What is one of the primary uses of a crime lab report?

The primary use of a crime lab report is to establish a suspect. Crime lab reports provide scientific analysis and evidence related to a case, such as fingerprints, DNA profiles, ballistics, and other forensic examinations. This information can help law enforcement agencies tie a suspect to a crime scene through physical evidence, thereby strengthening the case against them.

When investigators receive evidence analyzed in a crime lab report, they can correlate findings with potential suspects, establishing links that may not have been evident initially. This establishes an evidence-based foundation for pursuing charges against an individual suspected of committing a crime, playing a critical role in both investigations and prosecutions.

On the other hand, discharging a suspect, collecting witness statements, and identifying eyewitness accounts are important aspects of the investigative process, but they do not directly stem from the scientific analysis conducted by a crime lab. Discharging a suspect typically follows a lack of evidence or a conclusion based on the totality of the investigation rather than just lab findings alone. Collecting witness statements and identifying eyewitness accounts are investigative techniques that may happen independently of lab reports and rely more on human testimonies than on scientific data.