(NewsNation) — The four University of Idaho students who were killed allegedly had their hands bagged at crime scene
to preserve possible DNA evidence.
Forensic expert Joseph Scott Morgan told NewsNation’s “Banfield” that it’s common for perpetrators to unknowingly leave strands of hair in the hands of victims. The killer’s skin cells can also embed themselves under their victim’s fingernails.
“A lot of times, that (hair) comes in contact with the surface of the hands because the hands are splattered with blood if you think about how sticky blood is,” Morgan said. “The perpetrator is not even aware that the hair has been left behind. That happens many times.”
If the perpetrator were wearing a ski mask, certain fibers could also adhere to the victim.
“It’s quite fascinating…things you can pick up from your hands. We do nail scraping after removing the bags. And we also do nail trimming, but the bags are pushed aside and stored separately. And then all the items that are contained there that are dropped and transported are preserved, and that is very important,” Morgan added.
Watch the full interview in the video above.