Hair Evidence

Standard
Students will demonstrate the ability to collect,
preserve, and identify evidence found at a crime
scene.
Objectives
1. Describe the cuticle, cortex, medulla, and root of hair.
2. Explain the distinction between animal and human hairs.
3. List hair features that are useful for the comparison of
human hair.
4. Explain the proper collection of hair evidence.

The Biology of Hair
An appendage of the
skin that grows out of
an organ known as
the hair follicle.
Extends from its
root or bulb
embedded in the
follicle, continues into
a shaft, and
terminates at a tip
end.

The Shaft of Hair
Composed of three
layers: cuticle,
cortex, and
medulla.

Cuticle of Hair
Outside covering of
hair that resists
chemical
decomposition.
Formed by overlapping
scales that point
towards the tip end of
the hair.
Scales are made from
hardened/keratinized
cells that come from
the follicle.
Cuticle of a healthy hair. The
scales lie flat, and are covered
with oil, making the hair feel
smooth and look glossy. The
scales make the hair stiff, and
protect the inside
A hair with a damaged cuticle,
perhaps from brushing, coloring,
or blow-drying. The hair looks
dull, and scales flaking off may
expose the inner layers, leading
to further damage.

Cuticle Patterns
The coronal, or crown-like scale
pattern, is found in hairs of very fine
diameter and resemble a stack of
paper cups. Coronal scales are
commonly found in the hairs of small
rodents and bats but rarely in human
hairs.
Spinous or petal-like scales are
triangular in shape and protrude from
the hair shaft. They are found at the
proximal region of mink hairs and on
the fur hairs of seals, cats, and some
other animals. They are never found
in human hairs.
The imbricate or flattened-
scale type consists of overlapping
scales with narrow margins. They
are commonly found in human
hairs and many animal hairs
Cortex of Hair
Found within the cuticle.
Made of spindle-shaped
cortical cells aligned
parallel to length of hair.
Within the cortex are
pigment granules made by
melanocytes that give hair
its color.
Cortex of a damaged hair. A split
end, caused when a hair shaft is
pulled apart. Many split ends
give hair a frizzy appearance,
and cause tangles.

Your natural Hair color is
determined by three factors

1. The type of natural color pigment
melanin present in your hair's cortex.
Eumelanin (black pigment)
Phenomelanin (red/yellow
pigment)
2. How many melanin granules exist
3. Whether those granules are close
together or far apart
How Melanin pigments determine your
natural haircolor:

Black hair contains densely packed melanin granules full of
eumelanin.

Brown hair has a loose pattern of eumelanin-filled
granules or granules blended with eumelanin and
phenomelanin, depending upon its cool or warm tones and
its darkness or lightness.

Blonde hair contains few granules with minimal bits of
eumelanin. In fact, the eumelanin is so sparse that the
color of blonde hair is the color of the hair fiber itself.

Red hair has loosely packed granules containing
phenomelanin.

What causes gray hair?
As you age, your natural production of
pigment slows down and your natural
color loses its color strength.

This doesn't happen to every hair at the
same time, so the contrast between the
hair with no color and the hair that still
has some color causes it to look gray.

So how gray your hair actually looks is
determined by the percentage of strands
with no color vs. the pigmented strands.
Medulla of Hair
Collection of cells that look like a canal running
through a hair.
Not all hairs have medullae
Can be classified as continuous ( most animals,
human rare, Mongoloid race), fragmented (most
animals, human) or absent (human).
Medulla Shape
Humans and most
animals
cylindrical
Other animals
patterned (ex. Cat
medulla looks like
string of pearls,
Deer medulla looks
like round cells
occupying the
entire hair shaft)
Examination of the Medulla
Patterns in Animal Species
Examination of Scale Pattern
Medullary Index
By looking at the diameter of the medulla
divided by the diameter of the hair shaft
you can get the hairs medullary index.
Medullary Index Values
Humans <1/3
Most other animals 1/2
Comparison of Animal and Human
Hair
Medullary Index 1/2
Medulla is present for all
animals
Medulla is continuous for
most animals
Medulla is patterned for
most animals


