NCJ Number
146659
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 39 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1994) Pages: 231-240
Date Published
1994
Length
10 pages
Annotation
After a young man jumped off a 221-foot bridge, drift of the body that beached 20 miles away at Alki Point in Seattle, Washington, was simulated with a hydraulic model.
Abstract
Simulations for the appropriate time period were performed using a small floating bead to represent the body in a hydraulic model at the University of Washington. Bead movements were videotaped and transferred to computer-aided drafting charts on a personal computer. Because of strong tidal currents in the narrow passage under the bridge, small changes in the time of the jump made large differences in the distance the body traveled (30 miles). The authors note that hydraulic and other oceanographic models can be located by contacting technical experts at local universities. These models can be used to demonstrate trajectories of floating objects and the time required to arrive at selected locations. Potential model applications for forensic death investigators include setting geographic and time limits for searches, determining the potential origin of remains found floating or beached, and confirming and correlating information regarding entry into the water and sightings of remains. 9 references, 1 table, and 5 figures