Mike joined the
Miami-Dade County Police Department in 1983 and started with the Crime Scene
Investigations Bureau in 1987. He took an exceptionally active part in the science of
forensic crime scene investigations, including development of new techniques, publishing
methodology of crime scene procedures, and teaching. Mike was responsible for solving
major criminal investigations in Miami-Dade County during his career. Mike developed new
techniques for gathering and cataloguing crime scene evidence including the lifting of
fingerprints, vehicle tire impressions, and footwear impressions. He would gather hundreds
of types of floor tiles and experiment with different shoe sole patterns, soil
compositions, and fluid markers to determine the methods and chemicals necessary to
identify this type of evidence at crime scenes. Mike developed a method to collect and
preserve an otherwise invisible shoe print that deposited blood evidence on commonly found
ceramic tiles used in South Florida. He did the same for tire tread impressions.
Mike's methods and
analysis withstood the scrutiny of the criminal justice process. He published more than
thirty crime scene articles on crime scene evidence collection and for the International
Association for Identification and was awarded the Good of the Association Award in 2002
for his innovative identification methodology and techniques.
Mike published a
professional handbook in 2001 entitled Crime Scene Evidence: A Guide to the Recovery
and Collection of Physical Evidence. The hands-on manual is used as a guide
nationally by Crime Scene Investigation sections. Mike published many professional
articles, including: Innovative Evidence Identification Markers at a Crime Scene; Duty
Description for the Crime Scene Investigator; Written Documentation at a Crime Scene;
Crime Scene Photography - Guidelines; Simple Crime Scene Sketching; Ridge Detail at a
Crime Scene; Developing and Lifting Latent Footwear Impressions; Simple Tire Tread
Standards Collection; and Other Impression Evidence. He taught crime scene investigation
procedures and techniques at police departments around the country and took great pride at
instructing smaller Florida police departments in the latest techniques in evidence
gathering. He designed and created many of the current Crime Scene Investigations courses
that are now being taught at the Training Bureau and within the Crime Scene Investigations
section.
Mike performed the tough
detailed oriented forensic work at many major crime scenes and disasters over the last
two-decades. He gathered, processed, and identified the DNA evidence used to convict the
Tamiami Strangler for a string of heinous murders in 1994. His thoughtful gathering of
evidence at the Valujet crash allowed families to reach closure for the deaths of loved
ones. This crash led Mike to write an article on the organization and leadership for
disaster response - Disaster Management -Lost Innocents.
Michael Wayne Byrd was born in Knoxville, Tennessee: on December 21, 1955. Mike married Margaret Therese Porter on May 23, 1974. He is survived by his wife, Maggie, daughters Michele Lynn Byrd-Chatila and Katherine Marie Byrd-Harpley, son in laws Jimmy Harpley and Rami Chatila, four grandchildren Ashley Michele (11), Muhammad Rami (2), Mahasen (1), Savanna Rose (3), father James Edward Byrd, mother Betty Lou Satterfield-Byrd, sisters, Judy Diane and Debra Jean, brother James Samuel and many nieces and nephews. A funeral mass was held on Friday, March 4 at 12:00 p.m. at St. Louis Catholic Church, 7270 SW 120 Street, followed by a police honor guard and bagpipes burial ceremony at Woodlawn Cemetery 11655 S.W. 117 Avenue Miami, Florida. It was requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to: Police Officers Assistance Trust (POAT) 2634 N.W. 97Avenue Miami, Florida 3317.