Criminalist Jared Heath responds to the scene of an assault,…
Criminalist Jared Heath responds to the scene of an assault, on an unpaved lane in a rural neighborhood. Rain had fallen steadily the night before, making the area quite muddy. A suspect with very muddy shoes was apprehended nearby but claims to have picked up the mud either from his garden or from the unpaved parking lot of a local restaurant. Jared uses a spade to remove several samples of soil, each about 2 inches deep, from the immediate crime scene and places each in a separate plastic vial. He collects the muddy shoes and wraps them in plastic as well. At the laboratory, he unpackaged the soil samples and examines them carefully, one at a time. He then analyzes the soil on the shoes to see whether it matches the soil from the crime scene. What mistakes, if any, did Jared make in his investigation?
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