Hair and Fiber

Summary

An important part of forensic science is the analysis of hairs and fibers found on different crime scenes. When a crime is committed, the perpetrator will always leave some trace in the form of hair or fiber. Even if there is no trace of the perpetrator, fibers from the victim can also be an important clue to who committed the crime and how it occurred. Analysis of hair and fibers has played a key role in many investigations since it first became used widely in the 20th century. 

Use of Fibers in Investigations

Fibers can link a suspect to a victim when a certain fiber is found on both the victim and the suspect. Fibers can easily be transferred from one person to another though physical contact. There are several considerations that investigators use to determine if there is a link between a victim and a suspect of item. These include.

• Type of Fiber
• Fiber Color
• Location of Fiber
• Number of Fiber Associations

Using this criteria, the investigators can determine if there is a strong link between the fibers found on the crime scene and in other locations. These can also give clues to how a crime was committed. For example, if many similar fibers are found on both a victim and a suspect, it could indicate that there was significant violent physical contact between the victim and the criminal. 


 Major Types of Fibers and Hairs

Cotton

Wool

Animal

 Silk

Cashmere

 Plant

 Linen

Rayon

Some very important cases in which this type of anlysis was critical was the Ted Bundy case along with the Atlanta Child Murders Case, in which in both fibers were found specific to that specific killer.

Atlanta Child                                              Ted Bundy Case
Murders Case                     

Hair/Fiber Analysis Lab

We have conducted a series of tests on various hairs and fibers by viewing them under a microscope and then drawing the fiber in detail. Every fiber and hair is unique, and we learned to distinguish between hair of different races and genders.