Forensics Part 2: Hair/ Fiber

History of Hair/Fiber

1. French scientist Edmond Locard first discovered the constantly people picked up and transferred little bits of dust, hair, fiber, and other material without knowing it
2. He realized that this material were key to analyzing a crime scene, this was called the “Locard Exchange Principle” and it became the foundation for forensic science in the early 1990’s
3. After this, Rudolf Virchow, a German Patholigist, showed that hair/ fiber were not unique enough to positively match a certain suspect to one or more victims,
4. Then Paul L. Kirk established the fundamentals of microscopic hair/fiber analysis that is used used by scientists today. His groundbreaking textbook “Crime Investigation” is still an important text used in criminal investigation
5. http://www.ehow.com/about_5597295_forensic-analysis-hair.html

Major Types of Fiber

1. Cotton
1. Soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium
2. Flax
1. Oldest fiber crop in the world. Flax is used for the production of linen
3. Wool
1. Textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats
4. Ramie
1. Flowering plant in the nettle family Urticaceae, native to eastern Asia
5. Silk
1. Natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. Best known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm
6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothing_material

Methods for Collecting Hair/Fiber

1. May use combs, tweezers, containers and a filtered vacuum device to collect hair/ fiber at a crime scene. In a rape case the victim’s body will be examined for any hair’s or fibers. The hairs are then put in separate containers to be transported to a lab.
2. If hairs/fibers are found and a suspect is found the investigators will search the home for the same fibers or test the suspects hair for a match.
3. http://science.howstuffworks.com/csi4.htm

How to analyze and use hair/fiber data

1. Put the hair on a dry microscope slide under the microscope and analyze specific qualities in the hair
1. Under microscopes you can see if a hair has been dyed, if it fell out naturally or pulled out, if its human or animal, and where on the body the hair came from
2. Hair can have DNA on it which can help speed up the process of finding a criminal
3. Analyzing fiber is the same as analyzing hair. By putting it under a microscope and analyzing qualities in the fiber
1. Certain characteristics can be found under the microscope such as: the patterns on the fiber, what color is is, was it color treated and what type of fiber it is
4. http://www.eventbuddys.com/analyzing-hair-and-fibers.html

Reliability of Hair /Fiber crime Scene Data

1. If a hair is pulled out of a suspects hair and the follicle is present it can one can find the DNA or if it is pulled out hard enough blood cells can be found on the tip of the follicle which can help determine the blood type
2. It can also help narrow down suspects if fibers are found that aren’t in a certain suspects home or isn’t

Famous Court Case

1. About 15 years ago James Driskell was put in jail for the murder of Perry Harder in which he did not commit
2. Three hairs found at the crime scene were incorrectly analysed by Winnipe RCMP lab that placed Harder in Driskells van, or the scene of the murder
3. After being analysed again they found the hairs were not Harders and proved that Driskell was innocent and wrongy convicted of Harders murder