Development of Latent Finger Prints on Human Skin: A Review

Abstract

There are still many areas in finger print science, which need further research to make this unique science of individualization more effective in crime investigation, development of latents on human skin is one such area. In case of homicide by strangulation, if decipherable latents could be developed and lifted from the skin, it would be another milestone in the history of fingerprints in criminal investigation. In cases of homicide by strangulation, crucial latent finger mark linking the perpetrator of the crime may be present on victims' skin, but attempts to retrieve such an evidence have not met with much success. Difficulty in developing fingerprints on skin is due to its function of regulating body's temperature, excretion of waste matter, and other bodily biochemical functions, both in live persons and the deceased. Moist surface of a living person's skin may lead to water soluble contents of the latents get washed away or the composition altered, but in case of human cadaver, theoretically, the possibility of finding such an evidence seems a little better. But there are many hurdles which the physiological processes happening inside a living human body or a cadaver may pose in recovering latents from skin surface. Furthermore, the skin of homicide victims may also be subjected to many severe circumstances, such as defacement, presence of saliva, blood, urine, other bodily fluids, ambient weather, postmortem changes, and putrefaction of body. Moreover, like in any other crime scene scenario, during investigation number of individuals handle a dead body, which may cause irreparable damage to the quality of existing finger print evidence, or possibly add new ones to the corpse's skin. The objective of this paper is to apprise the stakeholders with methods used in different countries for recovery of fingerprints from human skin, and their level of success.