Nationwide some people who have done the crime might not be doing time, and one West Virginia University professor involved in the Universitys new Forensic Science Initiative is looking for a way to close a loophole in investigative techniques.

Aided by DNA analysis, crime investigators can gather bloodstains or strands of hair as evidence and place a person at the scene of the crime. But, this technique cant tell when a person was at the scene.

Suppose a man is accused of murdering his ex-wife and a small sample of her blood is found in his vehicle. It would appear this evidence would be sufficient to convict the suspect, but current technology cannot determine how long a blood sample has been at a scene. This creates a window of opportunity �€a reasonable doubt �€that leaves some wondering if the suspect committed the crime.

Clifton Bishop, an associate professor of biology in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, hopes that his current research will solve this problem and bring more criminals to justice.

“In most cases we can determine whose blood is found at a crime scene, but we cant ascertain how old the sample is,”says Bishop.”We want to close this loophole.

Bishops research is concerned with developing a technique that can identify how long a sample of blood has been at a scene. He accomplishes this by using a method similar to carbon 14 dating, a technique used by archaeologists in dating artifacts. Bishop examines two separate RNA molecules in blood that degrade at different rates. By establishing a ratio at which the two molecules degrade, he can develop a consistent timetable that establishes an approximate time of how long the blood sample has been at the site.

“We are getting fairly reproducible results right now, about four out of five,”Bishop said.

A variety of organizations are interested in Bishops research. Aside from the legal applications available, military uses are also foreseeable.

Bishop received his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, and has been at WVU since 1993. He conducts research in molecular genetics, developmental biology, gene expression, and forensic biology, and he is the adviser for students majoring in the colleges forensic and investigative science program.