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Tiffany Edwards

Teaching Assistant Professor

Specialties: Crime Scene Investigation, Latent Print Processing, Latent Print Examination, Medicolegal Death Investigation, Law Enforcement Investigation (Unsolved Case Project), and General Forensics

Mrs. Edwards graduated with a B.S in Criminal Justice with minors in Chemistry and Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and a M.S with an emphasis in Technical Investigations from the University of Central Oklahoma. Ms. Edwards has over twelve years of experience in death investigation to include completion of graduate practicum work under Medical Examiner Dr. Mary Case and retired Sr. Investigator Mary Fran Ernst at the St. Louis County Medical Examiner’s Office.

She has worked as a certified Medicolegal Death Investigator for the Shelby County Medical Examiner’s Office in Memphis, TN under the former Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Karen Chancellor; during which time she received unparalleled experience and exposure conducting scene investigations on all manners of death.

Ms. Edwards has also worked for the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED). Mrs. Edwards graduated from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy with the highest academic honor (JP Strom award recipient) for Basic Law Enforcement Class 576.

During her employment at SLED she was assigned to the following units under the agency direction of Chief Mark Keel.

  • Crime Scene and Latent Print Unit- Her responsibilities included documenting crime scenes, collecting evidence, and processing evidence collected directly from crime scenes and evidence submitted directly to the laboratory for fingerprints, conducted latent print comparisons, and conducted searches on the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS). She issued detailed reports for crime scene and latent prints and provided expert testimony in court on both disciplines. While serving in the Crime Scene Unit, Mrs. Edwards also acted as a crime scene field training officer, latent print training block instructor, and assisted with writing the Crime Scene Protocol to meet standards to obtain ISO 17025 certification. Mrs. Edwards received a Letter of Commendation for her dedication to training within the crime scene unit.
  • Special Victim’s Unit- Child Fatality- She conducted and assisted in death investigations of persons under the age of 18 years old within the state of South Carolina. She gathered facts and supporting documentation relating to violations of state/federal laws as they pertained to suspicious child deaths. She conducted interviews and/or interrogations on suspects, victims, and witnesses to crimes or relevant matters, gathered examination records, collected physical and documentary evidence, and established necessary contacts with local law enforcement and members of the public. She conducted child death re-enactments and attended autopsies when beneficial to the investigation. Mrs. Edwards also successfully completed Child First training in which she was trained on how to appropriately interview children who are witnesses to or victims of a crime.

In addition, Mrs. Edwards has worked in an administrative capacity for a child abuse pediatrician/ Child Advocacy Clinic and has vast knowledge in recognizing and investigating child sexual and physical abuse.

Mrs. Edwards has attended numerous specialized training courses and workshops related to various subjects within the scope of: crime scene investigation, child fatality, death investigation, and latent prints.

Ms. Edwards has been adjunct teaching since Spring of 2017 within the fields of Criminal Justice and Forensic Science at various academic institutions.

Mrs. Edwards is a current member of the American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS), the International Homicide Investigators Association, International Association of Identification (IAI), former IAI- Certified Crime Scene Analyst, and a former American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators – Diplomat.