I shined a uv light on my jacket and it revealed a big round stain, which was invisible under normal light. What could this be? My gut reaction is bodily fluids but can semen be a perfectly round stain and invisible under normal light? Thanks.

Hi, I was wondering what it is like to work as a forensic scientist chemistry/crime scene response for the OSP. Is it a good career, and is the work life balance good? Also, how does it compare working in the different lab locations?

Can anyone help me figure out how to keep my print more prominent. I taped immediately after using the iodine treatment and it still faded very rapidly. Any tips on how to get it to stay longer?

Also what is the best way to go about labeling the ridge characteristics? I couldn’t clearly label after taping.

I am currently in a Forensics class for my major. I am needing to find more information on the actual investigation and evidence that the forensics teams used to convict Aileen Wournos, and find that she was truly the woman behind the crimes. All I can really find linked to her case is the psychological perspective rather than physical evidence side of things. Would anyone be able to point me in a direction of credible sources that serve as factual points for the evidence side of the investigation?

Thank you in advance for anyone willing to help. It is greatly appreciated!

Hello! I’m a high school senior with plans to attend university for a major in CJ, with a minor in forensics.

My career goals include working as a police officer on patrol for a few years, then transferring into the CSI unit to ultimately work my dream job doing field work as a crime scene investigator.

The university I have been accepted into has advised those looking to do more field based work to major in CJ, and if you prefer the lab/science side, then major in forensic chemistry. I chose CJ hence my career goals mentioned.

For anyone who might have already taken this path, or is currently on it, what are some crucial pieces of advice to keep in mind for my future? Some extra info regarding my goals is that I would like to specialize in crime photography, as well as bloodstain pattern analysis. I really like how BPA gets me to think and look into the closer details.

Thanks :)

Hello,

I wanted to learn more about the lab procedures for how forensic analysis would anaylze samples gathered from a crime scene (e.g. serology or fingerprints). I wanted to get some recommendations of shows that explains every step of the process of what they're doing and the equipment or methods they're using to test substances or identifications. Thanks so much for your help!

So in season one of Games of Thrones, there is a scene where liquid gold is poured over a man’s head. In 10 seconds he is dead.
Aside from the extreme heat of Liquid Metal applied to his skull, what actually would be the cause of death especially so rapidly?

I'm looking at transitioning into forensic science/law enforcement and going back to school for a second bachelor's (first degree not in STEM). I'm currently taking a basic chemistry class and working on my algebra skills. I have my eyes set on WVU's forensic examination program and would go for a minor in chemistry. My career goal is to do crime scene/medicolegal death investigation and later transition into toxicology work. I have strong technical and photography skills so I'd like to utilize it for criminal justice. I believe I have a matching skill set and personality for the work and I wanted to know what the job prospects and market are like at this time and a realistic timeline. While I'm near the starting stages of this change, I wanted to know what I can do to prepare for this. I've been doing independent forensic studying in some of my spare time. While I would prefer non sworn work I'm keeping myself flexible and working on my fitness so I can be a sworn officer as well at a later time if I have a hard time with the STEM work.

Welcome to our weekly discussion thread about forensic science!

Forensic Scientists and Professionals! What's going on this week?

Use any of the following as a prompt if you need to

• What do you do?
• What kind of work are you doing?
• Are you doing any new kinds of analyses?
• What is your work week like?
• Do you have crazy stories from the field/lab? Tell us!

Remember! Don't reveal identifying info on decedents or victims. Change names or use nicknames if you must.

Students! How's school?

Use any one of the following as a prompt if you need to

• What degree are you pursuing?
• What are you learning about?
• Have you learned something new and/or exciting?
• Are you involved in research?
• Is there anything about the field you'd like to know?

Remember! Don't ask us to do your homework or assignments for you. We did the work and you have to do it too.

If you are asking for education or employment advice, please read our subreddit guide first and then look at our resources in the sidebar. If what we have doesn't address your needs, you can ask us a question here! Let us know where you are and which country or countries you're considering for school.

Don't know where to start when it comes to schools, programs, or degrees? Take a look at our subreddit wiki for a good rundown of what you should look out for.

Confused by all the job titles, requirements, and worried about things like starting salary? Please take a look at this collection of posts from /u/Cdub919, one of our verified forensics members.

