A technologist searching the slaughterhouse on Robert Pickton's farm found clumps of hair, a condom, a red-stained receipt and several pieces of clothing, jurors heard Wednesday.

Tara Nicholls testified at Pickton's murder trial that she examined about 50 blonde-brownish hairs massed in one clump, of which 14 had roots and one was a scalp hair about 38 centimetres long. Another clump of "loose hair" included some that was determined to be human, she said.

Under cross-examination by defence lawyer Joe Saulnier, Nicholls said the discoveries were made at a "concrete foundation" in a destroyed portion of the slaughterhouse, where Pickton made a living butchering pigs.

Among a long list of items examined and sent for DNA analysis by Nicholls were a blanket, a jean shirt and exhibits from a blue garment bag that included gloves with the fingertips cut away and a compact case with two powder puffs.

Wednesday's trial resumed after a two-day hiatus due to one of the jurors taking ill.

The courtroom continued to hear testimony from a long line of investigators from the Evidence Recovery Unit sent to Pickton's property to analyze DNA samples.

'Dirty and brittle condom'

Another witness, search co-ordinator Angela Butler, testified that she found a "dirty and brittle condom" that had been tied at the open end, and that she "removed numerous animal hairs" from the condom before sending the hairs for DNA analysis.

Dennis Thrift, the case manager for the missing women investigation at the RCMP's Vancouver forensic lab, testified that 196 exhibits were sent to the lab out of thousands of exhibits seized. He also testified that none of the women's undergarments found near the Piggy's Palace building, a large metal clubhouse on Pickton's property notorious for hosting parties, were sent for DNA testing.

Jurors concluded the day listening to a power-point presentation on the intricacies of DNA and DNA matching.

Pickton was arrested in 2002 and charged with first-degree murder in the killings of 26 women who disappeared from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

He is currently on trial for the murders of six of the women — Marnie Frey, Brenda Wolfe, Mona Wilson, Georgina Papin, Sereena Abotsway and Andrea Joesbury — and will face another trial at a later date.

He has pleaded not guilty to all 26 charges.

With files from the Canadian Press