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Fingerprint Evidence

"...the majority of all crime is committed by habitual criminals who have been arrested or imprisoned before...their fingerprints are on file, and...a single fingerprint left anywhere about the scene of a crime may enable the experts to tell just who committed the crime."
-T. Dickerson Cooke, The Blue Book of Crime, 1953.

Fingerprinting the Dead

Friday, 25 September 2009 00:00 Daryl W. Clemens Physical Evidence - Fingerprint Evidence

Obtaining fingerprints for identification is a long established law enforcement practice. When the practice started, is was most common to use printers ink applied to the fingers which were then pressed onto paper cards. Later specialized inks were employed to improve the quality of the prints obtained. While ink is still used today, many agencies are now using computer "live-scan" methods to record reference prints.

One of the challenges in obtaining reference prints has always been how to obtain them from the deceased. Ink has often been used with success, but it can be difficult, especially with rigor stiffened or mummified fingers. Live-scan is not a practical option, at least not until someone develops a portable scanner.

Last Updated on Monday, 26 October 2009 12:39 Read more...

Case Study: Conviction Through Enhanced Fingerprint Identification

Sunday, 20 September 2009 11:34 FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Physical Evidence - Fingerprint Evidence

This article originally appeared in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, December 1992.

In March 1990, an unknown assailant sexually molested and fatally stabbed a young woman. At the crime scene, an investigator discovered few leads. The only evidence was a pillowcase, found adjacent to the victim's body, that exhibited several bloodstains. One stain showed some faint fingerprint ridge detail, barely visible even to the trained eye.

Last Updated on Monday, 26 October 2009 11:03 Read more...

Hidden Evidence: Latent Prints on Human Skin

Sunday, 20 September 2009 11:32 Ivan Ross Futrell Physical Evidence - Fingerprint Evidence

By Ivan Ross Futrell

Mr. Futrell is a supervisory fingerprint specialist in the Latent Fingerprint Section of the FBI Laboratory in Washington, D.C.

This Article Originally Appeared in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, April 1996.

(Recent research proves that identifiable prints can be obtained from the skin of homicide victims under real field conditions, not just in the laboratory.)

Whether to stop them from fleeing, immobilize them, or dispose of them, murderers often grab their victims. What homicide detective has not wished for the ability to develop identifiable fingerprints of a suspect from the skin of a dead body? Crucial fingerprint evidence linking the perpetrator to the victim must be right there, but, until recently, attempts to retrieve those prints rarely met with success.

Latent Prints in Dust

Sunday, 20 September 2009 11:30 Curtis C. Frame Physical Evidence - Fingerprint Evidence

by Captain Curtis C. Frame,
Criminal Investigation Division
Jasper County Sheriff's Office
Jasper, Texas
Article Copyright © 2000, Curtis C. Frame

A Latent print found in dust, may be the only clue in which there are no other leads. And because the areas that are routinely touched by the victims are not normally dusty, the dust print we find may be the only link we have of the perpetrator to the crime scene. However, most crime scene and latent print examiner experts will say that, regardless of their importance, latent prints in dust are a nightmare. This is due to the fact that a latent print in dust was actually left there due to the dust being removed by adhering to the ridges of the skin that touched it.

Atmospheric Superglue Method

Sunday, 20 September 2009 11:29 Pat A. Wertheim Physical Evidence - Fingerprint Evidence

By Pat A. Wertheim

This article originally appeared in Minutiae, the Lightning Powder Co. Newsletter, #44, Sep-Oct 1997.

Some latent print technicians believe superglue should be listed second only to powder as the most effective latent print development technique. Others believe it should come first. Either way, no one can deny that superglue fuming is the most revolutionary new method to be discovered since the invention of powder. Superglue fuming works on many surfaces where powder is ineffective, such as plastics, and has the advantage of fixing the print on the surface for later presentation in court.

Crime & Clues

Fingerprinting the Dead

Case Study: Conviction Through Enhanced Fingerprint Identification

Hidden Evidence: Latent Prints on Human Skin

Latent Prints in Dust

Atmospheric Superglue Method

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