Identification of Blood and Blood Stain

Legal importance of the study of Blood

For disputed parentage (maternity and paternity)

Disputed paternity may arise:

When the wife committed adultery and the husband denied to be the father of the child.

 When a child was born out of lawful wedlock and the mother claimed someone to be the father but he vehemently denied it.

Disputed maternity may arise:

In case of allegation of interchange of children in a hospital or nursery home, either accidentally or deliberately. In case of wayward or stray children being claimed by two or more women. For ownership of dead fetus or newly born child found in street trash.

Circumstancial or Corrobative evidence against or in favor of the perpetrator of a crime.

 Example: Mr. John Kenneth Padilla was found dead with a deep stab wound on the chest. Kim Carlo Bernardo was found with a kitchen knife in his hand stained with blood. Examination of the weapon showed that the stain was blood of human origin and belonging to the same group as that of deceased of Mr. Padilla. With such result of the examination the investigating authorities have a very strong presumption that Mr. Bernardo was the one who committed the crime.

Determination of the cause of death

The amount of blood or blood stains found in the scene of the crime or found inside the body of the deceased outside the blood vessels may imply that the cause of death of the person is hemorrhage.

Determination of the direction of escape of the victim or the assailant:

The shape of blood or bloodstain will give the investigator an idea on the direction of the source of blood. Usually, in small drops, the tapering end of the blood spot towards the direction of the moving source of blood.

Determination of the approximate time the crime was committed:

Although there are variations as to the color and soluble changes as to regards the age of the stain, we can only say that when there is too much change, it is not very recent.

* Determination of the place of commission of the crime.

* Determination of the presence of certain diseases.

Problems to be answered in the examination of blood:

1. Determine whether the stain is due to blood.

2. If due to blood, determine whether it is human origin or not.

3. If it is human origin, to what group does it belong?

4. Does it belong to the person in question? 5. The manner, degree and condition of the article which have been stained. 6. Age of the stain.

PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS:

1. Solubility test:
2. Heat Test: 3. Luminescence test:

CHEMICAL EXAMINATIONS:

1.Saline extract of the blood stain plus ammonia will give a brownish tinge due to the formation of alkaline hematin

2. BENZIDINE TEST:

3. Guaiacum Test (Van Deens Dyas or Schombeins Test)

4. Phenolphthalein Test (Kastle-meyer Test)

5. Leucomalachite Green Test

Microscopic Examination:
Saline extract of the stain is examined under the microscope. Note the presence of red blood cells, leucocytes, epithal cells and microorganisms. The presence of red blood cells will conclusively show that the stain is blood. By microscopic examination, we can differentiate the origin or the part of the body it came from. Menstrual blood will show abundance of vaginal epithelial cells and doederleins bacilli.

Micro-Chemical Tests:

1. Hemochromogen crystal or takayama Test

Crystals varying from salmon color to dark brown pink can be seen in this test if the stain is a blood.

 Dark brown rhombic prisms of chloride of hematin are formed

2.Teichmanns Blood crystals or hemin crystals test

3. Acetone-haemin of wagenhaar test

When the stain is examined under high-power microscope, small dark, dichroic acicular crystals of acetone-haemin are seen

INHERITANCE PATTERNS OF A.B.O BLOOD GROUPS

INHERITANCE of M-N Type

 NOTE:
Grouping is true not only with blood but also with other fluids of the body like saliva, vaginal secretion, seminal fluid, milk, urine, and others.

Age of the Bloodstains:

When the blood is exposed to the atmosphere or some other influences, its hemoglobin is converted to meth-hemoglobin or hematin. The color is changed from red to reddish brown. These changes take place a warm weather within 24-hours. Blood of one week old and that of six weeks may not present a difference in physical and chemical properties.

BLOOD (FRESH)

BLOODSTAIN

Differential Characteristics of Blood from Different Sources:

Arterial Blood:
Bright scarlet in color Leaves the blood vessel with pressure High oxygen contents

Venous Blood:
Dark red in color Does not spill far from the wound Low oxygen content

Menstrual blood:
Does not clot Acidic in reaction owing to mixture with vaginal mucous. Contains large number of deoderleins bacillus

Mans or womans Blood:

There is no method differentiating a mans blood from a womans blood. Probably, the presence of sex hormones in female blood may be appoint of differentiation.

Childs Blood
At birth, it is thin and soft compared with that of adult Red blood cells are nucleated and exhibit greater fragility Red blood cells count more than in adult.

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