1. 7-6 How Can Hair Be Used in Forensic Investigation?
Chapter 7: The Study of Hair
November 19, 2014
Sanders

2. Can Body Area of Hair Be determined?
Hairs from different parts of the body have different characteristics and can assist in defining what area of the body the hairs came from.
Mammals also differ is the traits of hair.
May 22, 2019
Trace Evidence I: Hairs and Fibers

3. Trace Evidence I: Hairs and Fibers
Significance of Hairs
Certain case situations affect the significance of identifying hairs.
When a family member may be involved in a crime, the location, number, and condition of recovered hairs may be important.
(forcibly pulled or burnt, for example)
The involvement of the victim's associates, including dates, co-workers, and other people who may have logical contact with or access to the victim and/or crime scene is an additional consideration in hair examinations. Situations involving strangers have greatest significance when hair associations have been made.
May 22, 2019
Trace Evidence I: Hairs and Fibers

4. Can Age and Sex be Determined from Hair?
The age of an individual cannot be determined from the hair examination except infant hair.
Infant hairs are fine and soft.
Sex can be determined if any DNA can be recovered.
May 22, 2019
Trace Evidence I: Hairs and Fibers

5. What Else Does Hair Tell Us?
A microscopic examination can determine if hairs were pulled out or were shed.
May 22, 2019
Trace Evidence I: Hairs and Fibers

6. Trace Evidence I: Hairs and Fibers
Shed Hair
Naturally shed hairs, such as a head hair dislodged through combing, display undamaged, club-shaped roots.
May 22, 2019
Trace Evidence I: Hairs and Fibers

7. Trace Evidence I: Hairs and Fibers
Pulled Hair
A hair forcibly removed from the scalp will exhibit stretching and damage to the root area.
May 22, 2019
Trace Evidence I: Hairs and Fibers

8. Trace Evidence I: Hairs and Fibers
Pulled Hair
A hair forcibly removed from the scalp will exhibit stretching and damage to the root area.
Forcibly removed hairs may have tissue attached.
May 22, 2019
Trace Evidence I: Hairs and Fibers

9. Hair Affected by Burning
Hair affected by burning has a definite signature.
If there is no source of ignition near where hairs are recovered, this can signal that the scene has been tampered with.
May 22, 2019
Trace Evidence I: Hairs and Fibers

10. Trace Evidence I: Hairs and Fibers
Postmortem Rootband
When hairs originate from a body in a state of decomposition, a dark band may appear near the root of the hair.
This characteristic has been labeled a postmortem root band.
May 22, 2019
Trace Evidence I: Hairs and Fibers