Examination of chemical micro-traces - the last resort?

Abstract

Chemical micro-traces belong to the group of forensic traces. In the case of this type of traces, we are dealing with group identification. Nonetheless, they are a very valuable and often the only procedural source of information about a crime that has taken place, and their evidential significance increases, in particular, in situations where it has not been possible to secure forensic traces in the course of the conducted activities, which would allow for individual identification of a perpetrator. The purpose of this article is to show the importance of chemical micro-traces in clarifying the circumstances of an incident and identifying a perpetrator on the basis of an opinion made in 2020 at Forensic Laboratory of the Voivodeship Police Headquarters in Kraków concerning a road accident which resulted in the death of a young woman.