Jennifer Chase's Blog, page 99

Flesh & Bone - Back to Forensic Basics with the Body Farm

The "body farm" refers to a research facility where human decomposition is studied in different settings, conditions, and environments. The invaluable research gains a more accurate understanding of the human decomposition process.

As ghoulish as it sounds, learning to properly develop techniques to extract information from decomposition remains, such as the time and circumstances of death, prepares investigators, law enforcement and forensic anthropologists to pinpoint and reconstruct the chain of events of a crime.

It's a fascinating scientific process. Bodies are studied out in the open, buried in debris and brush, inside small structures, inside cars, and various other conditions. This can help to facilitate investigations in order to locate and capture the perpetrator. The more forensic professionals know about human decomposition, the more cases that can be solved in the process.

There are five basic decomposition stages; all depend upon the environmental conditions and temperatures:
FreshPutrefaction3. Black putrefaction Butyric fermentation5. Dry decay

For example, the body begins to lose heat from the average core temperature of 98.6 degrees F. It falls to the surrounding environment, indoors or outdoors. As a general rule under normal conditions, the body will lose approximately 1.5 degrees every hour after death.

There are five known body farm facilities in the Unites States:

University of Tennessee at Knoxville

The original "body farm" is the University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility. In 1971, Anthropologist Dr. William M. Bass was the official state anthropologist for Tennessee and consulted on many cases involving human remains. It consists of a 2 ½ acre wooded plot surrounded by razor wire fences.

At any time, there are number of bodies paced in different settings left to decompose, varying conditions and environments. Bodies are obtained from various sources from unclaimed bodies from the morgue to individuals who have voluntarily donated their bodies for research. Approximately, 120 bodies are donated to the facility every year.

Western Carolina University

This facility is part of the Western Carolina Human Identification Laboratory. The research "body farm" area is the size of a garage and can accommodate approximately six bodies at a time. In addition, they also train cadaver dogs at this facility.

California University of Pennsylvania

This is a remote facility located 45 miles southeast of the city of Pittsburgh. It has access to over 200 acres generously donated. This facility also conducts crime scene investigation training and other related activities.

Sam Houston State University

This is a state-of-the-art research and training facility designed to advance academic and technical knowledge in the application of forensic science disciplines to crime scenes. Bodies are willed and donated. This facility is a 247 acre that is adjacent to the Sam Houston National Forest. It is a contained outdoor facility with a variety of environmental conditions, including fluvial environment. Webcams are located at various locations of the outdoor facility to monitor timing of post-mortem activities on and off campus.

Texas State University

The Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State is a human decomposition research laboratory where questions related to outdoor crime scenes and decomposition rates are investigated. Most of the facility is around 7 acres, but the Freeman working ranch as approximately 4,200 acres available for research practices. They accept body donations. The overall research is to assist law enforcement and the medico-legal community in their investigations.

Jennifer Chase
Award Winning Author & Criminologist
Author Blog: http://www.authorjenniferchase.blogspot.com/

Website: http://www.jenniferchase.vpweb.com/

Emily Crime Watch: http://emilystonecrimewatch.blogspot.com/

Do We Look at Capital Punishment Differently for Female Criminals?

Last week, the state of Virginia (which stands just behind Texas in the number of executions it conducts every year) put a woman to death for her participation in the murder of her husband and her stepson. While she did not actually pull the trigger, her acts were considered heinous enough for the state to end her life.
In 2002, Teresa Lewis plotted with her much younger boyfriend to kill her husband and his son in order to get some insurance money. While Lewis slept next to her husband in their trailer, two men entered the home and fired the fatal shots. The stepson, Charles Lewis, died immediately, but Teresa's was still clinging to life when she finally decided to call 9-1-1 a half-hour later.
Despite pleas from religious organizations, groups that advocate for people with mental disabilities, and even the European Union for Lewis' sentence to be commuted to life in prison, she was pronounced dead on September 24 at 9:13pm. Meanwhile, the men who actually committed the murders were given life sentences.
When any person makes the decision to engage in horrific acts of violence, the questions are raised concerning the criminal's mindset and life circumstances that created such bad choices. And, the desire for answers seems to be amplified when the person guilty of the crime is a woman. We are more shocked when a woman thinks to harm another person because we, unfairly or not, usually think of men as the ones who are aggressive and violent.
We are just as captivated when a woman is sentenced to death for her crimes. There is no doubt that the coverage given to Teresa Lewis was heightened because she was a female.

What do you think is the basis for the difference in the way we view male and female killers? Do you find yourself reacting differently when you learn it is a woman facing execution?

Celebrate the Scariest Month of the Year with both Emily Stone ebooks for the Price of One!

That's right! Are you up for the challenge? Celebrate 31 days of spooky, scary, and terrifying with both Emily Stone ebooks. Just order the Award Winning Dead Game ebook for $4.95 during the month of October and you'll automatically receive Compulsion absolutely free! Click on the right side of my blog to order both copies of your ebooks today. Enjoy!

New Thriller Release "Silent Partner" will be out Before the Holidays

Crazy schedule, crazy weather, and editing like crazy has monopolized my life for the past two months. I've been editing and tweaking my newest novel. For those of you fellow writers out there, you know this grueling process all too well. But I will live to write another novel.