Have questions for someone working in the field? Take a look at our list of verified forensics professionals. They are frequently tagged in comments and posts when mods or other community members see that their expertise is needed. You might reach out to them in a private message or chat if you need their help. Please be respectful of their time and advice and don't harass anybody for a response.

​

Not necessarily the flashiest demo - I'm more interested in something that could make a real difference in investigations. Has anything you've seen at a conference, in a demo, or in practice genuinely impressed you?

News reports indicate more than 2,600 firearm comparison cases from the Virginia Department of Forensic Science are under review due to examiner “bias” and “drift”. Possible issues identified starting with a failed 2024 proficiency test. Two examiners taken off of casework. A former supervisor retired before completing remediation. And the department has recently been sued by a former employee in federal court for being retaliated against as a whistle blower. https://www.vpm.org/news/2026-10-21/virginia-dfs-lohmann-western-laboratory-firearms-crime/

I am just graduating my undergraduate with a double BA in Chemistry and Biochemistry/Molecular Biology. I want to pursue a career in Forensic science and know I will have to do graduate education to get a good position, but I’m not sure what to pursue.

My main question is should I go for PhD or Master’s?

And should I get a specific Forensics degree or go more broad (like chemistry with an analytical focus) just so I have more job opportunities outside forensics in the future?

Please give me the benefits and consequences when you reply please! Personal stories welcome!

So, there’s a show I love called Dead Boy Detectives on Netflix, and in episode five, The Case of the Two Dead Dragons, two boys called Brad and Hunter were killed via poisoning. I was wondering exactly what kind of drug could have possibly been used since the results were very strange and maybe not correspond to any real life drug at all? From what I’ve gathered, it causes asphyxiation, paralysis, bleeding from the eyes, and eventually death. We can presume that it was an over the counter drug or prescribed by a doctor based on the bottle it was in and the labeling, and it looked like drops—like eye or ear drops. In small doses it can cause temporary loss of consciousness since that’s what Maren was trying to do to them, but if you overshoot the dose ever so slightly, it causes death. And it can be easily accessed by the public. What fucking drug does that??? You can reference the episode yourself, but I just wanna know if this is possible or not.

I recently finished my PhD in biology and I currently work as a postdoc at the university I did my PhD at in Canada. I have an interview in a few weeks with our provincial forensics lab for a (permanent) court-going scientist position. I passed a (virtual) screening interview a few weeks ago for this role and interviewed with this lab a few years ago for a more technical position when I was trying to decide whether to continue with my PhD (unfortunately didn't get that job). I'm super excited about the role, but am equally nervous for the interview.

Any suggestions on how to prepare? In addition to the interview, I'm going to have to deliver a presentation (topic TBC) and complete a 1-hour test afterwards. I had done a test for the last position I had interviewed for, which didn't go super well (can't recall what exactly was on it, but was forensic biology related). My undergrad degree was in forensics, but I have since move away from forensics for my master's and PhD.

I am a nonprofessional seeking information about the practical process of having a body exhumed for DNA testing.

CONTEXT: I have a family member who went missing 100 years ago in Indiana. Circumstantial evidence suggests that he might have been murdered. An unidentified corpse matching his rough description, including evidence of assault, was discovered in the city at the time he went missing. If a coroner's inquest was performed on this corpse, the report did not survive, so there's no hard evidence linking the body to my family member. Because of this and the age of the case, police have no interest in committing resources (which I understand). So it's up to family.

QUESTION: I'd like to exhume this body to have it's DNA tested, but family will likely have to pay out of pocket for this expense. My question is, what are the practical realities of that process? Indiana statue requires permission from the Health Department and that a licensed mortician oversee it. Since the body is unidentified, getting family permission is not an issue. Otherwise, I don't believe a court order is required.

Once the legal requirements have been met, could a group of volunteers unearth the casket, then hand it over to forensic specialists for testing? If made of wood, a casket might have disintegrated. At what point would forensic experts be required to collect bones? What would the cost of that be?(The cost of DNA testing is a different issue which I am addressing in a different way.)

I've heard a price tag for exhumation as high as $20,000, but of course there are variables. I guess I'm wondering if it can it be done for less. Are there companies that do this as a business, and if so who are they?

Strange question, I guess, but thanks for any insight you might be able to provide.

