D.P. Lyle > Quotes

“THE LOCARD EXCHANGE PRINCIPLE Wherever he steps, whatever he touches, whatever he leaves, even unconsciously, will serve as a silent witness against him. Not only his fingerprints or his footprints, but his hair, the fibers from his clothes, the glass he breaks, the tool mark he leaves, the paint he scratches, the blood or semen he deposits or collects. All of these and more, bear mute witness against him. This is evidence that does not forget. It is not confused by the excitement of the moment. It is not absent because human witnesses are. It is factual evidence. Physical evidence cannot be wrong, it cannot perjure itself, it cannot be wholly absent. Only human failure to find it, study and understand it, can diminish its value. —Edmund Locard”
― D.P. Lyle, Forensics A Guide for Writers

“A detective arrives at a murder scene a half hour after the deed and sees blood oozing from beneath a door. When the detective pushes the door open, a corpse lying on the floor oozes blood from the mouth and from the gaping GSW in the chest. TILT! Blood clots within minutes of leaving the body and, surprise, dead folks don't bleed.”
― D. P. Lyle