PALERMO, N.Y. -- As police continue to gather evidence in the case of Erin Maxwell, 11, many are wondering why an arrest hasn't been made more than three weeks after her death.
To get some insight, we spoke with a forensics professor at Syracuse University, who said at this point investigators are probably focusing on forensic evidence.
"The medical examiner by this point has probably done their work and probably removed samples and other things for testing, which then would go on to places like toxicology, DNA laboratory,” said Jim Spencer, SU Director of Forensic Science.
Forensic evidence has received a lot of attention thanks to crime shows like CSI and Law and Order, but with those shows comes the view that forensics is an exact science and can solve almost every crime in about an hour. However, in reality there is a lot more to it than that.
"The results take time. The analysis is detailed in fact sometimes painfully detailed to make sure they get it right the first time and every time,” said Spencer.
With the investigation into Maxwell's death now in its third week, we are getting a little insight into how detailed forensics investigations can be. News 10 Now's Andy Mattison spoke with a forensic professor to shed some light on what police have in front of them.
Spencer says the misconception about forensic evidence being an exact science is something that also affects court cases.
"The CSI effect is that juries are still expecting every piece of scientific evidence, and if it's not there they sometimes feel that the case is weak, which is also not the case,” said Spencer.
Spencer adds that when it comes to solving a crime, authorities have to make sure they look at everything and can't take any chances, which might be what investigators are doing in Erin's case.