Toward a systematic classification of textile damages.

Abstract

The accuracy of textile damage analyses was evaluated by laboratory tests carried out by trained experts. The analyzed damages were prepared by various methods, including stabbing, cutting, shooting, heating/burning, etc. A number of damages were aged by household washing and tumble-drying procedures, addition of blood, or burying. The samples were analyzed by routine laboratory evaluation. The results indicate that the properties of a damage provide a good indication of the way a textile had been damaged. Nevertheless, scoring of the answers is not straightforward. Results indicated that examiners evaluated damages on different levels of specificity and thereby showed the latent need for a more systematic approach to damage classification. The second part of the current contribution therefore presents the classification scheme we developed. This classification scheme aims to guide examiners during examination and accommodates the vast majority of textile damages observed in forensic casework. Each of the proposed classes is defined, relevant literature in each of the classes is reviewed, and the characteristics that can be expected after different damaging actions are explained. Finally, we share some ideas for further investigations.