Forensic Analysis

Faxitron systems are used in the radiography of excised organs to determine cause of death and spatter patterns on clothing to determine firing distance. A radiograph of the area surrounding a bullet hole can also provide useful information with respect to the type of bullet and the direction of fire. Faxitron systems are also used for package inspection to detect explosives and contraband, to reveal latent fingerprints from difficult surfaces and to inspect overwritten watermarks and obliterated serial numbers and other markings.


RECOMMENDED SYSTEMS

LX-60 >>
43855 Series >>

Other investigative applications for Faxitron systems include:

  • Clay and other sediments to determine shear planes and angles
  • Fossilized rock to determine fossil position, distribution and characteristics
  • Encrusted archeological artifacts to aid in the preparation and cleaning of rare and often delicate structures
  • Paintings to reveal previous works and changes that have been painted over

 

The Pictures Tell a Different Story

"In an adjacent tent radiographer Jim Kister demonstrated his work with a Faxitron, used to x-ray bones to identify the source of trauma. He clamped a large transparency of a man's rib cage to a light box and pointed to a bullet. 'This guy took 11 bullets,' he said. Kister said he anticipated that defendants in the Baghdad trials would try to claim that shattered bones were postmortem and therefore inadmissible evidence. 'These pictures tell a different story.'"
Excerpted from "Genocide and the Science of Proof," Jan. 1, 2006. Copyright 2006 National Geographic Society