Application of a digital stringing protocol on buried fabrics

© 2019, © 2019 Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences. This study further advances the development of a software program for the analysis of bloodstain patterns formed from a sledgehammer apparatus capable of creating reproducible blood spatter. In this work, a systematic study was performed testing the capacity of the technology to digitally extract a clear impact bloodstain pattern from a very complex background. The substrates were fabric that had been buried in soil for significant amounts of time to establish the suitability of the process on forensically relevant materials. The findings demonstrate the potential for this software program to be used as a tool in bloodstain pattern analysis, by enhancing visualization of bloodstain patterns on complex substrates, providing a three-dimensional area of origin of impact and characterizing the individual spot sizes from each blood droplet generated.