Which option is NOT a described benefit of hair analysis?

• A. Could place a person at the scene
• B. Could place a vehicle at the scene
• C. Could identify the weapon or instrument used in the crime
• D. Could determine height from hair

Answer: (D)

Hair analysis can help link a person to a scene or object through evidence like DNA found on hair or hair transferred to surfaces. If hair from a person is recovered at the scene or on a vehicle and tested, it can support that that person was present there. It can also support connections to items that the person touched, which is why placing someone at a scene or associating them with a vehicle is a described benefit.

However, determining a person’s height from hair is not feasible. Hair characteristics do not encode body dimensions in a reliable way, so height cannot be inferred from hair analysis. Likewise, identifying a weapon or instrument used in the crime is not something hair analysis provides; weapon identification comes from other forensic methods like ballistics or toolmark and residue analysis.