Alix Wood - The Body in the Woods: Be a Crime Scene Investigator

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Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Wood, Alix.

Title: The body in the woods: be a crime scene investigator / Alix Wood.

Description: New York : Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2018. | Series: Crime solvers | Includes index.

Identifiers: ISBN 9781538206355 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781538206294 (library bound) | ISBN 9781538206171 (6 pack)

Subjects: LCSH: Criminal investigation--Juvenile literature. | Crime scenes--Juvenile literature. | Crime scene searches--Juvenile literature.

Classification: LCC HV8073.8 W66 2018 | DDC 363.25--dc23

First Edition

Published in 2018 by

Gareth Stevens Publishing

111 East 14th Street, Suite 349

New York, NY 10003

Copyright 2018 Alix Wood Books

Produced for Gareth Stevens by Alix Wood Books

Designed by Alix Wood

Editor: Eloise Macgregor

Consultant: Stacey Deville, MFS, Texas Forensic Investigative Consultants

Photo credits: Cover, iStock, all other images are in the public domain

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except by reviewer.

Printed in the United States of America

CPSIA compliance information: Batch #CS17GS For further information contact Gareth Stevens, New York, New York at 1-800-542-2595.

Contents

Call the CSI Team

Meet a Crime Scene Investigator

Skills of the Trade

SCIENCE DETECTIVE Recording the Crime Scene

Preserving the Evidence

SCIENCE DETECTIVE Searching a Crime Scene

The Strand of Hair

What Story Can the Victim Tell?

SCIENCE DETECTIVE Protecting Evidence

Footprints in the Mud

SCIENCE DETECTIVE Helpful Footprints

Finding Fingerprints

SCIENCE DETECTIVE Dusting for Prints

Hunting Tire Tracks and Drag Marks

SCIENCE DETECTIVE Can You Match Tire Tracks?

The Empty Bottle

Do We Have Everything?

SCIENCE DETECTIVE Back in the Office

Preparing Evidence

A Day in Court

Glossary and Answers

Want to Be a Crime Scene Investigator?

Further Information

Index

Call the CSI Team

One bright morning in October, local woman Annie Lewis is jogging along a trail through the woods. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices a large, rolled up blanket. Annie jogs here every day, so she knows it wasnt there yesterday. She goes over to take a look...

DISPATCHER: Emergency 911. What is the location of your emergency?

ANNIE: Im at Tall Trees Trail, Saunderstone. Please come quickly. Im scared.

DISPATCHER: What is your name, caller?

ANNIE: Im Annie Lewis. I think I have just found a dead body!

DISPATCHER: What makes you think that, Annie?

ANNIE: I found a man, wrapped in a blanket...

Case File

Date: Oct 11 2017

Unit Number: 226

Reporting Officers Notes

6:30 am: Dispatch receives a 911 call. A dead body has been found at the Tall Trees Trail, Saunderstone. The caller identifies herself as Annie Lewis.

Unit 367 is dispatched and arrives at the scene at 6:37 am. The officers confirm that there is a body. They secure the scene. Emergency Medical Services confirm that the body is dead.

6:59 am: Detectives Tom Vallejo and Kofi Adoji arrive at the scene. The Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) team is called to the scene, too.

The body of an adult, white male is found partly hidden in bushes. The body is wrapped in a blue blanket. He is on his back. His left leg is bent at the knee, his arms raised near his head. He is wearing gray pants, a black sweater, and a blue checkered scarf. There is apparent blood on his chest.

The first officer on the scene starts to rope off the area, to protect vital evidence. Only essential people are allowed near the crime scene until the CSI team arrives. The detectives and the coroner enter to examine the body. They must be careful not to disturb any clues. Meanwhile, the officer scans the area. There is a chance the killer is still hiding nearby.

Solve It!

When the first officer on the scene fills out his report, which of these observations is the most important?

a)	he hears birds singing
b)	he hears a car engine
c)	he hears the wind rustle the tree branches

Answers on page 45

Meet a Crime Scene Investigator

T he call comes in to the CSI team. Andrea Bray grabs her equipment and heads for the door. After a long morning of testifying in court, she is already tired. It looks like this may turn out to be a very long day.

Andrea never knows what to expect when she is called to a crime scene. CSI teams go to many different types of crime scenes, such as burglaries, road traffic accidents, and sometimes, murders.

Solve It!

What do you think Andrea is doing in this picture?

a)	she is keeping the evidence clean
b)	she is dusting the cup to try to find any fingerprints
c)	she is checking the cup for breakage

Answers on page 45

Personnel File

Name:Andrea Bray

Job: Crime Scene Investigator

Education: Studied for a degree in Chemistry

Previous jobs: Was a police officer for 5 years

Career: Andrea has been a crime scene investigator for two years. She works for the Police Department.

Favorite school subject: Andrea always loved Science at school.

Favorite part of her job: Knowing that she has helped to solve a case.

Worst part of her job: There can be a lot of paperwork and report writing.

Most interesting case: Andrea once helped match tiny flecks of paint found on the body of a murder victim to a fretsaw found at the suspects home. The paint from the saw was rare, so the match was enough to convince the jury of the suspects guilt.

Skills of the Trade

C SIs like Andrea must have a particular set of skills to do their job well. They need to be organized and patient. They must not be grossed out by some unpleasant sights, smells, and situations! CSIs need to pay attention to tiny details. The smallest scrap of evidence could be vitally important to the case. They also have to be good at recording what they find, and be able to stand up and present this information in a court of law.