Every Contact Leaves a Trace
Enter the fascinating world of crime scene investigation.
As seen on BBC 2's Forensics: the Real CSI.
I WORK WITH THE MURDERED DEAD.
My job isn’t like other people’s.
I make my way to the scene of a crime, usually an ordinary home or an unexceptional street. I pull on my protective gloves, mask and gather everything I need.
I meet the corpse. Maybe she’s on the living room floor, a knife-slash to her neck. Or he might be face down in the gutter, bullet holes piercing the back of his jacket. Perhaps the body is so small, tucked into the corner of a blood-stained crib that I don’t see it at first.
However they died, my first encounter with the dead is always the same. As I snap on my latex gloves, I look at their face. ‘I’m going to gather evidence from you,’ I tell them. ‘I’m sorry, I’ll be as gentle as I can.’ And then? Well, then I get to work.
Every contact with crime leaves a trace.
Every crime has an impact on me, too.
This is my life in crime scene investigation.
Jo Ward is a senior forensics specialist in the West Midlands. She investigates high-profile crimes, including murder, domestic killings, attempted murder, infanticide and rape. Jo has been working in crime scene investigation for nearly twenty-six years. Her life and work have been the topic of a BBC Two television documentary, Forensics – the Real CSI.