ABSTRACT
Disassembled documents are those which have been separated into pieces by cutting, shredding, or tearing. This disassembly may be done to hide a crime, for security purposes, or may have even occurred accidentally. It is possible to successfully reassemble documents manually, as well as with the help of computers and software. Many of the same methods used to reassemble documents will apply no matter how the document has been altered. Once the document fragments have been grouped, one of the subgroups can be selected for association and assembly. The group chosen could be the one with the least number of pieces or the one whose contents may be of greatest importance to the case. Large quantities of paper cut together that are still in their original stacked order may exhibit tool-marks from the cutting blade. It may be possible that, with proper exemplars from the same blade, the striations may be matched to the same cutter.
