Students Begin the Hair and Fiber Evidence Analysis of the Crime Scene in the Mondelo Case

Throughout this year as the students have learned different forensic specialties, they have been presented with evidence related to one specific case. They are currently examining hair and fiber evidence from the truck abandoned in New Mexico and comparing it to fibers found in the cabin which contained the bodies of a make and female victim.

In the lab each group has received 5 packets of fibers from the cabin, a tape of fibers removed from the carpeting in the abandoned truck, and samples from two suspects to compare with the fibers from the cabin and the truck. The students have to share their finding as there are a total of 30 fiber samples from the cabin and quite possible an equivalent amount of fiber gathered from the truck.

The students have begun by making a slide of each piece of evidence. The slide includes a casting (mold) of the hair/fiber surface and a whole mount of the actual fiber. The slides will them be examined for characteristics which will be noted on an evidence sheet. Slide will be examined under both dissection and light microscopes, from which characteristics and sketches of the evidence will be recorded.

Chrissy is organizing the Evidence sheets and transferring the evidence sheet serial number to the accompanying evidence slide.

Cabin evidence bag, the slide made of the evidence from this bag, ans the evidence sheet for the analyst's notes and sketches.

James does the same with his groups evidence.