Blood Pattern Analysis

Question 1

What are the three main classes of bloodstains?

Answer 1

1. Passive
2. Transfer
3. Projected/ Impact

Question 2

What are passive bloodstains?

Answer 2

Clots, drops, flows and pooling

Question 3

What are transfer (contact) blood stains?

Answer 3

• Wipe stain: created when an object moves through a pre existing bloodstain
• Swipe stain: the transfer of blood onto a target by a moving object that itself is bloodstained

Question 4

What are projected/impact/splatter bloodstains?

Answer 4

• Spatter: describes a stain that results from blood hitting a target; forward & backward spatter
• Cast-off stains: blood flung or projected from a bloody object in motion or one that stops suddenly
• Arterial spurts: blood flowing through arteries is under high pressure, when an artery is breached while the heart is pumping, blood will spurt or gush from the wound

Question 5

What are the other types of blood stains?

Answer 5

Flyspots, voids, skeletonised stains (edges and boarders of a stain dry first due to surface effects)