HAIR IDENTIFICATION

Composition of Hair
Root
 Also known as hair follicle, it is the region that is under or beneath the skin

Shaft
 The superficial part of the hair. In other words, the hair region that is outdoors, above the epidermis,
having already left the hair follicle.
 Shaft is divided into three layers, Medulla, Cortex and Cuticle
1. Cuticle – the outmost covering and consists of one layer of non-nucleated polygonal cells which
overlap like the scales of a fish; the free edges of the cells are directed toward the distal end of the
hair.
2. Cortex – the intermediate and the thickest layer of the shaft, and is composed of elongated, spindle
shaped fibrils which cohere; they contain pigment granules in varying proportions depending on a
type of the hair.
3. Medulla – the central canal of the hair; it may be empty or may contain various sorts of cells, more
or less pigmented.
 Continuous Medulla – found in a large number of animals
 Interrupted Medulla – very often in humans, monkeys, and horses.

Micrometer – an instrument attached to microscope and is used to measure the diameter of the hair.

Medullary Index - the ratio of the size of the medulla to the diameter of a shaft.
Fuzz – Generally short, fine and at times curly and wooly.

Hair Evidence
Humans shed an average of approximately 100 head hairs per day, and because hair can be easily transferred
during physical contact it is commonly submitted as forensic evidence to help establish associations between people
(e.g. a victim and suspect) and/or people and a crime scene.

Three major types of Hair Analysis

 Testing the hair shaft for drugs or nutritional deficiencies in a person’s system
 Analyzing DNA collected from the root of the hair
 Viewing hair under a microscope to determine if it’s from a particular person or animal

***Note : “Hair comparisons are not a basis for absolute personal identification. It should be noted, however,
that because it is unusual to find hairs from two different individuals that exhibit the same microscopic characteristics, a
microscopic association or match is the basis for a strong association.”

FIBER IDENTIFICATION

Textile Fiber
 Any filament, fiber, or yarn that can be made into fabric or cloth, and the resulting material itself.
 The term is derived from the Latin textilis and the French texere, meaning “to weave,” and it originally
referred only to woven fabrics.
Cordage
 A general term that refers to any type of rope or string that is used for various purposes. It can be made
from natural fibers such as hemp, sisal, cotton, and manila, or synthetic materials such as nylon,
polyester, and polypropylene. Cordage is typically thinner and more flexible than rope, and is often used
for applications where strength is not the primary concern

Methods of Fiber Identification

Fibers are probably the most abundant form of trace material. They can be used to provide evidence in a wide
variety of criminal cases.

Recovery Identification Comparison Evaluation

Recovery
- Collection of specimen from the crime scene

Identification
- Determination of association of fiber (e.g. type, color)

Comparison
- Side by side examination using a microscope

Evaluation
- Documentation of the result of examination

Fabric Analysis
Clothes, towels, car seats, blankets, rugs, etc. and fibers from these items and more are often collected as
evidence when a crime has been committed.
Visual Examination
 Carefully open your evidence with gloved hands
- To properly open evidence, be sure to open the bag away from the original seal
 Note observations such as color, size, etc.
Solubility Test
 Place a small piece of fabric into a small labeled test tube
 Add enough acetonitrile or other solvent per TA instruction to cover the sample
 Note observations such as soluble, partly soluble, or insoluble
 Try at least 2 solvents per sample if enough sample is available
Extract Dye from Unknown Sample
 Heat a beaker of water on a hot plate to ~90-100°C
 Place pieces of the reference fabrics into their own labeled test tubes
 Add 0.5 mL of your first chosen extraction solvent to each test tube
- Note the time you add solvent to each sample
 Suspend the test tubes inside the water bath
 Allow the extraction to take place for 15-20 minutes
- Be sure that the solvent doesn’t completely evaporate
- Remove the fabric pieces from the tubes after the same duration of time to prevent
differential extraction times
 A dye extraction will be apparent if the solvent has significantly changed color