<P> A chalk outline is a temporary outline drawn on the ground outlining evidence at a crime scene . The outline provides context for photographs of the crime scene, and assists investigators in preserving the evidence . Modern investigators almost never use chalk or tape as outlines at a crime scene to avoid contaminating the evidence . Although rare in modern investigations they have become a literary trope in popular culture . </P> <P> Classically, white or bright yellow chalk is used, although some may use paint or white tape . In the case of a body, a chalk outline might be drawn immediately before the body is to be removed, but after the medical examiner has examined the body . </P> <P> Chalk outlines in practice were typically rough shapes of the body's position and did not include specific arms and leg orientation . </P>

What do you call the outline of a dead body