Murder Farm Lab Hand Out

Analysis of Hair, Fiber, and Botanical Materials
Who is Guilty?
Assignment: Murder at the Farm Lab
Instructions:
Click through the activity called “Murder at the Farm” located on the content page. As you plan and carry
out the investigation into the murder, consider how you analyze the evidence. Ensure that you are clicking
every button and analyzing and recording every piece of evidence in the data table. By the end of it, you
should have successfully carried out the investigation to analyze the evidence, pinpoint the perpetrator,
and answer the analysis questions within this lab.
Procedure:
1. Access the “Murder at the Farm” crime scenario in the content of the “Analysis of Hair, Fiber and
Botanical Materials” unit in your course.
2. As you progress through the scenario, take careful note of the details given and complete the tables
below as indicated.
3. Once you have progressed through the entire scenario, proceed to the conclusion section to formally
charge the suspect with murder.
4. Once you have charged the suspect, answer the questions in the analysis section. If you are unsure of
an answer, try reviewing the scenario again to locate clues you may have missed initially.
Data Table 1: Articles of Evidence Table
Article of Evidence Where was it found? Source – Who/What- Description/Comments

/Where did it come
from?
Data Table 2: Persons of Interest
Name Relationship to Victim Ruled Out? (Yes or Comments

No)
Data Table #3
Create a table to organize any other important information you found during this activity.
Analysis: Answer the following questions.
1. How did you exclude the other persons of interest?
2. How did you figure out who the real perpetrator was?
3. Which hair and fiber analysis methods were helpful in this case?
4. Was the suspect hair found on the victim considered class or individual evidence?
5. Why was the hair considered that type of evidence?
6. How could the Forensic investigators determine if the hairs found were human or animal?
7. Is the hair pictured here human or animal in origin?
8. Explain why you know that it is that type of hair.

9. Is the hair pictured below human or animal in origin?
10. Explain why you think that it is that type of hair.
11. Could the blonde hair found on the victim be positively identified as belonging to him in any way? If
so, how?
12. How do you explain the unusual characteristic seen in the hair found on the victim and in this
evidence photo?
13. Identify which of the fibers from the crime scene (below) is a natural fiber and which is a synthetic
fiber.
A. Natural or Synthetic? Why?
B. Natural or Synthetic? Why?

14. This case had no individual evidence at the crime scene, yet you had enough evidence to lead you to
an arrest. How can class evidence be used to lead to an arrest when no individual evidence is found?
15. A box of hair and fiber samples came into the lab in a jumbled mess. The new CSI tech that was hired
did not place the fibers in separate paper bindles as he was supposed to do. As a result, you have 5
fibers that you must sort and classify. Calculate the Medullary Index of each sample with a Medulla
present and classify them as either animal or human in origin.
Medullary Index = Medulla Diameter ÷ Hair Diameter Results less than 0.33 generally indicate human
hair.
Results greater than 0.50 generally indicate other animal hair
Sample 1: Medulla Diameter: 2.8 Hair Diameter: 10 Medullary Index: Human or Animal? Why?
Sample 2: Medulla Diameter: 5.3 Hair Diameter: 9.3 Medullary Index: Human or Animal? Why?
Sample 3: Medulla Diameter: Absent Hair Diameter: 11.2 Medullary Index: Human or Animal? Why?
16. As you were checking the box one last time for any additional evidence samples, you notice an
additional sample in the bottom of the box just under one of the bottom flaps. It was labeled “Cotton
Sample 2”. You took the sample and viewed it under the microscope. You measured the medulla and
found that the Medullary Index was 0.57. You immediately realized that the sample had been labeled
incorrectly. Why?
Conclusion Paragraph
Write a paragraph answering the following questions. The paragraph should be a minimum of 5
sentences.
1. Who are you charging with murder in this case?
2. What was his or her motive?
Rubric:
Make sure you include the following in your lab report:

Introduction Paragraph (10 points)
Procedure (10 points)
Data (44 points) – 2 data tables completed
Analysis Questions (16 points) – 2 points per question
Conclusion Paragraph (20 points) – at least 5 sentences

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Analysis of Hair, Fiber, and Botanical Materials

Assignment: Murder at the Farm Lab

Data Table 1: Articles of Evidence Table

Article of Evidence Where was it found? Source – Who/What- Description/Comments

Name Relationship to Victim Ruled Out? (Yes or Comments

Analysis: Answer the following questions.

1. How did you exclude the other persons of interest?

5. Why was the hair considered that type of evidence?

7. Is the hair pictured here human or animal in origin?

8. Explain why you know that it is that type of hair.

10. Explain why you think that it is that type of hair.

A. Natural or Synthetic? Why?

B. Natural or Synthetic? Why?

Results greater than 0.50 generally indicate other animal hair

1. Who are you charging with murder in this case?

2. What was his or her motive?

Make sure you include the following in your lab report:

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