the most efficient ways for forensic

analysts to recreate crime scenes. Every effort should be done to preserve the

crime scene. until the bloodstain evidence is analyzed and preserve

Taking everything into account, it was concluded that in order to

reconstruct a crime scene it takes a lot of time and effort from experienced law

enforcement, medical examiners, and criminalists .Each of these experts brings a

distinct role and viewpoint to the development of a crime scene reconstruction.

They make a series of different measurements particularly on the bloodstains at

a crime scene in which data they obtain are used to reconstruct crime scene.
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They utilize crime-scene reconstruction to illustrate what happened before,

during, and after a crime has been committed. These reconstructions can help

with investigations in a different of ways, some of this is the identification of the

culprit and providing evidence for his/her guilt.