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| photo: dfs.Virginia.gov |
In my early college days, I aspired to be a medical
technologist. Dr. Pinkerton’s Organic Chemistry class, and the thought of
spending hours on end squinting into the eye piece of a microscope sent me
running across campus to the Psychology department where I happily stayed until
I received my bachelor’s degree in Psychology.
Having said that, I find the forensics aspect of crime
solving absolutely fascinating. So much so, that I follow forensic
anthropologist Dr. Elizabeth Murray on Facebook and own her two Great Courses
on forensics. Not to mention several forensic textbooks. After reading them I
no longer look at my hair and clothes the same way.
During the investigation of a crime,
hair and fiber are collected at varying points throughout the process, but most
notably at the scene of the crime and at the autopsy stage. This can be for the
purposes of eliminating individuals from police enquiries as well as to help
narrow down the list of suspects. These samples are collected through meticulous
and painstaking processes, which are carried out by Crime Scene Investigators
who themselves are dressed in protective clothing so that their own clothing
and hair do not contaminate any evidence which may pre-exist.
The fibers are then taken back to a
lab to be analyzed. It is a time consuming job, and doesn’t happen as quickly
as shown on television, but has been crucial in solving many high profile cases
including the Lindbergh kidnapping in 1936. Science has come a long way since
then, but sometimes it is still the simple details of a single fiber that
clinches a conviction.
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