Chapter 2 Key Terms (Vocabulary)

-Any object that can establish that a crime has been committed or can link a crime and a victim or its perpetrator.

-A sketch, drawn at the crime scene, that contains an accurate depiction of the dimensions of the scene and shows the location of all objects having a bearing on the case.

-A precise rendering of the crime scene, usually drawn to scale.

-A list of all people who came into possession of an item of evidence.

-Physical evidence whose origin is known, such as blood or hair from a suspect, that can be compared to crime-scene evidence.

-A swab of the inner portion of the cheek, performed to collect cells for use in determining the DNA profile of an individual.

-Uncontaminated surface material close to an area where physical evidence has been deposited; used to ensure that the surface on which a sample has been deposited does not interfere with laboratory tests.

-The medical dissection and examination of a body in order to determine the cause of death.

-A medical condition that occurs after death and results in the stiffening of muscle mass; the rigidity of the body begins within 24 hours of death and disappears within 36 hours of death.

-A medical condition that occurs after death and results in the settling of blood in areas of the body closest to the ground.

-A process that occurs after death in which the body temperature continually cools until it reaches the ambient or room temperature.