Which items are considered crime scenes in a sexual battery investigation?

• A. The body of the victim.
• B. The location(s) of the sexual battery.
• C. The body of the suspect.
• D. The body of the victim, the body of the suspect, and the location(s) of the sexual battery.

Answer: (D)

In a sexual battery investigation, every place where evidence could be found is treated as a crime scene. That means the victim’s body, the suspect’s body, and the location where the act occurred are all potential crime scenes. Each source can harbor different kinds of evidence: the victim’s body may contain DNA, injuries, or trace evidence that links to the offender; the suspect’s body can carry DNA, wounds, or other traces; and the location itself may hold semen, bodily fluids, fibers, clothing, or items left behind that connect the parties and establish what happened and when. Because important evidence can be dispersed across all three sources, treating all of them as crime scenes provides the most complete picture and supports a stronger, more accurate investigation.