Hair Analysis - Part I (Chapter 11) : A Study of Trace Evidence

Hair Analysis – Part I
(Chapter 11)
A Study of Trace Evidence

Morphology & Structure of Hair
Hair Morphology
Morphology: Cuticle
 Protective coating made of overlapping
scales, produce a characteristic pattern
 Scales always point toward tip of hair
 Not useful in individualizing human hair
 Can be used for species identification
Morphology: Cuticle
Cuticle Types
Mosaic Pectinate
Diamond
Imbricate Petal
Morphology: Cortex
 Made of spindle-shaped cells aligned in a
regular array, parallel to the length of the
hair
 Embedded with pigment granules that give
hair its color
 The color, shape and distribution of the
granules provide points for forensic
comparison
Morphology: Medulla
 Canal like structure of cells that runs
through the center of the cortex
Medulla
 Medulla vary between
individuals
 Vary between hairs of
the same individual
 Some hairs have no
medulla
Medullary Index
 Measure of the diameter of the medulla
relative to the diameter of the hair shaft
 Usually expressed as a fraction
 Humans: medullary index < 1/3
 Animals: medullary index > 1/2
Medulla of Different Species
Animals
RABBIT
MUSKRAT
COW
Medulla of
Different
Species
Medulla Related to Hair Color
Very fair Light Brown
Brown-Black
Red
Forensic Analysis of Medulla
 Presence of medulla varies quite a bit: even hair to hair
 Human head hairs generally have no medulla or may be
fragmented ones; except Mongoloid race whose medulla is
usually continuous
 Most animals have medulla that is continuous or interrupted
 The shape of the medulla can help identify a species
 Examples:
 Most animals and humans: cylindrical
 Cats: pearl shape
 Deer: spherical occupying whole hair shaft

Variation in Hair by Sex
 Stained sex
chromatin in the
nuclei of human
cells showing the
female-indicative
Barr body (bright
spot, top) and the
male-indicative Y
body (bright spot,
bottom)
Racial Determination
Negroid Mongoloid Caucasian

Hair Roots

Pulled Forcibly Removed Shed

Tip of the Shaft

Burned Cut Razored Split

Morphology: Root
 Human hair grows in three
developmental stages: anagen,
catagen, and telogen phases
Phases
 1) Anagen - Growth Phase
 2) Catagen - Transitional phase
 3) Telogen - Resting Phase
Root: Anagen Phase
 Initial growth phase during which hair follicle is
actively producing hair, phase may last 6 years,
root is flame like in appearance
 When pulled this root may contain a follicular tag
(rich source of DNA)
Root w/ follicular tag

Root: Catagen Phase
 A transition phase—hair
grows at a decreasing
rate for two to three
weeks—elongated
appearance as root bulb
shrinks and is being
pushed out of hair follicle
Root: Telogen phase
 Hair growth has ended
—root takes on a club-
like appearance—
during two-six month
period, the hair will be
pushed out of the
follicle causing the hair
to shed naturally
Identification and Comparison
 Establish if the hair is human or animal
 Compare if the hair retrieved at the crime
scene is compatible from a known hair of a

particular individual
 The ability to distinguish human from animal
is easy when compared to that of human hair

comparison
 Various morphological characteristics between
individuals and the same individual
 Microscopic examination
 Animal or human
 Species of animal
 Important characteristics:
 Scale structure
 Medullary index
 Medullary shape
 Scalp hair
 Pubic hair
 Comparison microscope
 Hair from any part of the body exhibits a
wide range of characteristics the examiner

must have an adequate number of known
hair samples that are representative of all
its features
 Compare
 Length
 Color
 Diameter
 Presence or absence of medulla
 Distribution, shape and color intensity of
the pigment granules present in the cortex

 Dyed, bleached or natural hair
 Dyed hair: dye color found in cuticle as well as
throughout cortex
 Bleaching: removes pigment from the hair and
gives a yellowish tint
 If there has been growth of hair since last bleach
or dye treatment: natural-end is distinct in color
 Hair is known to grow at an approximate rate of 1
cm/month
 Therefore can estimate the time since last appointment
or treatment
 Morphological abnormalities;
 Diseases
 Deficiencies
 Fungal and nit infections
 If one human head hair taken from the crime
scene is found to be similar to a representative
hair from a suspect’s head, the odds against it
from originating from another person are about
4500 to 1
 The odds of two different pubic hairs originating
from two different individuals is 800 to 1
What can be determined
 Body areas:
 Scalp hairs show little variation of diameter and
have more uniform distribution of pigment color
 Pubic hair are short, curly with a wide range of
variations in shaft diameter and a continuous
medulla
 Beard hairs: coarse and usually triangular in
cross-section with blunt tips from cutting or
shaving
 Racial origin:
 Can distinguish between Negroid and Caucasian
head hair
 Negroid hair: normally kinky, containing dense,
unevenly distributed pigments, flat to oval in

shape
 Caucasian hair: straight or wavy, with very fine
to coarse pigments that are more evenly

distributed when compared to Negroid hair
 Cross sections of Caucasian hair are oval to
round in shape
 These are very general in nature
 Age cannot be determined from morphology with
any degree of certainty except with infant hair
 Fine, short in length, have fine pigment and are
rudimentary in character
 Sexual discrimination at this time is not considered
to be a routine forensic technique, but can be
made with root tip DNA
 Microscopic examination of the hair root may
establish if the hair has fallen out or has been
pulled out
 Hair root with follicular tissue adhering to it is indicative
that the hair has been pulled out
 The current approach for examination of hair is the
morphological characteristics
 Breakthroughs in nuclear DNA typing has extended
the technology to the individualization of human
hair
 Examiners can link a particular human hair to an
individual by characterizing the nuclear DNA in the hair
root or follicular tissue adhering to the root
 Higher rate of success extracting DNA from a hair in the
anagen phase or anagen hairs entering the catagen
phase then those in the telogen phase
Collection
 Crime scene hairs must always be
accompanied by an adequate amount of
control samples from the victim and from
suspects
 Hair from any one area of the body varies
significantly. The questioned hairs and
control hairs must come from the same area
of the body
Collection of Hair Specimen
Collection
 Forensic hair comparisons usually involve scalp or
pubic hairs
 Collection of 50 full length hairs from all areas of
the scalp
 A minimum of two dozen full length pubic hairs
 In rape cases care must be taken to first comb the
pubic area to remove all foreign hair present before
the victim is sampled for control hair

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Hair Analysis – Part I

A Study of Trace Evidence

Very fair Light Brown

 Cats: pearl shape

 Deer: spherical occupying whole hair shaft

Negroid Mongoloid Caucasian

Pulled Forcibly Removed Shed

Burned Cut Razored Split

Root w/ follicular tag

scene is compatible from a known hair of a

is easy when compared to that of human hair

 Hair from any part of the body exhibits a

wide range of characteristics the examiner

 Presence or absence of medulla

 Distribution, shape and color intensity of

the pigment granules present in the cortex

unevenly distributed pigments, flat to oval in

to coarse pigments that are more evenly

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