I will keep you posted to the actual release date of Silent Partner. For now, here's a sneak peek at the back book blurb. This isn't an Emily Stone Novel, but before you send me hate emails, there are some surprise characters in this story that I think you'll enjoy.

One Cop, One Serial Killer, One witnessWho will survive?

Northern California's elite police K9 units arrive at an abandoned warehouse after a high-speed chase and apprehend two killers after they have fled a grisly murder scene. This barely scratches the surface of a bloody trail from a prolific serial killer that leads to unlocking the insidious secrets of one family's history, while tearing a police department apart.

Jack Davis, a top K9 cop with an unprecedented integrity, falls for a beautiful murder suspect and struggles with departmental codes.

Megan O'Connell, suffering from agoraphobia, finds herself the prime suspect in her sister's murder.

Darrell Brooks, a psychopath who loves to kill, is on a quest to drive Megan insane for profit. Everyone is a suspect. Everyone has a secret.

Someone else must die to keep the truth buried forever. Silent Partner is a suspense ride along that will keep you guessing until the bitter end.

Jennifer Chase

Award Winning Author & Criminologist
Author Blog: http://www.authorjenniferchase.blogspot.com/

Website: http://www.jenniferchase.vpweb.com/

Emily Crime Watch: http://emilystonecrimewatch.blogspot.com/

Published Novels:

"Compulsion" and Award Winning "Dead Game"

Evidence of a New Season

We are now into our first full week of autumn and I love observing all of the changes that a new season brings. Of course, these physical signs of the entrance into a new part of the calendar are different depending on where you live. I don't really get to enjoy the breathtaking colors of fall foliage that residents of New England see when they step outside during this time of year. But, for all of us, there are some signs that summer has left us, at least until next June!

What offers evidence of autumn for you? There are plenty of things you can physically see that indicate fall is here. There may be pumpkins and mums in stacks along the road side, for sale by a local vendor. Maybe football dominates your television screen during the weekends. Or, you walk by the aisle at your grocery store that has temporarily become dedicated to bite-size pieces of candy and monster masks.

There also is more subtle proof that a new season has arrived. Do you feel or even smell crispness in the air that wasn't there a few weeks ago? Do you notice birds and squirrels beginning their preparations for the colder weather ahead? Maybe you just drove by the neighborhood pool and realized that its contents have been drained until next year.

Like the evidence we can gather concerning the changing of the seasons, the details that are available at a crime scene fall into the obvious and the more hidden categories. A mangled body, a trail of blood, broken windows, or a discarded weapon are all clues that most people would see and realize they have some value to an investigation. But, a trained eye also will study the depth of a footprint, a single snapped twig, and the dried fluid that may have been present for years, or maybe only hours.

What are some of the obvious signs for you that autumn is here? What is something that you notice about the start of this season that may go undetected by everyone around you?

California Highway Patrol – Ever Wonder if Your 911 Call Reporting Drunk Drivers Ever Gets Answered?

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is an agency of the U.S. State of California with patrol jurisdiction over all California highways. The CHP also acts as the state police.

It's a dangerous law enforcement job due to the various road conditions. They patrol all California roadways and freeways. They handle all types of traffic stops, road hazards, fires, truck weigh ins, and are generally the first to arrive on a traffic accident scene.

If you live in California, you might have noticed signs ...

Still A Few Surprises During the First Days of Autumn

As we head into autumn and then ultimately winter, I find myself thinking back to all the great hikes I've been on this year. I've had the opportunity to see so many wildflowers, along with an abundance of native wildlife, such as wild turkeys, deer, rabbits, hawks, bobcats, tons of birds, snakes, and lizards.

California doesn't have the dramatic season change as the east coast, but if you pay close attention you'll see that everything changes. I love to capture these subtle changes with my ca...

Students Can Send Text Messages to Keep School Safer

While most of us probably want to step in and get involved when we witness a crime or know that one is about to unfold, we often are understandably concerned about the consequences. What if we become a victim as well? What if we are ostracized or face retaliation for our decision to try and help someone in need? These questions and fears are magnified for teenagers in a school setting. How many violent incidents could have been stopped or prevented altogether if there wasn't fear of being...

Vigilante Justice at its Best!

***** (5 Star) Book Review of Award Wining "Dead Game"

By ss" As a serial killer stalks his gamer victims via an online video game, he fails to realize that he is being stalked by Emily Stone , the ultimate, behind the scenes, savvy detective. Compelled to find the killer, she and her partner, Rick Lopez , piece the clues together and find all the victims are players of the video game, EagleEye. The facts reveal that the killer also wants them for...

Chelsea's Law takes Action in California Courtroom

Earlier this year, I reported on this blog about the horrible rape and murder of seventeen-year-old Chelsea King in the San Diego area. She decided to go for a run in a popular neighborhood park and was never seen alive again. It was soon discovered that her killer was a convicted sex offender by the name of John Albert Gardner III. Outrage followed over the thought that a man who had violated young women before was allowed to be in a position ever to harm another person.
Out of that anger...