A blood-stain database for forensic aims: a validation study
D.Carbonaroᴬ, G.Pezzellaᴬ, C.Lucantoᴬ, E.D’Orioᴬ
ᴬBio Forensics Research Center, Italy

Forensic investigators are experienced in dealing with crime scenes collecting and preserving the evidences. Blood samples allow them to reconstruct exactly and in detail what happened at crime scene. Through examination of the characteristics of the size, shape, and distribution of the blood spatter and DNA extraction carried out from blood droplets, they have able to reconstruct accurately the crime and to identify the perpetrator responsible of a criminal offence. Blood samples analysis at crime scene is a specialised area in the forensic field.

Blood is made from plasma and blood cells. The main plasma blood protein groups are albumins, globulins, and fibrinogens. Blood appears to be a bright red colour due to heamoglobin protein, which is bright red. Heamoglobin belongs to globulins. It is known that highly oxygenated blood makes the haemoglobin bright red and deoxygenated blood causes the haemoglobin to turn much darker in colour. That is why blood is called “pigmented stain”. However, the perpretrator often can manipulate the evidence by cleaning up a crime scene or attempting to destroy the evidence itself. It is vital for the investigators to learn how to recognize a latent blood stain prior to use test to confirm or not that is actually blood.

Due to this, Forensic databases have been developing, in particular the DNA and the fingerprint database. They are a very useful tool in criminal investigation to link suspected individuals to unsolved offence through a generation of a “match”. The forensic database are continuously enriched in new informations that would improve the efficiency in the individual identification.

This research project aims to create a database for “blood stains” based on a “photo archive” of “blood stain reference samples” that could be as useful as DNA database for the investigator.