Bodies We’ve Buried: Inside the National Forensic Academy, the World’s Top CSI Training School

261 Pages·2007·7.72 MB·English

by  Jarrett Hallcox

Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Epigraph
Foreword
INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1 - KEEP A-KNOCKIN’, BUT YOU CAN’T COME IN
Chapter 2 - EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY
Chapter 3 - GOODWILL HUNTING
Chapter 4 - DOWN ON THE FARM
Chapter 5 - DIGGIN’ UP BONES
Chapter 6 - IT’S A RIGOROUS JOB, BUT SOMEBODY’S GOT TO DO IT
Chapter 7 - VINYL RESTING PLACE
Chapter 8 - HEART STRINGS
Chapter 9 - SPATTER UP!
Chapter 10 - BURNIN’ DOWN THE HOUSE
Chapter 11 - FIRE IN THE HOLE!
Chapter 12 - HAIR TODAY . . . COURT TOMORROW

EPILOGUE
GLOSSARY
WHO’S WHO IN FORENSIC INVESTIGATION
RESOURCES
Acknowledgements
INDEX
About the Author
Praise for Bodies We’ve Buried
“The Academy’s rigorous, hands-on curriculum is not for the faint of heart or the
queasy. The same could be said for the book’s vivid you-are-there descriptions
that allow readers to feel every squish, smell every stench, see every spurt, gag
at every swarm of maggots, cower at every potential bomb, share every
arsonist’s awe and imagine every unimaginable depravity. People looking for an
interesting read will enjoy sharing the challenges of the CSI training course and
the behind-the-scenes stories that Hallcox and Welch recount. Their enthusiastic
and comfortable style welcomes all readers, viewers and nonviewers of CSI
alike, into their world.”
—Dr. Fred Bortz, Chicago Sun-Times

“Hallcox and Welch take readers inside the world’s top CSI training school for a
spooky, but fascinating, look at what they do and how they do it.” —The
Knoxville News-Sentinel

“When the National Forensic Academy opened its doors, administrators Hallcox
and Welch were desperate for students; now they admit only police officers and
have three-year-long waiting lists. Their book outlines the ten-week program and
shares with readers the gritty reality of forensic work. The authors caution that
the actual work is a lot less glamorous than it looks on TV and often involves
crawling through the mud or examining putrid corpses. And nothing is as simple
as it seems, from photographing crime scenes—where the details, from film
speed to lighting, are crucial—to processing evidence, which is selectively sent
off to a state lab to be dealt with. Students in the course also pay a visit to the
infamous Body Farm, where they examine and analyze decomposing corpses.
Given the popularity of CSI and its many imitators, many will find reading about
the real science enlightening and engrossing.”
—Booklist
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Copyright © 2006 by Jarrett Hallcox and Amy Welch.

All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without
permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the
authors’ rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
BERKLEY is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
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eISBN : 978-0-42521509-8
1. Crime scene searches—United States. 2. Criminal investigation—United States.
3. Evidence, Criminal—United States. 4. National Forensic Academy. I. Welch, Amy.
II. Title.
HV8073.H223 2006
363.25’071’5—dc22 2005024664

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the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the authors assume any responsibility for errors, or for
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This book is dedicated to all of the graduates and instructors of the National
Forensic Academy. Let the evidence always be your guide.