The job of the forensic investigator is to explain what happened, not to investigate or arrest suspects. Forensic examiners are responsible for identifying what comprises evidence, collecting it, analyzing it, preserving it, and properly maintaining it until it is needed by law enforcement officers or the judicial system. Chapter 1 describes the history and scope of forensic science while chapter 2 discusses the American judicial system, with a focus on the Constitutional issues facing forensic investigators. Chapter 3 describes crimes and criminal offenses, such as homicide and domestic violence, while chapter 4 turns to a discussion of the forensic expert, including their duties, ethical considerations, and the Federal Rules of Evidence. Chapter 5 discusses evidence gathering techniques for different types of evidence while chapter 6 turns to a discussion specifically of biological evidence, detailing bloodstain analysis and DNA technologies used in forensic investigations. Chapter 7 presents the steps involved in a forensic investigation, taking the reader through the initial response to the creation of the case file. Chapter 8 introduces forensic photography and the importance of relevance and authenticity when offering photographs as evidence in a court of law, while chapter 9 focuses on causes of death in humans, including the leading natural cause of death in the United States. Chapter 10 focuses on criminal profiling, which includes aspects of forensic science, and describes different types of criminal profiling methodology, such as Behavioral Evidence Analysis. Chapter 11 introduces the death scene investigation, focusing primarily on the autopsy, while chapters 12 and 13 examine substances of abuse, nuclear, and biohazardous agents frequently encountered by forensic scientists. Appendixes contain relevant U.S. Supreme Court rulings and death penalty statutes. Images, bibliography, glossary, index