Abstract
Face touching is a common habit that can have implications on the outcome of criminal investigations. When conducting activity level assessments, it is important to be aware of any factors that may impact the type of profile obtained from the sample of interest. This may include the number, duration, location, and manner of contacts that a person makes with themselves. In this study we have recorded the contacts made by different individuals, of their hands with their face, over a 1 hr period, while working within an office. All participants were observed to regularly touch their face. Swabs of the face of some participants were subsequently collected for DNA profiling. The individuals sampled were found to be the sole or majority contributor to the profiles generated.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 58-61 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences |
Volume | 56 |
Issue number | Supplement 1 |
Early online date | 28 Apr 2024 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2024 |
Event | 23rd Triennial Meeting of the International Association of Forensic Science: in conjunction with the 26th Symposium of the Australian & New Zealand Forensic Science Society - Sydney International Convention Centre, Sydney, Australia Duration: 20 Nov 2023 → 24 Nov 2023 Conference number: 23 https://iafs2023.com.au/ |
Keywords
- Face touching
- DNA transfer
- DNA prevalence