Sepherchorde's messages

Outlining the body was done once in a while, but generally only in exceptional circumstances—for example, if the victim was still alive and had to be taken to the hospital before examination of the crime scene could be completed. Not if they are dead. Like I said it contaminates the scene. Also why they stopped using numbered plastic triangles when they found some detectives were re-using the triangles, taking one that had been dropped in a pool of blood at one scene, say, and using it to mark another puddle at the next, ruining the evidence. Now index cards are used and thrown away afterward. However some people may do it but if they do the case may be thrown out in court do to contamination of the crime scene. However in the case of a traffic fatality an outline may be used but the medium preferred is not chalk but fluorescent paint. Police officers will sometimes mark evidence and outline parts of the body to make them more visible in photographs and aid the officers in the scene sketch, especially at night. Usually this is not a problem in terms of evidence, unless the paint gets on the body, the clothing, or the evidence being marked. The paint could compromise any trace evidence that might be present (paint, fibers, and accelerants). While I doubt you know who Vernon Geberth is I will tell you and give you a reference to his book.

Vernon Geberth is a retired Lieutenant-Commander of the New York City Police Department with over 40 years of law enforcement experience. He retired as the Commanding Officer of the Bronx Homicide Task Force, which handled over 400 murder investigations a year.

Vernon J. Geberth, in his book Practical Homicide Investigation ¹⁹⁹⁶ makes reference to the “chalk fairy” in two photo captions: “You are not to draw lines around the body at a crime scene unless the body is to be removed. This photo shows evidence that the crime scene had been visited by a ‘chalk fairy.’ ‘Chalk fairy’ is a term used to describe mysterious police officers who feel the need to draw lines around the body and then disappear when investigators attempt to find out who contaminated the scene.” “Here you see the deceased lying in the position in which he was found. This crime scene photo may possibly be ‘inadmissible.’ While the first officers were securing the scene, a ‘chalk fairy’ suddenly had the irresistible impulse to draw chalk lines around the body.”