ABSTRACT
Just as the documentation of bloodstain patterns requires specific effort, a reconstruction report requires a similar level of effort from the analyst. For purposes of the reconstruction report, however, there is a twofold problem. First, the reconstruction is a compilation of information from various sources and reports. It is not based on a single individual’s efforts. The analyst must have a thorough understanding of these reports and must interrelate specific facts from all of them in order to reach a reconstruction conclusion. Second, the reconstruction derives its actual form through a reasoning and logic process; a reconstruction is very much a mental product. Unlike physical evidence, it is often far more difficult to point to its subtleties. For this reason it is easy for the analyst to lose focus and often difficult for others to grasp the analyst’s underlying decision-making process.
