NCJ Number
233766
Journal
Identification Canada Volume: 28 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2005 Pages: 1-30
Date Published
June 2005
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This issue's two featured articles address the validation of the Hexagon OBTI test as a confirmation test for luminol at crime scenes in Quebec (Canada) and fingerprint experiments on the skin of a homicide victim in Vancouver.
Abstract
The use of the presumptive test with luminol to detect possible blood stains is often required at a crime scene. Because the test is only presumptive, however, luminol may produce false positives. It is necessary to determine whether a stain is really blood; and, if so, whether the blood is from a human. Currently, the Surete du Quebec uses a second presumptive test with Hemastix, in order to get a stronger indication of the presence of blood. Unfortunately, this test does not determine whether the blood is human. A promising new product, only recently available in Canada, shows promise. The Hexagon OBTI test is a rapid immunochromatographic test for human blood. This new product, which reacts with primate hemoglobin, has been shown in many previous studies to be a valid forensic test for human blood. The test is simple to use and can be performed at the crime scene. The second article describes the procedures used by the Vancouver Police Department's Forensic Identification Unit in obtaining fingerprints from a homicide victim's ankles. The victim was a Black male whose arms and legs were virtually hairless. Experiments that used two different techniques of fingerprint development were performed on the victim's ankles. The first technique used was the transfer of fingerprint residue to photographic paper. The second technique was cyanoacrylate (CA) fuming and the application of rhodamine staining. The first technique failed to reveal prints, but the second technique resulted in excellent ridge detail. This issue also reports on recent activities of the Canadian Identification Society.