NCJ Number
213753
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 51 Issue: 2 Dated: March 2006 Pages: 381-385
Date Published
March 2006
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Using techniques adopted from forensic odontology, this study tested whether researchers could match the correct hands to fingermarks left on the neck of a simulated strangulation victim.
Abstract
Researchers were unable to make any correct match of a participant's hand with the imprints left on a dummy's neck. The study found that the matching of hands to fingermarks is difficult and inconclusive, largely because objective criteria for a match are difficult to establish. Blue paint was applied to the fingers of 21 men, who then grasped the neck of a dummy and applied pressure similar to that necessary to achieve strangulation. The neck was constructed from a cylindrical measuring beaker with a diameter of 10 cm, covered with a 1-cm- thick layer of foam rubber and a 2-mm-thick layer of a latex-like material. Based on preliminary studies and similar models made for experimental bitemark analyses, researchers determined that the dummy had approximately the same compliance and consistency as a human neck; and the artificial skin layer had an elasticity similar to that of human skin. When fingers were pressed into the latex-like material, an imprint remained for a period of time, and fingernail marks were clearly visible. The blue paint on the fingers of participants enhanced and preserved the prints. The imprints on the dummy's neck and participants' hands were photographed, and all images were uploaded on a computer, sorted by imprints and hands. The image of the hand was mirrored so that it made an overlay on the image of the imprint; then one image was dragged into the other, creating a second layer, with both layers being simultaneously visible. The comparisons were scored by researchers according to the degree of fit. 6 figures and 11 references