The purpose of evidence collection, processing, and analyzing is to _____.

a) identify the victims and establish a motive for the crime
b) develop control evidence which can be used to identify the suspect
c) use the evidence to identify links which will eventually help reconstruct the crime in such a way that it will stand up in court
d) establish links which will identify the suspect

A criminal case detective should first use the evidence available in a scene, such as residual elements from a gunshot, fingerprints, or clothing, in order to identify what happened. Any material found helps the detective figure out what type of crime happened. For example, if I enter a murder scene and find clothes stained in blood and a person with a mark in his neck, I will have to figure out is someone commited the crime of if it was self inflicted. I will recur to witnesses who will help me gather clues to reconstruct the scene. The goal is that the crime will stand in court, where a suspect will be apprehended and different witnesses will attest to the crime committed.