Forensic Science: DNA Analysis - Case Study Example

Forensic Science (Author’s name) (Institutional Affiliation) Abstract Forensic evidence is evidence collected from a crime scene. This crime may involve any incident from murder to petty theft. Evidence needs careful collection and review. This evidence includes things like DNA samples, fingerprints, witness information and the crime scene itself. In a murder case, evidence of the dead body is the most important factor. Without the body, forensic evidence is not enough to charge a suspect. The body needs to undergo autopsy to determine the cause and time of death. Introduction The case of Jaidyn Raymond Leskie was a long and investigative case. The 13-month-old baby went missing in June 1997 in the care of Mr. Domaszewicz. He was a neighbor and a friend to Jaidyn’s parents. He took care of Jaidyn a number of times before. The mother left the boy with him because they had a close relationship. Jaydin Leskie’s Case Circumstances The victim’s disappearance led to Mr. Domaszewicz was arrest and charge for murder. Being the last one to be with the victim alive revealed him as a suspect. The police remanded and placed him in their custody. The boy disappeared for six months before the discovery of his body in blue Rock Dam. The coroner received a report on discovery of the body. This immediately led to the commitment of Mr. Domaszewicz before the magistrate’s court for trial two months later in March. The hearing took place in December of the same year. After a review of all the evidence and testimonies from witnesses, the jury declared a not guilty verdict. The boy’s father Mr. Brett Leskie sought for further inquest from the coroner and of the case. These investigations carried on for years with new evidence emerging from the case. DNA evidence obtained from the victim’s track pants matched that of a woman. This evidence became known in 2003. The DNA matched a rape victim’s DNA after profiling (Gleeson, 2007). The victim, Jaidyn Leskie, disappeared as a very young boy. His alleged disappearance remained silent for the first crucial hours. If the police got this information immediately, they might have saved the boy. His disappearance took six months a period where the victim would be anywhere. In my opinion, thorough investigations did not occur as a passerby discovered the boy’s body. If the body had not popped out of the water for someone to see they probably would still consider the boy dead but not sure. According to evidence, the victim’s body was in water for close to two months. The interference, loss, and damage of evidence are apparent in this case. This is seen when new findings and evidence of the cause of death happened in a stretch of time. The evidence of matching DNA found on the body was apparently due to evidence contamination in the forensic laboratory. The case went on for years with discovery of new evidence driving it (Moe, 1997). The efforts by the authority to find Jaidyn Leskie did not yield because of the contamination of the crime scene. The prime suspect in the murder of Jaidyn Leskie was Mr. Domaszewicz who was responsible for taking care of the deceased. Therefore, Mr. Domaszewicz’s house was to be established by the investigators as the crime scene. Forensic DNA analysis of the crime scene reveals useful evidence about the crime and the cause of death. Mr. Domaszewicz’s house was contaminated because the foreign materials from the deceased were not found. The environmental factors can also be responsible for the contamination of crime scene. Because of the alterations in temperature, the body fluids present at the crime scene may undergo decomposition. The decomposed fluids do not give accurate results. Mr. Domaszewicz’s was subjected to alterations of temperature and windy conditions. A temperature change reduces the chances of evidence accuracy while the wind scatters the evidence. Another possible source of evidence contamination was the presence of many police officers during the arrest of Mr. Domaszewicz’. Since he was the prime suspect in the murder of Jaidyn Leskie, his house was the crime scene. Only few police officers are allowed in the crime scene because the presence of many officers increases chances of evidence contamination. It is regrettable that the evidence that could have led to the persecution of the murderer was contaminated, and a case could not be established in the court of law. The investigative officers did not scan the prime suspect’s house for DNA evidence. Because of environmental changes, the evidence from corpse could not be established. The police officers did not conduct a thorough search for the victim’s body. The victim’s body could have revealed evidence through DNA analysis.During the investigations, witnesses came forward on behalf of the suspect. The inquest revealed the boy sustained some minor injuries while still alive. This happened in the care of the suspect Mr. Domaszewicz and the boy’s mother. The mother admitted to have kicked Jaidyn slightly due to anger. He did not sustain any major injuries prior to the incident. Mr. Domaszewicz on the other hand caused serious injuries to the victim. This according to him occurred because he got angry and smacked him. Another incident happened during a fishing trip where the victim allegedly fell over a fence. Had this incident been reported earlier to social services by the parents, early investigations might have saved the victim’s life. Some witnesses confessed to unruly behavior by the suspect towards the victim. The suspect would leave the victim outside with the dog or increase the stereo’s volume to ignore his cries. The mother should not have left the victim with Mr. Domaszewicz after receiving this information. For a murder case to go before the court, investigation is required as well as evidence leading to the case (Gleeson, 2007). Quality and Ethical Issues in Forensics A sufficient way in collecting and reviewing evidence is crucial in a murder investigation. Forensic evidence can determine a number of things about a suspect. For instance, it can determine the age, sex and ethnicity of an individual. This evidence needs proper preparation for analysis. DNA evidence after analyzing it undergoes profiling and matching. Matching is either from stored data in the government’s database or directly from an identified suspect. Forensic scientists need to have an open mind while examining evidence. They