SINGAPORE - She sees her work as enabling the dead to speak for themselves.

By piecing together evidence, crime scene specialists like Ms Madeleine Bong can tell the story of a victim's death, helping investigators and grieving families.

The 29-year-old, from the Home Team Science and Technology Agency, has handled more than 200 cases of serious and fatal road accidents since 2019.

Ms Bong said that while most people would find working with the dead unnerving, she is motivated by what her work can do for grieving families.

"My job satisfaction is when the forensic evidence I collect at the scene actually helps bring closure to the family," she said.

"The deceased can't speak for themselves. I'm the one who can collect the evidence at the scene and give this information to the IO (investigating officer) to solve the case."

With the aid of 3D scanners, first used in traffic investigations in 2016, she is able to recreate a highly detailed 3D model of the scene in virtual reality.

"The 3D scan data helps to capture information such as the spatial position of evidence with the relevant measurements," she said.

"This allows the IO and any other stakeholders involved in the investigation to revisit the scene multiple times, without causing disruption to the traffic flow."

The recreated scenes are also used to help refresh the memories of others involved in the accident.

A terrestrial 3D scanner can scan the scene in minutes, and is complemented by a handheld 3D scanner to capture specific areas of interest such as the interior of a vehicle.

Previously, investigators sketched all scenes by hand, and needed to manually measure distances and capture details before clearing the scene.

While sketching is still used in some scenarios, the virtual 3D rendering of the scene enables distances to be automatically determined, and allows for the revisiting of the scene to search for other pieces of crucial evidence.

Ms Bong often works with IOs like Station Inspector Saleha Mohd Sani, 37, deputy officer in charge of the Fatal Accidents Investigation Team.

Station Insp Saleha, who has been with the Traffic Police for 15 years, said the 3D rendering of scenes has often helped the prosecution with elements, such as speed calculation and accident reconstruction.

"We want to bring justice to the victims," she said. "But the biggest challenge for me is to relay bad news to the families."

Station Insp Saleha said families of victims often find it hard to accept the sudden loss of a loved one.

"Sometimes, the families can be quite emotional and may want to touch or hold or hug their loved ones for the last time," she added.

"We have to tell them that we need to do our job, and hopefully bring closure for them."