No abstract

Blood is often found at scenes of violent crimes. In some cases, blood may be present on a subject's clothing. However, if the clothing is dark colored, the blood evidence can be difficult to discover. This is because when blood exits the human body, the oxyhemoglobin oxidizes into what is called methemoglobin and then turns into hemichrome. Ultimately, this process causes the change from blood's red color to brown and makes it difficult to detect on dark fabric [1]. Blood can be detected on fabric via chemicals such as luminol, fluorescein, and Bluestar®, but the morphology of the stain can change due to the added liquid. In certain circumstances, the blood can indicate that the clothing was present during the bloodletting event and identify a potential victim or perpetrator, or the blood can indicate additional evidence. Some of these analyses require pattern interpretation and a less destructive means of blood detection. This study looked at alternate light source (ALS) as the possible solution to this dilemma. The principal behind using ALS to detect blood is based on how matter interacts with electromagnetic