Forensic Scientist

Forensic Scientist

LIsa Black

Cape Coral, FL

Female, 49

I spent the five happiest years of my life in a morgue. As a forensic scientist in the Cleveland coroner’s office I analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence, as well as crime scenes. Now I'm a certified latent print examiner and CSI for a police department in Florida. I also write a series of forensic suspense novels, turning the day job into fiction. My books have been translated into six languages.

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Last Answer on July 21, 2022

Best Rated

Can u prove the difference betwwen pubic hair and chaset hair or facial hair

Asked by jim amdiny about 10 years ago

Yes, there are visible differences (under a microscope) between the different kinds of body hair.

what is the most gruesome case you have ever worked with and was the person ever caught

Asked by gael luna almost 10 years ago

Probably either a (small) plane crash or a shotgun blast. The first was an accident and the second was a suicide, so I suppose you could say the person was caught.

Hello! I am doing an experiment on what common household substances oxidize luminol other than blood (and might interfere with an investigation). i was wondering if you had any personal experiences with this happening or any advice you could share!:)

Asked by Jessica about 9 years ago

Vomit, horseradish, copper (as in pennies) and some cleaning compounds can also give a positive luminol reaction.Good luck on your project!

My brother was killed. I believe he was murdered. His left arm was nearly severed from his body and his left mastoid process was crushed. The blood at the scene was descibed as an 8in in diameter patch. How much blood should have been at the scene?

Asked by autumndawn over 9 years ago

I'm sorry to hear about your brother. Unfortunately I have no idea how much blood there should be, you'd have to ask a pathologist, but from my experience I can guess it would depend on two things--what kind of surface was he on--concrete, tile, carpet, dirt? Also, how long the heart kept pumping after the injury. I have seen gunshot victims where they barely bled at all, and others were completely soaked practically head to toe. So there are a number of factors that will affect this.

If somone ejaculated in a girls or guys mouth they swallow can u find dna proving who ejaculated

Asked by jim amdiny about 10 years ago

See above.

How long does it take to really get a fingerprint match if using all available databases?

Asked by Seeker almost 10 years ago

That depends entirely on your digital situation. How big is the database (how many fingerprints does it have to search through), are you searching both fingers and palms, how many servers or whatever can you devote to the task, and have the search parameters been narrowed down, say to only right hand fingers or only the left index. All those factors will affect it so that a search could take anywhere from a few seconds to a day .

Do you believe that more could be done to improve dna testing

Asked by kerrie dunbar almost 10 years ago

Improved in what way?