Development of in situ mass spectrometry analysis techniques for the forensic investigation of trace evidence

The analysis of biological fluids, such as blood and semen, discovered during the investigation of a potential crime can provide police forces with essential information to aid their investigation. However, many of the techniques for body fluid identification are not ideally suited to the analysis of potential evidence, being non-specific, destructive and expensive. Although individual presumptive tests are relatively inexpensive, the need to perform multiple tests on suspected biofluids can rapidly increase overall analysis costs. Furthermore, the use of presumptive tests typically involves the addition of test reagents to suspected biofluids, ultimately contaminating potential forensic evidence. The use of non-specific presumptive tests conducted at a crime scene often involve laboratory-based confirmatory tests, increasing the time taken for police to positively identify a suspected body fluid. Furthermore, there is currently no established method for estimating the age of a body fluid, thus police have no way of knowing if the sample is relevant to the investigation. [Continues.]