Journal of Forensic Research

Spatial pattern analysis is an integral and significant part of geoinformatics for the analysis of various demographic and spatial data such as climate distribution, weather forecast, population census etc. however, spatial analysis of a serial crime is tricky and require the location and other relevant data in context to the serial killer and his/her victims. This study aimed to establish a spatial relationship between a well-known paedophile and serial killer, Darbara Singh, active in Jalandhar district of Punjab during 2004. Many countries are adopting geospatial mapping to link the victims to the suspect based on their residence locations, disposal of bodies, suspect’s residence and native place and hunting area. It can be a preventive measure and can be used to locate next victim as well. However, this methodology is not yet used in India for offender profiling. One exception can be that of Umesh Reddy; his victim’s residential location and location of her dead body was linked with another victim in the same locality though it could be an early attempt but it was effective enough to locate Umesh Reddy.

Modern handwriting research has concentrated on skilled performance, child development, a typical development, the efficiency of different letter shapes, teaching methods and the creation and assessment of assessment tools. Due to the potential for unfamiliar surfaces to alter or distort the victim's natural handwriting, the investigation may have run into difficulties. The original handwriting modification called for the use of more advanced analytical methods and in-depth investigation. In this study, forensic exams in such situations are the main topic and their results and success rates are highlighted. The study specifically looks at how utilizing various writing utensils affects handwriting samples discovered on unique and atypical surfaces. The research intends to provide light on the usefulness and dependability of forensic handwriting analysis in situations when the writing medium's surface makes precise identification and interpretation difficult.

The application of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) in criminal justice testing is known as forensic DNA analysis. When a culprit commits a crime, then evidence is left at the scene of crime which may contain biological materials with DNA. If the evidence and the latent print match, it may be possible to infer that the person was committed to the crime based on the match. The DNA of a suspect can also be linked to DNA found in blood, semen, saliva, or materials like hair, bone, or skin. Fingerprints can even be used to recover DNA. In the criminal justice system, forensic DNA analysis and DNA profiling are crucial components. Every year, new methods and tools for DNA profiling are developed. Recent developments in nearly all areas of DNA analysis, including sample collection, storage, pre-treatment, DNA extraction, DNA quantification, quality control of DNA testing, and DNA databases, are reviewed in this overview of the literature.

A crime scene is encountered by several types of evidence. Hair is common evidence that we mostly encountered in maximum of crime scenes. Being important and common evidence, hair found in any crime scene helps in a forensic investigation. Hair can be obtained from 6 different parts of body like head hair, eye brows and eyelashes hair, beard and moustache hair, underarm hair, body hair and pubic hair. Hair is a well-known target to identify the age, sex, colour, race, species identification, disease profile, environmental exposure, metal poisoning, and both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA analysis. But in this study we have taken 2 parameters for the examination, the morphological difference and nuclear DNA quality & quantity difference. Here we have compared between the fresh and soil stored hair with the above parameters. Upon the analysis of the hair samples under electronic compound microscope with the mentioned parameters, it is found that there is negligible or no difference in case of morphology. While determining the quantity and quality of the DNA with the help of UV-Spectrophotometry, we found a significant difference in DNA quality and quantity between fresh and soil stored hair within a specific time gape. We have also compared between Vwa and D18S51 primer by using these fresh and stored hair sample’s DNA. This study on hair would be helpful in further forensic examination and research.

Tonic Immobility (TI) is a state of temporary involuntary motor inhibition that occurs in states of intense fear and has been studied among victims of sexual violence. Studies on TI are scarce and have mainly focused on rape victims, on describing the prevalence of this phenomenon, the variables involved or the consequences it causes at the psychological level and on its subsequent treatment. There are no studies that analyse the presence of TI in the legal and forensic context. The present study is an analysis of the presence of the TI phenomenon in the legal and forensic context, which aims to describe its relevance in this context. A review of court rulings containing the expression tonic immobility in the legal database CENDOJ, of the Spanish Ministry of Justice, has been carried out. The results show a worrying absence of judgments where this phenomenon has been mentioned or studied and, therefore, the need to carry out studies such as this one. The implications for the legal and forensic context of TI in victims of sexual violence is fundamental, as it may help to understand why some victims react by paralysing and not responding at all. In addition, forensic knowledge of TI may help facilitate the recovery of these victims. Limitations of the study are discussed.

In the prominence of the technological era, every field is being digitalized and automated to turn-around time, manual work and to add precision. One such attempt was made in the banking field with the introduction of the Cheque Truncation System (CTS). Cheque Truncation System brought uniformity and standardization the cheques being issued by the banks across the world wide with a mandatory set of security features and the authentication of the security features has been made available with automated mechanism based on image processing and pattern recognition of the bank cheques. This study presents examination of a machine generated cloned cheque. Extensive examination of questioned cheque and its original source documents in forensically reveals a unique method of forgery to clone a genuine cheque.

Crime Scene Reconstruction (CSR) is a crucial component of criminal investigations and calls for a careful examination of the available data to pinpoint the chain of events that led to the crime. There has been an increase in the demand for using AI-based techniques for crime scene reconstruction since the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI). We compared the developments, drawbacks, and potential applications of` AI-based crime scene reconstruction systems. We discovered that machine learning models, computer vision models, natural language processing models, deep learning models, and graph analytics models have all demonstrated considerable gains in crime scene reconstruction. However, there are also limitations to the use of AI-based techniques, including the need for large amounts of high-quality data, potential bias in the data or algorithms, and the interpretability of the results. To overcome these limitations, future research should focus on developing more robust and transparent AIbased models that integrate multiple techniques and provide clear explanations of the results. Over the past few decades, 3D modeling has been the subject of extensive research. Overall, AI-based techniques have the potential to revolutionize crime scene reconstruction, but further research is needed to optimize their use in criminal investigations. This comparative review addresses how AI is being used in forensic science now and in the future.

The demand for pesticides has increased in today's world of expanding population in order to boost crop productivity and eliminate undesirable plants (weeds) that grow alongside the primary crop. Along with the various benefits, it is also used in animal farms to get rid of pests. This has an impact not only on humans but also on animals and the environment. The usage of pesticides has increased, and occasionally some of them linger in the food products they are applied to, a condition known as pesticide residue. This residue is linked to human health and can result in a variety of diseases and disorders. In the current environment, even pesticides that are marketed as benign have negative long-term effects and exacerbate issues like bio-accumulation and bio-magnification. To avoid food contamination with pesticides, different methods like crop rotation, organic farming, and integrated pest management should be used as alternatives. Today, it is essential for all pesticide users to be aware of the risk and proper handling of these pesticides. New methods of pest management should be fostered in the realm of development.

Even though drugs can cure disease and reduce pain, they can also be a means of murder. Forensic scientists can examine blood and tissue to uncover cases where death is not as natural as it may seem – from slow arsenic poisoning to quick cocaine overdose. Besides this, there are many instances of insulin overdose poisoning in suicide and murder cases all over the world. Insulin poisoning seems a perfect weapon to criminals because according to them it cannot be detected after death. Moreover, instrumental methods are the foundation of modern forensic physics and toxicology investigations. In this paper we will discuss an innovative Microwave Technique and diagnostic methods of insulin, which can be applied in forensic science for detection and quantification of insulin as a toxin in biological fluids. A short description of the theory, inherent potency and limitations of its methodology is presented. Goal of this paper is to promote novelty to develop our technological capabilities and use of new diagnostic techniques in forensic science practice.