2011Bibliography Part V Miscellaneous Evidence - Mercyhurst ...

Fiber and Textile Evidence
Deterioration of clothing elements in a mock burial interred for 13 months
As technology evolves in the production of synthetic fabrics and the treatment of natural fibers, so does the forensic
consideration of same. Different fabrics, beyond trace evidence they will comprise at a scene, lend themselves toward the
collection and preservation of other evidence including fingerprints or blood and other body fluids. The rate of
decomposition differs among fiber types in different environmental settings. The type of fabrics represented at a scene may
also suggest the circumstances and context surrounding the victim’s death and remains. The compiler recalls the recovery of
human remains identified as those of an individual missing for approximately seven years. What remained of his clothing
included polyester fabric sweat pants covered by the synthetic threads left from otherwise decomposed cotton jeans. This
layering of clothing was consistent with the particular day this victim was last seen – an abnormally cold Spring evening.
Likewise, the position of clothing or trace fabrics across a scene might support arguments for paradoxical undressing
associated with the final moments of hypothermia. It could support evidence or testimony of sexual assault, or it could
suggest the unidentified victim was a homeless soul who wore as much of his clothing on his body as he could carry.
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