Description
Trace evidence refers to materials transferred between people, objects, or the environment during a crime. This evidence can help investigators develop leads, indicating (or excluding) potential suspects or locations for further scrutiny. Trace evidence encompasses a wide range of natural and manufactured materials.
Traditional trace evidence includes:
- Glass
- Fibers
- Tape
- Paints, dyes, and pigments
- Gunshot residue
- Ignitable liquids
- Explosives
- Geological (minerals and soils)
- Pollen
Read more about trace evidence.
On this page, find links to articles, awards, events, publications, and multimedia related to trace evidence.
Publications and Grant Reports
- Recommendations for the forensic analysis and interpretation of glass from contemporary portable electronic devices by refractive index measurement and micro-X-ray fluorescence spectrometry
- Assessing the expanded capacity of modern μ-XRF SDD systems for forensic analysis through an interlaboratory study: Part II—Vehicle glass
- Development of a spectral X-ray fluorescence database to strengthen the scientific foundations for the forensic analysis and interpretation of modern soda-lime glass