FORENSIC HAIR

EXAMINATION
Examiner :
dr. Gatot Suharto, S. H, Sp. F, M. Kes
Mentor :
dr. Stephanus Rumancay, MH
Presented by :
Andreas Wongso
Astrid Odilia
Josephine Talitha G. Y. L.
Lau Pon Ying
Nur Asmalina Binti Azizam
Sundus Kamal

Problems do exist with hair examination are

about the examiners, not about the methods

Hair as Evidence
Hairs biological
information easy
and cost-effective
examine

Hair strong
investigative and
adjudicative
information IF ONLY
examined
properly,reported
conservatively,testified

Asia

Kaukasi
a

Negro

Structure of Hair

Three Phases of Hair Growth:

 Melanocytes in follicle produce

melanin.
Eumelanin
Pheomelanin

Eumelanin + pheomelanin = range

of hair colors.

Microanatomy

Microanatomy Structure
of the Hair

How to Differentiated
Human Hair and Non
Animal
hair and human hair have
Human Hair
(Animal)
several differences, inculiding :
The pattern
Pigmentation
The medullary index
And the cuticle type

How to Differentiated
Human Hair and Non
Human Hair (Animal) ?

Body Area Determination

Unlike other animals, human exhibit a
wide variety of hairs on their bodies
The characteristics of these hairs may
allow for an estimation of body area origin
The typical body areas that can be
determine are head (or scalp), pubic,
facial, chest, axilallry, eyelash/eyebrow
and limb

General Descriptions of Human Body

Area Hair Traits
Area

Diameter

Shaft

Tip

Head

Even

Straight or curly;
some waviness;
may be very long

Usually cut

Pubic

Varies

Sometimes
extreme waviness
or curl

Usually
pointed; may
be razor cut

Facial

Wide; even

Some shouldering

Usually cut;
may be
scissors or
razor cut

General Descriptions of Human Body

Area Hair Traits
cont
Area

Diameter

Shaft

Tip

Chest

Even to some
variation

Wavy to curly;
some more
straight

Usually
pointed

Axillary

Even; some
variation

Less wavy/curly
than chest

Usually
pointed; may
be colorless

Limb

Fine; tapering

Slight arc

Usually
pointed

Eyebrow/
eyelash

Tapering

Arc; short

Pointed

Pubic hair

Head hair

Typically, only the head and pubic hair that are

suitable for microscopic comparison, hair that does
not fit into this category can be called a
transtisional body hair.

Ancestral Estimation
Human Hairs

MIXED
RACE

Can be examined by:

1.Colour of hair (less
reliable)
2.Length of hair
(0.4mm/day)
3.Texture of hair
*for mixed race, the
ancestral estimation for
hair analysis is not
reliable.

Various Characteristics of Hair

by Ancestry
Ancestry

Diameter CrossSection

Pigment
Distribut
ion

Cuticle

Undulati
on

African

60-90 m

Flat

Dense;
Clumped

Thin

Prevalent

European

70-100
m

Oval

Even

Medium

Uncommo
n

Asian

90-120
m

Round

Dense to
very
dense

Thick

Never

African

European

Asian

Razor cut

Glass cut

Scissor cut

Burned cut

Comparison of Human Hairs

Comparison of a questioned hair or hairs
from a crime scene to a known hair sample
A known hair sample consist of anywhere
between 50 and 100 hairs from all portions
of the area of interest, typically the head /
scalp or pubic area
A known sample must be representative
of the collection area to be suitable for
comparison purposes

Hair Examination
The hairs are examined from root to tip, at
magnification of 40x to 250x
Hairs are mounted on glass microscope slides
with a mountingmedium of an appropriate
refractive index for hairs, about 1.5
The questioned hairs are then described
individually
These descriptions cover the root, the
microanatomy of the shaft and the tip

Interpretation
First, if the questioned hair exhibits the same
microscopic characteristics as the known hair
sample, then it could have come from the
same person who provided the known sample
Second, if the questioned hair exhibits
similarities but slight differences to the known
hair sample, then no conclusion can be drawn
as to whether the questioned hair could have
come from the known source

 Third, if the questioned hair exhibits no

similarities. but slight differences to the
known hair sample, then it could have not
come from the same person who provided
the known sample

A hair comparison is a good method of

demonstrating possible association between
questioned hairs and individuals BUT hairs
are not means of positive identification.

Statistic and Hair

Examinations

Hairs could be coded, entered into database

and frequency information could be derived.
Clinical study determined (Gaudette, 1974):
Head hairs frequency 1 in 4500
Pubic hairs frequency 1 in 1600

DNA and Hairs

Mitochondrial DNA
sequencingtest for
assesing the significance of
attributing hair to an
individual.
Microscopy and mtDNA
analysis complement each
other in the information they
provide.

 Microscopynot a
screening test
mtDNA
analysisnot a
confirmatory
test
Both methods or
eitherimportant
information

Evidence tested:

purified DNA

PCR Amplification
& sequencing

mtDNA gel image

Computer analysis and mtDNA profile

comparisons.

Mitochondrial DNA Analysis

SUMMARY
Hairs are potentially useful types
of
evidence
Microscopical comparisons can
provide information by including or
excluding individuals from
consideration
Mitochondrial DNA enhances this
information by adding genetic
information.

 1. rambut manusia bila diwarnai?

2. rambut bisa digunakan dalam
kromatografi, bagaimana mekanisme
toksin dapat terdeteksi dalam rambut?
3. perbedaan anatomi rambut di
Indonesia.

Is hair analysis reliable enough?

What is the procedure of hair
examination from the crime scene?
What is the importance of knowing the
microanatomy of the hair?
What is the diference of human hair
and animal hair?