Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

From ashes to evidence: A study on the alterations in bloodstain patterns in high heat environments and post-fire scenes

Kowalske, Zack; Oleiwi, Abdulrahman; Williams, Graham

Authors

Zack Kowalske

Abdulrahman Oleiwi



Abstract

Fire is often used to conceal or destroy evidence of violent crimes, making it essential to understand how fire environments affect forensic evidence, particularly bloodstain patterns. This study investigates the impact of high heat environments and fire on the morphology and analysis of bloodstain patterns. Using controlled fire exposure, bloodstains were analyzed pre- and post-fire exposure on various substrates, including glass, painted drywall, and painted plywood. Measurements of angle of impact (AOI) and area of origin (AOO) were conducted using Faro Zone 3D Expert software. Despite physical alterations due to extreme temperature exposure, certain characteristics of the original bloodstains persisted. AOI calculations showed minimal deviation between pre- and post-fire measurements, with standard deviations generally under two degrees. AOO estimations also demonstrated no substantial statistical differences between pre- and post-fire data. The study confirms that bloodstain patterns retain observable traits despite exposure to high heat conditions, supporting the reliability of BPA in fire-affected scenarios. These findings enhance the understanding of bloodstain behavior in fire environments, aiding forensic investigations in accurately analyzing bloodstain patterns in cases involving fire or high-temperature conditions.

Citation

Kowalske, Z., Oleiwi, A., & Williams, G. (2025). From ashes to evidence: A study on the alterations in bloodstain patterns in high heat environments and post-fire scenes. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 70(2), 742-750. https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.15689

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Nov 26, 2024
Online Publication Date Dec 19, 2024
Publication Date Mar 1, 2025
Deposit Date Mar 12, 2025
Publicly Available Date Mar 14, 2025
Journal Journal of Forensic Sciences
Print ISSN 0022-1198
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 70
Issue 2
Pages 742-750
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.15689
Keywords Angle of impact; Arson investigations; Bloodstain pattern analysis; Drip stain; Fire
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/5078108

Files

Published article (1.7 Mb)
PDF

Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Copyright Statement
© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Forensic Sciences published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.





You might also like



Downloadable Citations