Learning Objectives

1 Explain blood biochemistry and blood typing

2
Describe the methods used in the
identification and individualisation of blood

3 Identify the various blood spatter patterns

4
Conduct blood spatter analysis to find the
source of blood and reconstruct past events
1
Blood

Fresh

Obvious

Old & dried

Obvious?
2
Blood

1 Is it blood? Show up invisible stains

2 Is it human blood?

3 Whose blood is it?

4
Can we use blood spatter
patterns to reconstruct events?
3
Blood Composition

8% of body weight

Fluid portion of blood

Blood plasma

55% by weight
Fresh frozen
blood plasma
Transport system
4
Blood Composition Left to right: erythrocyte,
thrombocyte, leukocyte
8% of body weight

Blood plasma

Blood cells Red blood cells / erythrocytes

Oxygen transport

5
Blood Composition Left to right: erythrocyte,
thrombocyte, leukocyte
8% of body weight

Blood plasma

Blood cells Red blood cells / erythrocytes

White blood cells / leukocytes

Immune response

6
Blood Composition Left to right: erythrocyte,
thrombocyte, leukocyte
8% of body weight

Blood plasma

Blood cells Red blood cells / erythrocytes

White blood cells / leukocytes

Platelets / thrombocytes

Clotting response
7
Erythrocytes

7.8 microns in diameter

Biconcave

No nucleus

No DNA Red blood cell

8
Erythrocytes

Principal function

Oxygen transport

4 oxygen molecules
on each protein

Red blood cell

9
Antigens

Proteins on surface of red blood cells

Responsible for blood typing

30 commonly occurring antigens

Over 100 rare antigens

10
Blood transfusion

Must be given blood of the right type

Early days Some people fine after

a blood transfusion

Some people fell ill or died

after a blood transfusion

11
Karl Landsteiner

Developed the A-B-O

blood typing system

Won the 1930 Nobel

Prize in Medicine

Karl Landsteiner
12
A-B-O Blood Types

13
A-B-O Blood Types

Occurrence of blood types vary

Blood Type Percentage (%)

O 40
A 25
B 30
AB 5

14
Blood Types & Personality

Is your blood type

the key to true love?

No

15
Blood Types & Personality

“I am type B and
have the tendency
to be simplistic and
Ryu Matsumoto straightforward at
Former Minister of the Japanese
Government times.”

16
Antibodies

Immunoglobins

20% of blood
plasma volume

Produced as part of
immune response

17
Antibodies

Bind to “alien” objects

Antigen binding sites

Extremely specific

18
Serum Antibodies

Antibodies corresponding to surface antigens

Anti-A antibodies

Anti-B antibodies

19
A-B-O Blood Types

20
Blood typing system

Many different antigens

A-B-O system based on A and B antigens

Less common antigens

D antigen / rhesus antigens

21
Rhesus antigens

Rhesus Rhesus
positive negative

With D antigen Without D antigen

85% of population 15% of population

22
Blood Type Distribution in Singapore
Blood Type Percentage (%)
O+ 34 Want to individualise
O- 6 evidence
A+ 21
A- 4
Blood types are
B+ 25.5
not individualised
B- 4.5
AB+ 4
AB- 1
23
Bio-Identification

More complex blood typing

Individualisation of blood type?

Extensive research before 1990

Inferior to DNA fingerprinting

Blood sample Individualise it

24
Bio-Identification

Blood type not individualised

Cannot be used to prove guilt

Can be used to establish innocence

25
Bio-Identification

Crime scene Type A blood found

Suspect is type B blood

Established innocence

26
Bio-Identification

Crime scene Type A blood found

Suspect is type B blood

Suspect is type A blood

Does not prove guilt

Require further evidence

27
Blood?

Is it blood?

28
Presumptive Tests for Blood

1 Benzidine test No longer used

Toxic

29
Presumptive Tests for Blood

1 Benzidine test

2 Kastle-Meyer test Phenolphthalein

30
Presumptive Tests for Blood

1 Benzidine test

2 Kastle-Meyer test

3 Luminol test

31
Presumptive Tests for Blood

Based on peroxidase properties of blood

H2O2  H2O + O

32
Kastle-Meyer Test

Acid form Alkali form

Colourless Pink
33
Kastle-Meyer Test
Zinc
(reduce)

H2O2, blood
(oxidise)

Alkali form Reduced form

Pink Colourless
34
Kastle-Meyer Test

Suspected bloodstain

1 Add reduced phenolphthalein

2 Add H2O2

Turn pink Most likely blood

35
Kastle-Meyer Test

Powerful enzymes in potatoes

Catalyst for reaction

Turn pink

“False positive”
36
Blood

1 Is it blood? Kastle-Meyer test

Luminol test

37
Blood

1 Is it blood?

2 Is it human blood? Precipitin

38
Precipitin Technology

Did Christopher
Nudds kill Fred Moss?

