Hair and Fiber

Hair and Fiber Analysis

 History of Hair/fiber analysis

A French police officer, Edmond Locard established the principle that every contact left behind is evidence in 1910. John Hick's "Microscopy of Hairs: A Practical Guide and Manual" was a guide on hair analysis in 1977.

Edmond Locard
microtracescientific.com

Picture and labeled parts of a complete hair

Major types of fibers (other than hairs), for instance, polyester, cotton, etc.  Include at least 5 fibers

·         Nylon

·         Rayon

·         Cotton

·         Wool

·         Silk

Hair/Fiber collection techniques:

Collected from crime scene and victim. Collected in various vials, grip bags, and tubes. Fibers or hairs that do not match the victim are received. Scraping underneath fingernails to retrieve samples.

Typical Hair/fiber analysis: How do scientists analyze and use hair/fiber data?

Infrared spectrophotometry and also observe the unique patterns, colors, and distinctive appearance.

Reliability of Hair/fiber crime scene data:

Hair samples will remain long after a crime has been committed allowing them to be revisited in an investigation and many fibers have different characteristics due to the manufacturing. Hair and Fiber analysis is fairly reliable in a crime scene.

Research any notable or famous case where hair/fibers were used to convict or exonerate a suspect:

The Atlanta Child Murders of 1980s
Wayne Williams was convicted in the murder of 2 children, while this specific case involved the murder of 29-31 African-Americans. Dog hairs and fibers were matched to fibers inside Williams parent's house.