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The Mystery Unfolds Wildlife criminal evidence arrives in many forms Determining the cause of death is always the first step toward unraveling the crime. Evidence comes to us in many forms. Sometimes we are fortunate enough to have an entire carcass to examine. Other times we receive only drops of blood, bits of tissue, or other sparse evidence of suspected criminal activity. When samples are seemingly unrecognizable or in question, laboratory specialists make use of sophisticated analytical tools to characterize what they've got. Some cases call for protein or DNA sequencing. Others require the use of analytical techniques such as gas chromatography (GC), liquid chromatography (LC), or mass spectrometry (MS). Often, multiple approaches are used to produce the required results. The laboratory is set up in a linear fashion. One end of the building is dedicated to receipt, storage, and return of evidence. This could be anything that suggests the annihilation of a protected species: the body of a dead wolf, a purse made from crocodile hide, a box of oriental medicine claiming to contain ground rhino horn, a piece of ivory, or a spent bullet cartridge. Characterizing evidence and linking it to the scene and perpetrator of the crime often requires expertise in a number of disciplines. The nature of the sample determines the route it will travel through the lab. If, for example, a full carcass is received, it will go to the pathology section. The pathologist examines the body from a physical standpoint and often performs a necropsy to determine the cause of death. A partial animal (hides, skins, wings, skeletal remains, claws, etc.), modified animal (oiled or dressed carcass), or craft item (jewelry, garments, leather goods, and artwork) will be directed to the morphology department for species identification. Shelves, cabinets, and drawers are filled with feathers, bones, swatches of fur and hide, as well as scores of taxidermied bodies. Scientists use these visual aids and a powerful microscope to identify the victim. P  A  R  T    2    O  F    4 Next: Analyzing the Evidence Previous: Introduction A Story of Carelessness The victim is a bald eagle, a federally protected species, and just one of many dead eagles recovered near a city in Alaska. The medical examiner finds that the eagle has died of poisoning. Using an HP 5890 Gas Chromatograph together with an HP 5988 mass spectrometer (MS), chemists in another part of the lab identify the poison as pentobarbital, a fast-acting barbiturate. Wildlife law enforcement agents now begin to reconstruct the crime scene and identify suspects. In this case, the evidence leads to an Alaskan humane society that has decided to reduce a growing feral cat population through lethal injections. Employees didn't realize they were committing a federal violation by throwing the cat bodies into the city dump until our lab linked their actions to the dead eagles who, as scavengers, had eaten the poisoned cats. Pelts of endangered species arrive at the lab