CHAPTER 12

TRACE EVIDENCE I:
HAIRS AND FIBERS

FORENSIC SCIENCE: An Introduction by Richard Saferstein 1

INTRODUCTION
Hair is encountered as physical
evidence in a wide variety of crimes.
Although it is not yet possible to
individualize a human hair to any
single head or body through its
morphology, it still has value as
physical evidence.

FORENSIC SCIENCE: An Introduction by Richard Saferstein 2

INTRODUCTION
When properly collected and
submitted to the laboratory
accompanied by an adequate
number of standard/reference
samples, hair can provide strong
corroborative evidence for placing
an individual at a crime scene.

FORENSIC SCIENCE: An Introduction by Richard Saferstein 3

MORPHOLOGY OF HAIR
Hair is an appendage of the skin that
grows out of an organ known as the hair
follicle.

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MORPHOLOGY OF HAIR
The length of a hair extends from its root
or bulb embedded in the follicle,
continues into a shaft, and terminates at a
tip end.
It is the shaft, which is composed of three
layers—the cuticle, cortex, and medulla—
that is subjected to the most intense
examination by the forensic scientist.

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CUTICLE AND CORTEX
The cuticle is the scale structure covering the
exterior of the hair.
 The scales always point towards the tip of the hair.
 The scale pattern is useful in species identification.

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CUTICLE AND CORTEX
The cortex is the main body of the hair
shaft.
 Its major forensic importance is the fact
that it is embedded with the pigment
granules that impart hair with color.
 The color, shape, and distribution of these
granules provide the criminalist with
important points of comparison among the
hairs of different individuals.
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MEDULLA
The medulla is a cellular column
running through the center of the hair.
 The medullary index measures the diameter of
the medulla relative to the diameter of the
hair shaft.
 For humans, the medulla generally occupies
less than one-third the diameter of the shaft,
while for animals it is generally one-half or
greater.

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MEDULLA
The medulla may be continuous,
interrupted, fragmented, or absent.

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MEDULLA
The presence of the medulla varies
from individual to individual and
even among hairs of a given
individual.
Medullae also have different
shapes, depending on the species.

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ROOT
The root and other surrounding cells in the
hair follicle provide the tools necessary to
produce hair and continue its growth.
When pulled from the head, some
translucent tissue surrounding the hair’s
shaft near the root may be found. This is
called a follicular tag.
By using DNA analysis on the follicular tag,
the hair may be individualized.

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COMPARING STRANDS
The comparison microscope is an
indispensable tool for comparing the
morphological characteristics of hair.
When comparing strands of human hair, the
criminalist is particularly interested in
matching the color, length, and diameter.
A careful microscopic examination of hair
will reveal morphological features that can
distinguish human hair from the hair of
animals.

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COMPARING STRANDS
Scale structure, medullary index, and
medullary shape are particularly
important in animal hair identification.
Other important features for comparing
human hair are:
 The presence or absence of a medulla.
 The distribution, shape, and color intensity
of the pigment granules present in the
cortex.
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COMPARING STRANDS
The most common request is to
determine whether or not hair
recovered at the crime scene compares
to hair removed from the suspect.
However, microscopic hair
examinations tend to be subjective and
highly dependent on the skills and
integrity of the analyst.

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QUESTIONS
1. Can the body area from which a hair
originated be determined?
2. Can the racial origin of hair be
determined?
3. Can the age and sex of an individual
be determined from a hair sample?
4. Is it possible to determine if a hair was
forcibly removed from the body?

(continued)
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QUESTIONS
5. Are efforts being made to
individualize human hair?
6. Is it possible to determine
whether hair came from a
deceased individual?
7. Can DNA individualize a
human hair?

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HAIR AND DNA
Recent major breakthroughs in DNA
profiling have extended this technology
to the individualization of human hair.
The probability of detecting DNA in
hair roots is more likely for hair being
examined in its anagen or early growth
phase as opposed to its catagen
(middle) or telogen (final) phases.

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HAIR AND DNA
Often, when hair is forcibly
removed a follicular tag, a
translucent piece of tissue
surrounding the hair’s shaft near
the root may be present.
This has proven to be a rich source
of nuclear DNA associated with
hair.
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HAIR AND
MITOCHONDRIAL DNA
Mitochondrial DNA can be extracted from
the hair shaft.
Mitochondrial DNA is found in cellular
material located outside of the nucleus and
it is transmitted only from the mother to
child.
As a rule, all positive microscopic hair
comparisons must be confirmed by DNA
analysis.

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COLLECTION AND
PRESERVATION
Hair samples are also collected
from the victim of suspicious
deaths during an autopsy.

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TYPES OF FIBERS
Natural fibers are derived in
whole from animal or plant
sources.
 Examples: Wool, mohair, cashmere,
furs, and cotton.

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TYPES OF FIBERS
Man-made fibers are
manufactured.
 Regenerated fibers are manufactured
from natural raw materials and include
rayon, acetate, and triacetate.
 Synthetic fibers are produced solely
from synthetic chemicals and include
nylons, polyesters, and acrylics.
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TYPES OF FIBERS
Polymers, or macromolecules, are synthetic
fibers composed of a large number of atoms
arranged in repeating units known as
monomers.

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FIBER EVIDENCE
The quality of the fiber evidence depends on
the ability of the criminalist to identify the
origin of the fiber or at least be able to
narrow the possibilities to a limited number
of sources.
Obviously, if the examiner is presented with
fabrics that can be exactly fitted together at
their torn edges, it is a virtual certainty that
the fabrics were of common origin.

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FIBER EVIDENCE
Microscopic comparisons between
questioned and standard/reference
fibers are initially undertaken for
color and diameter characteristics,
using a comparison microscope.

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FIBER EVIDENCE
Other morphological features that
could be important in comparing
fibers are:
 Lengthwise striations on the surface of
the fiber.
 The presence of delustering particles
that reduce shine.
 The cross-sectional shape of the fiber.

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FIBER EVIDENCE
Compositional differences may
exist in the dyes that were applied
to the fibers during the
manufacturing process.

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METHODS FOR FIBER
COMPARISON
The visible light
microspectrophotometer is a convenient
way for analysts to compare the colors
of fibers through spectral patterns.
A more detailed analysis of the fiber’s
dye composition can be obtained
through a chromatographic separation.

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METHODS FOR FIBER
COMPARISON
Infrared spectrophotometry is a rapid
and reliable method for identifying the
generic class of fibers, as does the
polarizing microscope.
Depending on the class of fiber, each
polarized plane of light will have a
characteristic index of refraction.

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COLLECTION AND PRESERVATION

The investigator’s task of looking for

minute strands of fibers often becomes
one of identifying and preserving
potential “carriers” of fiber evidence.
Relevant articles of clothing should be
packaged carefully in separate paper
bags.

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COLLECTION AND PRESERVATION

If it is necessary to remove a fiber

from an object, the investigator
must use clean forceps, place it in a
small sheet of paper, fold and label
the paper, and place the paper
packet inside another container.

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