Prologue

 

            Forensic science is a delicate art.  But shouldn’t it be considered a cold, hard truth?  And the short answer is no.  The long answer requires delving into the history and process of scientific method.  It involves looking at how perceptions change over time and how new processes are developed to create better analyses as scientists create new technology to find more concrete truth.  It needs to understand societal pressures, judgements, and how people can be persuaded to view a piece of data when a clever story is attached.  Forensic science is the balance between human emotion and scientific fact.

            Forensic science is not for the delicate hearted people.  It demands a wall of indifference to allow scientists objectivity to their work.  These dedicated people may seem cold hearted, cruel, and possibly unkind to an unfamiliar outsider.  But if you’re one of the scientists, part of the inner circle, you care a lot.  Indifferent people would not continue their search for answers, even when evidence grows cold.  Indifferent people would not take the time to develop clarity and new processes to uncover new evidence.  Indifferent people would not painstakingly comb through the smallest pieces of trash to find potential truth.  In short, indifferent people could not lend the quiet balance needed to traverse through the dark and twisted pieces of human life.

            This is not to say that things don’t affect the scientists.  After all, each scientist is still a human at heart.  Murder, suicide, children, family, animals, and the darkest days of a person’s life is considered “normal” for a forensic scientist.  They see humans on some of the worst days of their lives.  They handle the decaying smell and unforgettable images of a person’s last moments on earth and must set aside their hearts to be able to bring peace to the deceased’s loved ones.  I would be lying if I didn’t saw that some of these cases made me go home and cry.  Because they did.  But I would also be lying if I said some of these cases didn’t hit me as hard as others.  Because it’s my subjectivity and experience as a human and a scientist that allows me to provide comfort and useful help in this dark hour of need.

            This book is the true documentation of my time at a coroner’s office, learning how to be a better scientist and how to help my community through their painful times.  It is raw, it is gritty, and it is unashamedly subjective.  I have done my best to alter defining details and circumstances to respect the victims, as well as prevent would be criminals from using this as a guide on “how to get away with crime”.  But in the end, unfortunately, there will be some coincidences to events across the world, as well as some people who like to use information for evil.  On the other hand, it does give me a certain amount of “job security”, as I work towards eliminating the local evil around me through fact and objectivity.

 

 

This is an evolving field that needs to have room for improvement and allow the scientists the grace to make (minimal) human error as they navigate the difficulties of dealing with the harsh realities of human cruelty.