Medullary Index <1/3
Medulla is absent for
most humans
Medulla is continuous
for Mongoloid race
Medulla is
fragmented only
some animals and
humans
Medulla is
cylindrical in
shape (most
animals)
Human Hairs
Racial Determination
Body Area
Age and Sex?
Forcibly Removed?
Racial Determination
Negroid
Mongoloid
Caucasoid
Usually kinky,
containing dense,
unevenly distributed
pigments.
Cross section is flat
to oval in shape.
Usually straight or wavy
with very fine to coarse
pigments that are more
evenly distributed .
Cross section are oval to
round in shape.
Usually coarse
containing
pigment
granules
larger in size
than
Caucasians.
Cross sections
are round in
shape.
Head Hairs
Long with moderate shaft diameter and diameter variation


Medulla absent to continuous and relatively narrow when compared
to the structure of hairs from other body areas


Often with cut or split tips


Can show artificial treatment, solar bleaching, or mechanical
damage


Soft texture, pliable
Pubic Hairs


Medulla relatively broad and
usually continuous when
present
Root frequently with tag
Tip usually tapered, rounded, or abraded

Stiff texture, wiry
Shaft diameter coarse
with wide variations
and buckling
Limb Hairs
Tips usually
tapered, often
blunt and
abraded, rounded
scale ends due to
wear
Diameter fine with little
variation

Gross appearance of hair is
arc-like in shape

Medulla is
discontinuous to trace
with a granular
appearance
Soft texture
Facial Hairs (Beard/Mustache)
Diameter very coarse with irregular
or triangular cross-sectional shape






Medulla very broad and continuous,
may be doubled

Chest Hairs
Shaft diameter moderate and variable


Tip often darker in color, long and fine,
arc-like


Medulla may be granular


Stiff texture

Axillary or Underarm Hairs
Resemble pubic hairs in general appearance, but
less wiry


Medullary appearance similar to limb hairs


Diameter moderate and variable with less
buckling than pubic hairs


Tips long and fine, frequently with bleached
appearance

Other Body Hairs
Eyebrow: Stubby, some diameter
fluctuation, saber-like in appearance


Eyelash: Short, stubby with little
shaft diameter fluctuation, saber-like
in appearance

Trunk: A combination of features of limb and
pubic hairs, a transitional hair
Tip of the Shaft

Burned Cut Razored Split
Root of Hair
Provide the tools to produce hair and continue its
growth
3 Stages of Growth (different looking roots)
Anagen -initial phase may last up to 6 years, root is
flame shaped
Catagen transition phase (2-3 weeks), root is
elongated
Telogen phase where hair naturally falls out of the
skin, root is club-shaped
Hair Growth Cycle
Forcibly Removed?

Pulled Forcibly Removed Shed
A normal telogen hair with a hard 'club' end,
seen under (left) a light microscope and
(right) an electron microscope
An anagen hair that has been plucked out:
notice the soft, sticky tail
Brushed-out hairs all have this kind of
root.
This is an anagen hair, one which
was pulled out and not ready to be
shed.
Collection of Hair Evidence

Collection of Hair Evidence
Questioned and Reference hair must come
from same area of the body; one cannot,
for instance compare head hair to pubic
hair.
The collection of 50 full length hairs from
all areas of the scalp will normally ensure
a representative sampling of head hair.
Collection of Hair Evidence
A minimum collection of 24 full length
pubic hairs should cover the range of
characteristics present in this type of hair.
All collected hairs must be full-length so
that the investigator can see if the color
and morphological features vary
throughout the length of the hair.
Packaging of Hair Evidence
Recover all hair present.
If possible, use fingers or tweezers to pick up
hair, place in paper bindles or coin envelopes
which should then be folded and sealed in
larger envelopes.
Label the outer sealed envelope.
If hair is attached, such as in dry blood, or
caught in metal or a crack of glass, do not
attempt to remove it but rather leave hair intact
on the object.
If the object is small, mark it, wrap it, and seal
it in an envelope.
If the object is large, wrap the area containing
the hair in paper to prevent loss of hairs during
shipment