Two forensic scientists get down to the nitty gritty of crime and life

Content warning: this article talks about forensic matters which might be confronting

Veteran forensic experts Thomas Coyle and Ruben Miller agreed that maintaining compassion for people caught up in tragic events was critical to coping with the gruesome aspects of their work. Ruben Miller and Thomas Coyle spoke at a WORD Christchurch event on Saturday 5 September 2026 with MC former Christchurch mayor and Labour cabinet minister Lianne Dalziel and audience at Tūranga, central Christchurch's library.

Thomas has gathered evidence at a lot of crime scenes but he also helped identify many victims of the Canterbury earthquakes in 2011 and the Indian Ocean Boxing Day tsunami in 2004. He and his colleagues committed to treating the bodies with the same respect that they would expect for their own relatives. Victims were given a prayer or a karakia before and after the identification process. In the case of the tsunami victims this was complicated when the victims were stored in hot, steel containers for 2-3 weeks without a cooling system hastening putrefaction but respect for those who lost their lives was a commitment the teams adhered to.

Ruben said he had learnt from visiting crime scenes in homes that many people lived challenging lives and we don't come from or start our lives in an equal place. This understanding had helped him cope with grim aspects of his job but later in his career he developed PTSD and he reflected that this job "needs youthful energy".

The Blood Says Otherwise

Thomas recalled during his early career at Scotland Yard in London that drinking sessions in the Yard's basement where there was an encouragement to drink and talk was helpful for a time but a macho culture which suggested workers' struggling with their mental health should toughen up was not helpful. He said his wife's willingness to listen provided him with great support and Miller echoed this saying his partner's expertise in clinical psychology ultimately helped him deal with denial and the confronting nature of crime-scene examination.

Ruben and Thomas stressed the need to avoid cross-contamination of crime scenes and the evidence gathered. Thomas recalled analysing fingerprints in a cheque fraud case and thought he was onto a criminal "mastermind" with a recurring thumbprint on many evidential cheques. Turns out a police officer collating the cheques did not wear gloves and licked his thumb before sorting the cheques. The officer was quickly removed off the case, Thomas said. In another case a brick had DNA material from Ruben even though he did not inspect it but his contact with the officer who did analyse it caused the contamination.

The Dead Speak

Forensic science did not always deliver the conclusive black and white resolutions that popular TV shows such as CSI suggested but it was satisfying when it did provide critical evidence. One case was solved when two microscopic spots of the victim's blood were found on a pair of glasses that a male who claimed to be a concerned witness was wearing. The perpetrator had thoroughly cleaned the crime scene including the glasses before the police arrived but the two microscopic spots were missed. The splatter pattern of the two spots was unlikely to have come from a concerned witness, Ruben said.

Both men had interesting pathways to their careers. Thomas grew up in a tough part of Leicester and was ready for a career switch from baker to forensic scientist after coming across the dead body of his best friend after a tragic, late-night altercation. Ruben initially started a career as a special effects designer for European Zombie movie-makers before starting a biology degree. Realising he was not suited to a life in laboratories he headed towards forensics because he thought crime scenes would get him out of the lab.

More

• Books by Ruben Miller
• Books by Thomas Coyle
• Book on Forensic Science
• Books on True Crime

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