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Handbook of Missing Persons pp 463–489Cite as

The Use of Trace Evidence in Missing Persons Investigations

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Abstract

Trace evidence is ubiquitous at crime scenes and can be an invaluable source of intelligence and collaborative evidence for serious offences. The ability of trace evidence to transfer from suspect to victim, suspect to crime scene, and between crime scenes means that these forms of physical evidence can provide links between individuals and locations. The types of trace evidence available for the forensic investigator are numerous and span many traditional fields of science, including chemistry, physics, palynology, geoscience, and polymer sciences, to name but five. This chapter will introduce a wide range of trace evidence types and their evidential value in cases, such as missing persons investigations. Additionally, it will focus in more detail upon some of the more common forms of trace evidence analysed in casework, including hairs and fibres, and highlight the potential of less commonly used evidence such as soil, dust, and glitter. The ability of trace evidence to provide intelligence and associative information in a case relies upon its successful identification, retrieval, and analysis. This chapter will outline the techniques used to achieve this and will provide case examples as to their use.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Science Centre, Staffordshire University, Leek Road, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST4 2DF, UK

    Claire Gwinnett

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  1. Claire Gwinnett
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  1. Nursing and Health Sciences, California State University, East Bay, San Francisco, California, USA

    Stephen J. Morewitz

  2. Forensic Archaeology and Genocide, Investigation, Staffordshire University, Staffordshire, United Kingdom

    Caroline Sturdy Colls

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Gwinnett, C. (2016). The Use of Trace Evidence in Missing Persons Investigations. In: Morewitz, S., Sturdy Colls, C. (eds) Handbook of Missing Persons. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40199-7_30

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