need to maintain biasness in approaching the evidence. A suspect should only get conviction if the evidence points to them fully. While investigating the case the police need also maintain open mindedness. They should not jump to any conclusion concerning an individual from circumstantial evidence. All forensic scientist need to stay abreast of new technology. All suspects of murder or any other crimes, have a right to defend themselves. They have a right to deny the allegations made against them. Conviction cannot happen without proper evidence and investigations. Investigations help determine the whereabouts of the suspect. It also provides evidence from witnesses and alibis. All these evidence needs gathering and review in preparation of a free and fair trial. Witnesses affect cases either positively or negatively. They act as the eyes of the investigations. It is unethical to bring a false witness into the courtroom that has a hidden agenda on how the case turns out. In any murder investigation, the body of the deceased should be evident. A trial without evidence of the body is not a fair trial. No forensic is possible on the body if it is unavailable. A lot of evidence is obtained from the body of a victim. This includes such things as the estimated time of death. Time of death helps in investigating the whereabouts of the suspect. The coroner obtains evidence on the type of weapon, if there is any, and the way the murder happened. This information helps determine if the suspect was in a position to carry out the murder. The type of evidence collected in an investigation is important. These evidences include DNA, the body, and witnesses in the case. DNA evidence DNA collection and packaging from any crime-scene is crucial. It needs careful transportation to a forensic lab to avoid any contamination. Contaminated DNA can lead to wrong profiling and matching. This is against guiding principles of a forensic technician as wrong profiling can cause a wrong conviction. A case of contaminated DNA should immediately lead to its dismissal as evidence. DNA evidence is reliable when it comes to identifying suspects. This is mainly due to the fact that DNA is unique to every individual. A sample collected from a crime scene can match a person. The only setback with using DNA evidence to solve a case is when this DNA is not available in the database, or there is no sample to match it. In most cases, the government stores DNA samples and fingerprints from individuals with prior offences, evidence from other cases or from volunteers. (Starrs, 1971). Coronation A coroner identifies the cause and time of death from a corpse. He does this by carrying out experiments and autopsy on the body. The coroner can tell the nature of an injury on a body. He/she can also determine how an injury occurred and when it occurred. This is possible due to the scientific advancement over the years. New technological equipment can now help to solve different cases. According to the coroner in the case of Jaidyn Leskie, the victim died due to head injuries. He sustained shoulder fractures days prior to his death but this did not cause his death. This information is useful in determining the nature of a suspect. Without the cause of death, it is impossible for investigations to determine the culprit (Starrs, 1971). Witnesses The confession of a witness is another important fact. Witnesses reveal evidence that is not visible in the crime scene. They may automatically save or injure a suspect’s case. The investigator collects their information and uses it as evidence to use in the case. They play a very important role when determining a suspect’s innocence or guilt. Some witnesses may need police protection to prevent them from harm. There are cases where witnesses receive threats about testifying. It is important that these witnesses get maximum protection. In the case of Jaidyn’s death, the witnesses revealed to the investigators and the court the relationship between the victim and the suspect. Some testified to the fact that their relationship was warm and that the suspect loved the victim while others contradicted to this information by revealing how the victim stayed outside with the dogs when in the suspect’s house. The whereabouts of the suspects is also information we get from witnesses. Witnesses cannot communicate information to anyone outside the case prior to hearings. All witnesses should undergo thorough vetting before they appear in court to avoid wrongful information. This information will lead to a wrongful conviction and that is not ethically right. The Case In the case of Jaidyn Leskie, DNA evidence collected from the body was contaminated and this damaged chances of its collection as evidence. This evidence would have helped in the identification of a suspect for further investigation. Whenever DNA sample does not match samples in the database, the scientist should look for partial matches. This emerges from close relatives. Contamination was inevitable after his body’s discovery in water after a couple of months. According to the coroner in the case, substances from the dam caused contamination of evidence. This is seen in the case when the coroner discovered DNA sample that matched another victim. A victim from a previous rape case. There was confusion about injuries to jaydin’s body that he sustained while he was still alive. It was not easy to determination whether some of the injuries lead to his death. Conclusion We need all these processes to take place upon a murder charge. No suspect should get conviction without proper evidence. The police must carry out thorough investigation before charging any individual as a suspect.The death of Jaidyn Leskie was preventable if the parents were a little more kin. After the incident of the victim’s fall in the care of the suspect the mother should have taken precaution. Another incident is when the suspect claims jaidyn disappeared; he did not report it to the authorities. Instead, he openly lied to the mother about his whereabouts. References Gleeson, Michael (2007). The Jaidyn Leskie Murder. Australia: HarperCollins Publishers. Moe, Victoria. (1997). Jaidyn Leskie was murdered and found dumped in a dam: coroner. Australia: The Sydney Morning Herald. Starrs, J.E. (1971). The Ethical Obligations of the Forensic Scientist in the Criminal Justice System. Journal of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists. Read More