Differentiation of Human, Dog, and Cat hair Fibers using DART TOFMS and Machine Learning

Authors

Laura Ahumada, Southern Methodist UniversityFollow
Erin R. McClure-Price, Southern Methodist UniversityFollow
Chad Kwong, Southern Methodist UniversityFollow
Edgard O. Espinoza, US National Fish and Wildlife Forensic LaboratoryFollow
John Santerre, Southern Methodist UniversityFollow

Abstract

Hair is found in over 90% of crime scenes and has long been analyzed as trace evidence. However, recent reviews of traditional hair fiber analysis techniques, primarily morphological examination, have cast doubt on its reliability. To address these concerns, this study employed machine learning algorithms, specifically Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and Random Forest, on Direct Analysis in Real Time time-of-flight mass spectra collected from human, cat, and dog hair samples. The objective was to develop a chemistry- and statistics-based classification method for unbiased taxonomic identification of hair. The results of the study showed that LDA and Random Forest were highly effective in separating mass spectra collected from hair samples with accuracies ranging from 94-98%. This approach holds significant promise for forensic investigations, archaeology, and artifact analysis.

Recommended Citation

Ahumada, Laura; McClure-Price, Erin R.; Kwong, Chad; Espinoza, Edgard O.; and Santerre, John (2023) "Differentiation of Human, Dog, and Cat hair Fibers using DART TOFMS and Machine Learning," SMU Data Science Review: Vol. 7: No. 3, Article 5.
Available at: https://scholar.smu.edu/datasciencereview/vol7/iss3/5

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License