As someone considering a job in forensics, I keep seeing that these federal positions are super competitive. I would love to pursue a job in this field, but any schooling is super expensive so I am apprehensive to pursue a degree in a field that I am not assured a job in. Besides the FBI, where could I likely get a job in forensics anthropology or psychology? I would hate to give up this interest, but if there is just a slim-to-none chance of getting a job in this field, I would like to know now instead of investing more time into this subject. Thank you guys!

Welcome to our weekly general discussion thread!

Feel free to chat with your fellow forensically-minded redditors about anything! Introduce yourself, show us pictures of your cat, complain about your kids, lament about exams/work, tell us what you're eating today... whatever you want!

Here are a few resources that might answer your questions:

A subreddit wiki with links and resources to education and employment matters, archived discussions on more intermediate topics in education and employment, what kind of major you need, what degree programs are good, etc.

• The subreddit Guide - Consider this an FAQ about our community and our field. Look here for basic education and employment questions/answers you might have. Didn't find what you were looking for? Please post in our weekly scheduled posts or to the subreddit. Note: please do use a desktop browser to view all features.
• List of verified forensics professionals
• Subreddit collections (please view on desktop browsers) on the following topics:
  • Education and Employment
  • Mental Health and Preparation for Working in Forensics
  • What It's Like Working in Forensics
  • Employment: Job Titles, Job Requirements, and Starting Salary in Forensic Science

​

Hi guys, I have a strong intent to be in Forensics in Australia, ready to start from fresh. I have a strong healthcare and clinical background. I am more interested in Forensic Biology and Chemistry. Currently looking into relevant courses and workshops, that can land me in a job. I dont intend to give a large portion of my time, in academics right now. Any helpful tips or advice on this.?

With ALS/IR, are there clear visual characteristics to GSR directly deposited onto a surface vs being present as a result of a transfer mechanism?

I'm a writer and one of my characters reports his own crime over the phone to the police. However, he does this with a "girl voice" (AKA he imitates a stereotypical girl/woman by pitching up his voice). If a recording of his voice from the phone call was analyzed, would the investigators/analyzers/etc. be able to discern that the caller does not actually sound that way and was purposely making themselves sound different? Would they need a sample of his original voice or could they tell without it?

Lmk if you have any questions. Thanks!

Hey everyone! Bit of an unusual request. My brother is autistic and forensic science is his special interest. He watches every documentary, reads everything he can find, and has a running list of questions that Google just can't answer properly.

Would any forensic scientists here be open to a Q&A session with him sometime? Totally on your schedule — video call or even just a long chat thread, whatever works. I'm also happy to pay for your time, I know it's valuable and I want him getting real answers from someone who actually does this work.

His biggest questions are around DNA analysis and crime scene work but honestly he'd talk about any of it for hours lol.

Thank you to anyone who's open to it, it would mean a lot to him (and me).

Welcome to our weekly discussion thread about forensic science!

Forensic Scientists and Professionals! What's going on this week?

Use any of the following as a prompt if you need to

• What do you do?
• What kind of work are you doing?
• Are you doing any new kinds of analyses?
• What is your work week like?
• Do you have crazy stories from the field/lab? Tell us!

Remember! Don't reveal identifying info on decedents or victims. Change names or use nicknames if you must.

Students! How's school?

Use any one of the following as a prompt if you need to

• What degree are you pursuing?
• What are you learning about?
• Have you learned something new and/or exciting?
• Are you involved in research?
• Is there anything about the field you'd like to know?

Remember! Don't ask us to do your homework or assignments for you. We did the work and you have to do it too.

If you are asking for education or employment advice, please read our subreddit guide first and then look at our resources in the sidebar. If what we have doesn't address your needs, you can ask us a question here! Let us know where you are and which country or countries you're considering for school.

Don't know where to start when it comes to schools, programs, or degrees? Take a look at our subreddit wiki for a good rundown of what you should look out for.

Confused by all the job titles, requirements, and worried about things like starting salary? Please take a look at this collection of posts from /u/Cdub919, one of our verified forensics members.

Have questions for someone working in the field? Take a look at our list of verified forensics professionals. They are frequently tagged in comments and posts when mods or other community members see that their expertise is needed. You might reach out to them in a private message or chat if you need their help. Please be respectful of their time and advice and don't harass anybody for a response.

​

Hi all! I want to volunteer at AAFS for the 2027 conference. Does anyone know what time sign-up opens? Or can anyone give any insight into what time it has opened in the past?

I know that my sign-up opens on the 19th, I just don't know what time.