Example Exam Questions CCS

1. 20 year old female has been reported as missing for the previous three months. A body
has been reported in a lake in a public park approximately 2km from where the missing
female was last seen. The following experts have been called to assist in the recovery of the
body:

i. Police Search Personnel with search equipment for underwater

ii. A Forensic Archaeologist
iii. A Forensic Anthropologist

a. Explain the assistance that each expert can, in general (not specifically to this
case),
provide to the Police. (6p)
Here, students re expected to explain the work of each of the experts listed above. They
should outline the work that they do and how this can assist the police in investigations. For
example, the search personnel can assist in search and locating the human remains and also
determine what areas of the search location are of most interest in terms of recovering
trace evidence. The Forensic Archaeologist and the Search Personnel can both use GIS to
reduce the search area and analyse satellite and aerial images and maps. Specialist dogs and
equipment can be used the student need to explain this in the answer). The Forensic
Anthropologist can assist in generating a biological profile ....(2 points per expertise)

b. Discuss the methods that you consider can be applied in this case study. (9)
Here the students are required to specifically mention the methods that each expert can
apply and discuss their use. So for example, for the Search Personnel, this would involve the
students explaining and discussing the equipment they can use and how they work, side
scan sonar, underwater vehicle, grab etc. for the Archaeologist they need to plain how the
archaeologist can help to determine the search area, perhaps identifying the location where
the body entered the lake and what potential trace evidence can be recovered from there.
They should also be able to explain that the archaeologist has limited use in the actual
physical recovery of the body as it is underwater. For the Forensic Anthropologist, once the
body is recovered the expert will examine the body and determine the biological profile (the
students need to explain this) of the individual (3 points each per expertise)

c. Critically assess the limitations of each expertise, in general, and specifically in the
context of this case study. (15p)
Here the students are expected to be able to explain not only the limitations in the
equipment, but also go further in demonstrating that they understand the limitations of the
techniques that each expert applies. For example the use of sonar and underwater
equipment not only will be limited by the visibility in the lake, but will also need analysis and
interpretation before the experts can state that there is something of interest. The forensic
archaeologist can assess whether there has been disturbance in the soil or the area
surrounding the lake but will not be able to determine whether this is directly related to the
crime being investigated. The forensic anthropologist will be able to generate a biological
profile of the individual recovered from the lake, but will not be able to formally identify the
individual as the methods applied in generating the profile have standard deviations
(statistical methods) that mean that an absolute identification is not possible. For that a
formal primary method identification (DNA, Fingerprints or Dental) is required. The students
need to show that they can critically assess each expertise and identify the limitations of
each expertise. (5 points per expertise)

2. Due to health and safety concerns following an earthquake in a South-East Asian country,
in August 2011, the governing authorities arranged for the construction, and quick burial of
the victims in a series of mass graves. At the time of the earthquake, the UN had an
assistance mission in the country and a number of UN staff (both national and international)
are still missing. The UN now (in 2021) believes that a number of their staff may have been
interred in these graves. Following consultation with the governing authorities in the
country, the UN has received permission to exhume these bodies, and identify their missing
staff members, and is preparing to send a team of experts to undertake the exhumation and
subsequent identification. The Governing Authority will only provide a liaison officer, the UN
is required to provide the necessary staff for the exhumation and identification process.

a. Determine what forensic expertise could assist in the exhumation and identification of the
victims. Discuss and evaluate at least three. Explain why you believe that each of the
forensic expertise you select could assist in this particular case study. (10p)
Here the students are required to demonstrate that they are considering what expertise
they consider should be applied: especially in terms of the body recovery and identification
which are two aspects to what is being asked here. You have the practical side of the
physical recovery - what expertise is required: Forensic Archaeologists, Forensic
Anthropologists, Crime Scene Investigators, Chain of Custody Officers, etc. And you have the
identification process - what expertise is required: Forensic Pathologist, forensic
anthropologists, family liaison officers for the Ante mortem data, data managers etc. Here
the students have to pick three and evaluate their usefulness and then argue why they
believe these three that they have picked would be useful in this case study. Discuss and
evaluate 3 expertises: each expertise 2 points (totalling 6); Explanation - 4 points)

b. What constitutes a legal identification? A legal identification requires confirmation of

