Forensics

S01E01 At 1.20am on a dark rainy Sunday morning the residents of a suburban street are woken by the sounds of a taxi crashing into a brick fence. There was no squealing of brakes. A witness rushes to help and finds the driver slumped over the steering wheel. He is bleeding profusely from wounds in his neck and chest, his foot is still pressing the accelerator, the engine still running. At first it’s assumed his wounds are a product of the car accident. A resident of the street attempts to stem the bleeding of the unconscious man, while others call for help. For just a brief second the taxi driver gains consciousness and open his eyes - ‘what’s your name, mate?’ His reply ‘Hiren’ are his very last words. He dies minutes later from multiple stab wounds, in the arms of a stranger. Only minutes before the crash the taxi driver had hit the panic button in his cab, alerting his fellow cab drivers that something was amiss. Soon a row of taxis line the street, joining cop cars and a now a redundant ambulance. As the first signs of sunrise light the street the homicide and forensic science teams are already at work. Procedural cold, warm and hot zones have been established and the street is cordoned off. A tarpaulin has already been put up to protect the car and the evidence in the hot zone, from the continual rain. The team is under pressure to cover the wider area of the street before the rain washes away any vital clues. How, in a city of more than two million people, will crime investigators establish who the last person to ride in this taxi was, and whether or not they are related in any way to this homicide? As the lead detective establishes the police enquiry and sets officers off door-knocking, the lead scientist and fingerprint expert work their way around the exterior of the car. More than 50 different individuals’ fingerprints are identified and tape-lifted from the vehicle. Where possible, DNA swabs are also taken.