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Tying Anomalies and their Significance in Analysing Knot Evidence

ABSTRACT Most people tie Granny or Reef Knots, which contain pairs of identical or opposite Half Knots, respectively. The exact configuration of these knots could be significant when found at crime scenes. A survey of 562 volunteers revealed that a minority tie noteworthy anomalies that differ from this common trend. When asked to tie shoelace and parcel knots, 70 respondents produced anomalies. Of particular significance was the fact that 3% of respondents—19 out of 528 who completed the survey tasks—produced Figure Eight and Figure Nine Hitches in combination with normal Half Knots. The act of tying a bow may be an important factor in the generation of anomalous hitches because 15 out of 19 survey anomalies containing either a Figure Eight or Figure Nine Hitch occurred in the shoelace samples. Figure Eight and Figure Nine Hitches may be rarer in homicide ligatures because only four out of those 19 survey anomalies were parcel knots, which are similar to crime scene knots. There are at least 64 possible combinations of paired Half Knots and Figure Eight or Figure Nine Hitches. Although not unique, these unusual tying configurations are noteworthy and could reduce the field of possible knot tiers during criminal investigations.