identity through the use of one of three primary identification means. DNA, Dental, or
Fingerprints (1 point per expertise = 3 points) Explain the difficulties in conducting a mass
identification project in terms of the requirement to provide a legal identification? (15p)
Here the students really need to be focusing on what is required to be able to do a formal
identification and explain the difficulties. For example for DNA, they need, not only to be
able to generate a DNA profile from the victim and this in itself can be difficult when you
consider how long the bodies have been buried; and then there is the difficulty of once you
have a profile from the victim, what are you going to compare it to. Can you generate an
ante mortem DNA profile from the victim? Do you have personal belongings? If not, can you
access surviving family members that would be willing to provide a DNA reference sample
and are these biological family members. For Fingerprints, again depending on the state of
the remains you might not be able to generate a fingerprint from the victim and if you do,
do you have reference samples -in this case the students should indicate that these are
reference samples from items belonging to the victim and how certain can you be that they
are items from the victim. Similarly for dental, you need to have comparative material and if
the victim has moved or changed dentists, how can you get the most recent. And then how
do you coordinate all of this information and ensure integrity and accuracy of the
information. (DNA, FP, Dental - 4 points per discipline)
c. Evaluate the most efficient means of formally identifying the victims in the context of this
case study, explaining why you believe this method to be the most efficient. Your answer
should also consider the limitations of the method. (10p)
The students need to explain what they consider to be an efficient means (5 points): is it
related to costs, time, facilities required or a combination of all of this? This is really where
the students have to critically evaluate the method and consider the advantages and
disadvantages of the method they select and argue why they consider the method that
they've selected is the most efficient (5 points)

3. During the crime scene investigation phase of an investigation there is an observation and
an evaluative phase. However there is also an intermediate stage where the crime scene
examiner is considering each observation at the crime scene.

a. Explain inductive reasoning giving two examples of how this is applied at the crime scene.
(10p)
Inductive reasoning is a step in the crime scene investigation phase where the crime scene
examiner/forensic expert considers a number of hypotheses and begins to generate/think
about explanation of how and why that trace may have been left at the crime scene-this
process is called inductive reasoning. At this stage the investigator is not apportioning any
weight to the evidence, they are just considering explanations. The CSI/investigator is trying
to explain each relevant observation both at source and activity level. Students should
explain this using two examples. (4 points for explanation of inductive reasoning; 3 points
per example)

b. With the help of a case example, illustrate the use of reasoning in terms of assessing a
crime scene trace evidence at source or activity level (15p)
Here the students need to be able to illustrate, though the use of a case example, the
difference between source Level (blood stains on a floor originate from someone) and
activity level (why are the blood stains there)-the what happened. There are a number of
steps in reasoning: define the question; collect/gather data; make a hypothesis (educated
guess); make predictions regarding the hypothesis (if this is true, then I can expect...); test
the hypothesis by considering the predictions/hypothesis against the observations; conclude
what this means. This process then allows the investigator to state with some level of
authority that certain things could NOT have occurred but won't always allow, at this stage,
the investigator to identify exactly what occurred. Student should be able to illustrate
process using a case study. Source vs. Activity level (5 points); stages of reasoning (5 points),
process (5 points)

4. In post mortem toxicology, the effect of a drug is estimated from a blood drug
concentration. Based on measured concentrations, the toxicologist may conclude whether
alcohol, drugs, (prescribed) medicines may have caused or are a contributing factor to
death.

a. Explain what it meant by post mortem redistribution (5p)

Post mortem concentration does not necessarily reflect the concentrations at the time of
death. Drug levels vary according to the sampling site and the interval between death and
sample. Site-and time-dependent variations are called post-mortem redistribution.

b. Discuss why a forensic toxicologist considers post mortem redistribution when they are
interpreting the results of their analysis (5p)
in post mortem toxicology analysis, blood from a centrally located part of the body is less
suitable for interpretation than blood obtained from a vessel far from the heart because,
especially around the heart, the concentrations of substances change more strongly after
death (through redistribution). Therefore blood obtained from the femoral vein is the most
suitable post-mortem biological matrix to determine concentrations of substances. If the
origin of the blood is not known, the results of the toxicological analysis may be
misinterpreted. The underlying mechanisms of post-mortem redistribution are complex
therefore it is important to analyse samples from different sampling sites so that it is
possible to detect the effect of post-mortem redistribution and avoid the misinterpretation
of the data.