NCJ Number
142936
Journal
Journal of Forensic Identification Volume: 43 Issue: 3 Dated: (May/June 1993) Pages: 234-239
Date Published
1993
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article reports on a case in which a skin fragment at a crime scene was matched to a suspect's finger wound.
Abstract
Tapings of the carpeted floor at a murder scene yielded a small fragment of skin that proved not to be that of the murder victim. The skin was placed in a solution of "ridge builder," followed by a lengthy immersion in some commercially available skin lotion. After the skin fragment had soaked for several hours, the skin was rolled out and ridge detail was noted. The skin fragment, however, was not from the tip area of a finger, thus preventing any match with fingerprints on file. Subsequently, however, an individual appeared, with his attorney, at the police station and signed a statement that implicated him in the murder. Noting that the suspect had a bandage around the second joint area of the left little finger, efforts were made to match the skin fragment with the wound. The test found that the shape and size of the piece of skin matched the wound's shape and size. Also, the ridge flow and number of ridges in the piece of skin matched those of the wound. A plea agreement was reached, and the suspect is now serving 15 years in prison for second-degree murder. 4 figures and 1 reference