NCJ Number
148728
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 39 Issue: 3 Dated: (May 1994) Pages: 854-859
Date Published
1994
Length
6 pages
Annotation
An adhesive tape lint-removal roller was used to isolate fibers from a homicide victim's clothing that had been exposed to the elements for 29 days; the fibers were then analyzed by several techniques and compared with known fibers from the suspect's shirt and the car in which the homicide was believed to have occurred.
Abstract
The analytical techniques were analyzed by means of comparison microscopy, microspectrophotometry, and infrared analysis. Results revealed that fibers recovered from the victim's clothing included specimens that were indistinguishable from fibers constituting the suspect's shirt and others that were indistinguishable from the three distinct types of fibers making up the upholstery, carpeting, and trunk liner of the car. The distribution of the fibers on the various garments helped corroborate the crime scenario. The case indicated that exposure of clothing to wind and precipitation does not necessarily obliterate all transferred fiber evidence. Table, photographs, and 5 references (Author abstract modified)