Evidence Vanished in Thin (H)air

Hair is one of the easiest objects to find, it seems to be everywhere. This is because on average a person loses 50 to 100 strands per day, but how is this applicable to crime scenes? Hair is one of the most prominent types of evidence, and it can be used to identify both victims and suspects. Given hair’s ability to build a case on a suspect, many criminals attempt to destroy the hair and other evidence at the crime scene. But the real question is, how well is the evidence destroyed? By conducting solubility tests with five different solvents (acetic acid, ammonia, toluene, acetone, and dimethylsulfoxide) on six different hair types, potential changes in morphology can be observed to answer the question of how well can evidence be destroyed. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy are also being utilized to determine morphological changes. It is suspected that hair will experience morphological changes after being treated with solvent