Identification of Bloodstains on Different Fabrics after Washing with Commonly Used Detergent in Malaysia

Abstract

Bloodstains as physical and biological evidence encountered in number of crimes will provide vital information to define a type of crime and link a suspect to the scene of a crime. This research will enlighten the identification of bloodstain on different types of fabrics which were washed with detergents prior to applying Kastle-Meyer (KM) tests. All six types of fabric were stained with blood and soaked in commonly used detergents in Malaysia for a various soaking time. It is found that Dynamo detergent shows the highest percentage in removing the bloodstain from all those six fabrics. Besides, soaking time interval of 60 minutes in all detergent showed the maximum removal of bloodstains compared to 20 minutes which has minimal ability to remove bloodstains. Among all the fabrics, cotton showed the maximum percentage of bloodstain retention after washing with all the detergent. The finding of the study would help forensic investigator to trace invisible bloodstain such as in washed clothing in order to solve the crimes.