RELATING WOUNDS TO BLOODSTAINING

• Jurisdiction: Australia

Introduction ................................................................................................... [97.940]

Blood volume estimation ............................................................................... [97.1000]

The effects of drugs on blood ....................................................................... [97.1020]

[97.940] Introduction

This area of bloodstain analysis may be very misleading for the unwary. There are many factors that can influence the degree to which blood leaves the body of a victim: Eckert (1999). An absence of blood at a scene where an individual has allegedly been injured does not automatically imply that severe life-threatening injuries did not occur. For example, a fatal shooting or stabbing where someone died from loss of blood may have left little or no blood at the scene if the majority of bleeding was internal. The orientation of the deceased, the type and location of the injury, and the presence or absence of clothing are all examples of factors which could affect the amount of blood left at the scene.

Conversely, where there is no obvious victim or deceased, the presence of large quantities of blood may not necessarily indicate that a life-threatening injury has occurred. Incised wounds, where the wound length is greater than its depth, could...