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# Blood And How It Dries: An Analysis
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*The forensic analysis of blood drying patterns can provide critical insights into the timeline and circumstances surrounding a crime scene. In a homicide investigation, the examination of blood drying patterns plays a crucial role in reconstructing the sequence of events in such a manner that has not before been utilised in criminal investigations.*

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To explore this, the following study was conducted by Detective Modesta under the supervision of the NTSD in order to assess the viablity of involving blood drying in CSI.

The study involved assessing the injuries of a cadaver struck with a bladed object, whilst simultaniously examining the blood left by the strikes to understand the drying process and if it would impede DNA gathering.

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## Initial Assessment:

A small incision was produced with a standard issue kitchen knife, resulting in 10 blunt trauma to the chest of the cadaver and a bleeding wound.

At the **2-minute** interval analysis, no signs of blood drying were observed. This is consistent with the immediate aftermath of a traumatic incident.

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## Transition Phase:

Between **5:50** and **6:10** minute intervals, significant changes in blood drying patterns were noted. Blood pools, splatters and footprints began to exhibit signs of drying. Notably, blood stains 1 and 2 dried suddenly at **5:54** and **6:04**, respectively, suggesting a maturation of the drying stage at this time.

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## Observations and Interpretations:

- **Differential Drying Rates:** Blood drops dried faster compared to larger blood stains.


- **Footprints and Blood Pools:** Footprints and blood pools exhibited similar drying patterns, both drying at roughly the **6:00** minute mark after spilling.


- **DNA Preservation:** The analysis confirmed that dry blood retains the same DNA as fresh blood, meaning that suspects or victims on scene may be identified through DNA even if discovered late.


- **Timing:** With the understanding that fresh blood will dry approximately **6:00** minutes after spilling, it is possible to accurately obtain the exact time of a wound if arriving on scene in time.
	- This method of timing blood drying could enable Detectives to accurately understand the **direction** a scene is moving in and the **time** it happened, both of which can be used to assist in dismantling alibis or discerning the intent of a suspect.

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### Example:

*To explain the use case of this study in standard CSI work, consider the following example crime:*

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A blood trail has been found that stretches from dorm cabin 4 to engineering maintenance. Assuming arrival to scene on time, the Detective begins a stopwatch and stops it when the blood present on scene dries.

By examining which side of the blood trail dries first (in this scenario, the dorms side or engineering side), it is possible to discern which direction the scene went. For this example, the blood closer to dorms dried first, meaning the attack started in dorms before leading to engineering maintenance.

Once the direction of travel is understood, it can be assumed that the victim was fleeing towards engineering, and furthermore it is possible to pinpoint each attack by examining where heavy blood has pooled along the route.

This extra context, while not crucial, is helpful in providing supporting evidence for a crime and as such I believe that NTSD Detectives should utilise blood dry timing to their advantage in CSI work.

- NTSD Forensic Detective Modesta