OK, I was watching some forensic show, where a woman was murdered and they arrested her girlfriend/lover/roommate on the basis of blood in the shower stall.
Um, HELLO? Menstrual blood will pop a luminol positive, and test positive for DNA. How the FUCK can a woman take a shower when on the rag and NOT bleed into the drain? Ever cut a leg or armpit while shaving? Looks like someone bled out any time I nick myself … something about that warm water dilating all the cute little blood vessels in the skin :dubious:
I am sure if you luminoled my bathroom it would look like Lizzie Bordon had a few whacks at someone with her little ax … not to mention that line of cleaned up blood drops running from the kitchen to the bathroom when mrAru cut his hand and went rummaging for bandaging, or the spray on the wall from an incident where mrAru hit his knee with the hatchet he was splitting a recalcitrant bit of kindling with one christmas morning [that got giggles at the ER…]
Was the blood just a few drops as might happen with menstruation or a small cut as you suggest, or was is found to have a splatter typical of violent assault? I think it makes a difference.
I never thought about that menstrual stuff in terms of a shower but it makes sense. I have been getting nose bleeds a lot due to a deviated septum correction. I suspect that my bathroom would light up like a supernova if the police shined a light on it but I didn’t assault or kill anyone either (I promise). That seems like piss poor testing to me but I suppose they might be able to find a DNA sample somewhere to prove it wasn’t you.
it was dregs as if blood had been washed down a drain … you know … having to swab the rim with a qtip to get a swipe to test … :rolleyes:
Like I said, I know that my bathroom would look like an abbatoire, 17 years and 4 different women have lived here, all of bleeding age. There is blood spatter everywhere [sometimes that tampon will just misbehave or you won’t quite make it to the bathroom before the Hoover Dam opens the floodgates :mad:
They can tell the difference between menstrual blood and regular blood. There was a murder case here in Baltimore a good number of years ago that involved blood evidence in the suspect’s car. He tried to claim his girlfriend (the murder victim) had gotten her period in the car, but they were able to prove it wasn’t menstrual blood.
I’ll look for a cite, but I can’t remember the names of those involved.
I don’t know if that’s being overly technical or what, but irrespective of the contents of menstrual fluid which I don’t presume to know there is definitely blood present in the menstrual flow. IANAW but I did get one pregnant
Menstrual blood has shed cells in it, since the main purpose is to dispose of the thickened lining of the uterus. If you have a proper sample of blood, the cells are supposed to be quite easy to spot. If you’re only using UV light, I’m not sure you could tell the difference.
I suspect it had to do with quantity. With a period, we’re talking tablespoons at most. With a murder, it’s pints or gallons.
In addition, you might justify an arrest based on detecting blood, but you’d never get a conviction unless you had something more solid. The police had to have other leads, motives, etc. or at least a belief that they could find them.
I know what you’re getting at with the CSI and all, but it’s worth noting that there are several nonfiction forensics shows on the air, too. HBO has a long-running series called Autopsy, and [del]CourtTV[/del] truTV has Forensic Files.
Look, if it was OJ’s blood, it was planted. What’s that? You DNA tested it and it is his? Okay, now I will prove your DNA testing is wrong. Wait a minute… wasn’t I just trying to prove they planted the blood? Then what the hell am I doing telling them the blood was planted but then arguing the DNA testing is wrong? Aw hell, no one will notice!
Where am I going with this? Oh yeah: There be some real dumb people at times on both sides of the case, and on all sides of the case from time to time for that matter: cops, DA, defense attorney, the judge… ‘expert’ witness… even – gulp – the media covering it!
Ain’t only the coppers who have some in the legions who are a few peanuts short of a carnival.
In a court case I was involved in,I explained that the blood all over the walls and the furniture was actually mensterual and that in fact my ex wife who was going to take every penny that I’d earned over twenty,fucking ,long ,hard years was a recreational acrobat.
But hey !try telling the jury that and they loook at you like you’re mad !
