Articles written by Erika Lyn Smith

In the following scenario where the identity thieves provide you with your own personal information it is easy to see how one can be fooled.

Apr 30, 2012 - Erika Lyn Smith

A SANE nurse is a forensic nurse specially trained to treat and collect evidence from a sexual assault victim.

Mar 31, 2012 - Erika Lyn Smith

DNA profiling is now the most reliable method to identify a body. Before DNA was available fingerprinting was the most common form of identifying a body.

Feb 29, 2012 - Erika Lyn Smith

Describing the body postion of the deceased is the responsibility of the Medicolegal Death Investigator (MDI). Learn how to define body planes and position.

Jan 31, 2012 - Erika Lyn Smith

The reliability of eyewitness testimony is being tested by the advancements in DNA technology. Learn how unreliable eyewitness testimony can be and why.

Dec 31, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

From 1972-1978, John Wayne Gacy, killed 33 men in the Chicago area. Now, 30 years later, forensic science and DNA help to identify the last eight victims.

Nov 30, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

The Locard exchange principle is the belief that "every con­tact leaves a trace" according to Dr. Edmund Locard, a French forensic scientist.

Oct 25, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

Steve Jobs has died October 5, 2011 at the age of 56. Apple remembers Jobs as a "visionary and creative genius" who will be missed but never forgotten.

Oct 5, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

Every year thousands "Walk to End Alzheimer's" and to raise awareness about the devastating progressive disease in hopes of finding a cure.

Sep 15, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

Munchausen syndrome falls under mental health disorders called factitous disorders. Munchausen syndrome people fact illness to get attention.

Aug 31, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

Pools provide a welcome relief on hot summer days. Learn how to prevent drowning and near-drowning deaths by reviewing pool safety with children and adults.

Jul 25, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

Accidental gunshot deaths are one of the leading causes of death in children today. Learn how to keep children safe when a gun is in the home.

Jul 23, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

The torso of a woman discovered off I-70 in Wright City, Missouri, remains unidentified. Can you help identify her?

Jun 28, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

Betty Neumar led a tangled life of marriage and death, but was she capable of killing her five husbands, was she truly a 'black widow' serial killer?

Jun 14, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

Joplin, Missouri is now tied for the record of the deadliest single tornado to strike the U.S. since modern tornado record keeping began in the 1950s.

May 24, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

It is a taboo subject in life, even more so in death: autoerotic asphyxiation deaths which may appear to be a suicide except for the evidence at the scene.

May 22, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

Randy Savage died Friday, May 20, 2011 after a car accident in Seminole Florida and may have suffered a heart attack. His wife Lynn was with him in the car.

May 21, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

He was wrapped in a blanket and placed under a tree on Dennett Road in South Berwick Maine. Who is he and why has no one reported him missing?

May 19, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

America's Most Wanted viewed by over 5 million people every year has been cancelled by Fox due to production expenses. What is the cost of saving a life?

May 17, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

NHL player Derek Boogaard was found dead in his Minneapolis apartment on Friday, May 13, 2011. The cause of death is pending autopsy results.

May 15, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

Physical or mechanical restraint can cause positional or postural asphyxiation, or restraint death. Many cases of sudden in-custody death can be prevented.

May 11, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

This year 846 confirmed tornadoes (600 in April alone). A tornadic outbreak in the South has resulted in 288 twisters in one 48 hour period and 342 deaths.

May 1, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

Severe storms blew across Missouri with multiple reports of damaging winds and several tornadoes which have closed Missouri's largest airport indefinitely.

Apr 22, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

Conjunctivitis, pink eye, or madras eye is an inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eye and eye lid, which is caused by an allergy, bacterium, or virus.

Apr 20, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

Meningococcal meningitis is a devastating disease that kills healthy children, teens, and young adults, every year and it can be prevented by a vaccine.

Apr 15, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

When someone dies a sudden unexpected death the medicolegal death investigation and postmortem autopsy help determine if the cause of death was natural.

Apr 10, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

Forensic odontology or forensic dentistry help determine if bite marks are human and help establish a person's identity in a violent death.

Apr 5, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

A dying declaration are the last words spoken by a victim and the only opportunity that police may have to document what happened in the victim's voice.

Mar 24, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

When a visual identification is not possible due to the condition of the body, investigators should use a scientific method for identification, such as DNA.

Mar 20, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

A forensic entomologist studies insects found on or near the body and is responsible for identifying, collecting, and preserving the insect evidence found.

Mar 19, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

When skeletal remains are discovered the forensics team contacts a forensic anthropologist to determine if the bones are of human or animal origin.

Mar 8, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

A medicolegal death investigator is a person who is trained to perform an independent death scene investigation to determine the manner and cause of death.

Mar 4, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is widely used in forensic medicine from paternity cases, to identifying a rapist, linking criminal cases or serial crimes.

Mar 1, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

Forensic medicine, also called legal medicine or medical jurisprudence, is how medical science provides civil and criminal court cases with medical facts.

Mar 1, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

Synthetic bath salts like Ivory Wave, Starry Nights, White Rush and Vanilla Sky are being ingested to obtain a very dangerous legal high similar to cocaine.

Jan 24, 2011 - Erika Lyn Smith

John Douglas was one of the FBI's first criminal profilers and he helped turn criminal investigative analysis into a proven investigative tool.

Nov 29, 2010 - Erika Lyn Smith

Crime is everywhere. Yet, because of technology crime is changing. High tech crimes are the fastest-growing crimes, and violent crimes are decreasing

Nov 28, 2010 - Erika Lyn Smith

ADHD teens are more likely to be injured or killed in an automobile accident due to the symptoms of ADHD like inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity.

Nov 19, 2010 - Erika Lyn Smith

Flushing prescription medications down the toilet is no longer recommended, yet there are ways to safely dispose of medications from home.

Nov 14, 2010 - Erika Lyn Smith

Pharming (pronounced farming) is a dangerous teen trend where prescription medications are mixed together and ingested by the handfuls at pharm parties.

Nov 10, 2010 - Erika Lyn Smith

Having a personal password system which provides a unique password for each account keeps personal information protected.

Nov 7, 2010 - Erika Lyn Smith

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) includes the criteria used to diagnose over 300 mental health disorders.

Nov 6, 2010 - Erika Lyn Smith

Fidgeting is common in people with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder or AD/HD. Fidget devices or fidgets help control the physical act of fidgeting.

Oct 24, 2010 - Erika Lyn Smith

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is the oldest government agency directly responsible for promoting and protecting consumer health.

Oct 3, 2010 - Erika Lyn Smith

Hand washing with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer are both effective in killing germs when done properly and frequently.

Sep 18, 2010 - Erika Lyn Smith

Dr. Irene Pepperberg's Congo African Grey parrot Alex was used in research and Alex "The Parrot" showed people that Congo African Grey parrots are intelligent animals.

Sep 13, 2007 - Erika Lyn Smith

When the doctors can do nothing else, it is the nurse who is left to take care of a patient's end of life needs. A dying patient deserves respectful, gentle nursing care.

Aug 18, 2007 - Erika Lyn Smith

Life is all about making choices and accepting the consequences of our choices. Personal accountability means we accept the desired and undesired results of our actions.

Aug 17, 2007 - Erika Lyn Smith

A hyperactive, impulsive, and easily distracted child is often diagnosed AD/HD. AD/HD children are highly creative, not lazy. AD/HD can be a positive thing. Find out how.

Aug 17, 2007 - Erika Lyn Smith

Do you know who your child is talking to on the Internet? Find out how to keep your children safe on the World Wide Web.

Aug 17, 2007 - Erika Lyn Smith