Age Estimation of Concealed and Unconcealed Blood Stains on Different Surfaces – A Chemometric Approach

Deepthi Nagesh¹ , B. Nagarajamurthy² , Bhanuprakash R.³

1. Dept. of Studies in Criminology and Forensic Science, Maharaja’s College, University of Mysore, Karnataka, India.
2. Dept. of Studies in Criminology and Forensic Science, Maharaja’s College, University of Mysore, Karnataka, India.
3. SCIENCE4U Analytics and Research Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.

Section:Research Paper, Product Type: Journal-Paper
Vol.11 , Issue.4 , pp.11-22, Aug-2024

Online published on Aug 31, 2024

Copyright © Deepthi Nagesh, B. Nagarajamurthy, Bhanuprakash R. . This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
 

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Abstract :
Blood stains are commonly encountered at crime scenes, either in visible or hidden forms. Establishing the age of these blood stains is critical for effective crime scene investigation. The current study aimed to develop regression models for accurately estimating the age of concealed blood stains on diverse surfaces. Additionally, the study investigated the effects of luminol and concealment on age estimation. The study utilized ATR-FTIR spectroscopy in combination with Chemometric methods, including PCA (Principal Component Analysis) and OPLSR (Orthogonal Signal Correction Partial Least Square Regression Analysis), to analyze blood stains concealed by paint and treated with luminol on three commonly encountered substrates: cement, metal, and wood. The spectral data were analyzed to develop regression models to estimate the age of blood stains for eleven days. The regression models for concealed blood stains exhibited notable differences compared to those for unconcealed blood stains. The predictive Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) values ranged from 0.87 to 1.82, and R-squared values ranged from 0.76 to 0.94. The model for blood stains on cement surfaces was the most accurate in concealed form, while the model for blood stains on metal surfaces was the best fit in unconcealed form. Furthermore, the model for concealed blood stains on wooden surfaces demonstrated the highest prediction error. The results indicated that the presence of luminol and the composition of the substrates on which blood stains were identified significantly influenced the detection of spectral changes associated with age-related alterations observed in blood stains.

Key-Words / Index Term :
Blood stains, ATR-FTIR Spectroscopy, Chemometrics, PCA, PLSR, Concealed blood stains, Luminol, Nature of Substrates, Cement, Wood, Metal

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