BLOODSTAINS ON CLOTHING

• Jurisdiction: Australia

Overview ....................................................................................................... [97.1300]

Backspatter ................................................................................................... [97.1320]

[97.1300] Overview

Questions posed by bloodstaining on clothing may be different from those associated with a crime scene. Often the problem is simply one of determining the source of the blood and is resolved using standard DNA profiling techniques. Sometimes, however, the "how" is more important than the "where from". This requires the forensic scientist to form an opinion from macroscopic and microscopic observations of the stain patterns.

Questions that may be asked include the following.

Is the stain a smear associated with blood transferred from contact with another object or is it spatter caused by flying droplets at the time of the incident?

The stain(s) versus smear aspect is often arguably the most important. A person may have come into contact with or come close to a victim in an active fashion as the assailant or in a passive fashion as a good Samaritan, relative or friend. A smear is caused by contact with a wet bloodied surface and may simply be the result of one person comforting another with little energy transfer. It may also be the result of vigorous contact between the assailant and the victim and may involve more than one blood type.

Spatter on the clothing of a suspect implies proximity to the victim at the time the...