Christopher Nudds

39
Precipitin Technology

Did Christopher
Nudds kill Fred Moss?

Many bloodstains in Nudd’s car

Hunter Animal blood?

40
Precipitin Technology

Precipitin test results

Most were animal blood

Some human blood

Rabbit

41
Precipitin Technology

Human bloodstains

DNA test

Fred Moss

Christopher Nudds convicted of murder

42
Blood
Bloodstained floorboard
treated with luminol
1 Is it blood?

2 Is it human blood?

3 Whose blood is it?

Can we use pattern of how blood

4
is spattered to reconstruct events?
43
Blood

How was the crime

committed?

Look at blood
distribution

Blood spatter Vietnamese man killed

analysis during the My Lai massacre
44
Blood Spatter

Transfer of blood
45
Blood Spatter Analysis

Arterial spurting

Splash of blood

Dribble down
the wall

Arterial spurting
4
6
Blood Spatter Analysis

From smaller wounds

Pattern of drips

4
7
Blood Spatter Analysis

Exact pattern of
drips depend on

Surface

Length of time

4
8
Blood Spatter Analysis

Pattern created by flying blood depends on

Violence of event

49
Blood Spatter Analysis

Low energy event

Low velocity spatter

1.5 m / s

Free fall

Cast off Low velocity spatter

50
Blood Spatter Analysis

Relatively energetic event

Up to 30 m / s

Medium velocity
blood spatter Medium velocity
blood spatter

51
Blood Spatter Analysis

Very energetic event

Gun shots

High velocity
blood spatter

High velocity spatter

52
Blood Spatter Analysis
Falling drop of blood

Spherical

Circular blood
spatter at 90º

53
Blood Spatter Analysis
Falling drop of blood

Spherical

Hit at an angle

Elongated shape

54
Blood Spatter Analysis
Falling drop of blood

Spherical

Hit at an angle

Elongated shape

Angle calculated by
comparing width and length
55
56
Blood Spatter Analysis

Multiple blood droplets

Plot backwards

Point of convergence
= source of blood

57
Blood Spatter Analysis

Three dimensional

5 feet above floor

Victim was standing

Few inches above floor

Victim was on the floor

58
59
Lord L u c a n

60
Lord Lucan

Banker turned
professional gambler

Deep in debt

Separated from
Lady Lucan
Lord and Lady Lucan
61
7 November 1974

Lady Lucan

Ran into a pub at 9:45 pm

Bloodstained

“Help me, help me, help me, I have

just escaped from being murdered”
62
7 November 1974

Her home

Nanny dead

Children upstairs
unharmed and asleep

63
The crime scene

4 upper floors Nothing happened

Ground floor

1 Bent, bloodstained lead pipe in hallway

2 Bloodstains at top of stairs

3 Door to basement was open

64
The crime scene

In the basement

1 Blood on walls and floor of breakfast room

2 Pool of blood

Man’s footprint found

3 Nanny’s body in a bloodstained sack

65
Lord Lucan on that day

Visited friend 60 km outside

London at 11:30 PM

Wrote and posted letters

Left
Lord Lucan
66
Lord Lucan

Car found by the

sea 3 days later

Never seen again

Lord Lucan
67
Lord Lucan’s Story

Walking past Saw struggle

the house in basement

Attacker ran off & Lord Lucan Went in to help

slipped in a pool of blood Lady Lucan

Lady Lucan Feared he would

Fled
ran away be blamed
68
Lady Lucan’s Story

Nanny went to Escaped

the basement to the pub

8:40 pm 9:45 pm

8:30 pm 9:15 pm

Nanny put Went to look for nanny

children to bed
Attacked by Lord Lucan
69
Forensic Evidence

Blood types Bloodstains around house

Lady Lucan: A Top of stairs: A

Nanny: B Basement: B

Lead pipe: A & B

70
Forensic Evidence

1 Where was Lady Lucan attacked?

Lady Lucan: “at the ground floor”

Lord Lucan: “in the basement”

2 Did Lord Lucan slip or step in the blood?

71
Forensic Evidence

No confirmed sightings of Lord Lucan

Never arrested and charged

Now legally presumed dead

72
Summary

1 Blood biochemistry
2 Scientific basis of blood types

How blood type can be used

3
even though it is not individualised

4 Tests for blood

5 Blood spatter patterns and analysis
73