Recapturing a five-month-old bite mark by means of reflective ultraviolet photography.
After a brutal rape, which the victim survived, a bite mark was photographed and other evidence was collected. It was not until several months later when the bite mark became a critical piece of evidence, that the problem with its collection became apparent to the prosecutor. The photograph of the bite mark taken by law-enforcement officials at the time of the crime did not include a reference scale. Therefore the bite mark was of little evidentiary value. The authors subsequently examined the victim (five months later) and "recaptured" the bite mark pattern with a proper reference scale by means of reflective ultraviolet photography.
David
T J
TJ
Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Division of Forensic Sciences, Marietta.
Sobel
M N
MN
D001734:Bites, Human / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004245:DMF Index; D005260:Female; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010781:Photography / Q000379:methods*; D011902:Rape; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays