NCJ Number
226461
Journal
Journal of Forensic Identification Volume: 59 Issue: 2 Dated: March/April 2009 Pages: 152-171
Date Published
March 2009
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This article reports on the results of testing multiple methods for enhancing and preserving fingerprints in petroleum jelly, for which there was a lack of known techniques in 2005, when the Forensic Services Division of the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office (Florida) was presented with fingerprints in petroleum jelly on a petroleum jelly jar recovered in a sexual battery case.
Abstract
The testing found that the best method for enhancing and recording prints in petroleum jelly was to photograph with oblique light, casting with Mikrosil, and then processing with Sudan black, all at room temperature. The Sudan black worked as a background stain for the labels, but did not stain the actual print, and it was found that Mikrosil was effective in casting the impressions. The first of two experiments was conducted to determine the best methods for developing fingerprints in petroleum jelly on the sides and lids of petroleum jelly jars. The processing methods were cyanoacrylate ester fumes (CA) and Sudan black, Sudan black, CA and magnetic powder, magnetic powder, CA and ninhydrin, ninhydrin, CA and physical developer, and physical developer. The 8 processing techniques were tested on 15 jars of Equate petroleum jelly jars. The second experiment was conducted to determine the best methods for casting latent petroleum jelly prints on the sides of petroleum jelly jars. Multiple casting methods were tested under ambient temperature and freezer temperature. The petroleum jelly prints on the jars were initially not processed, sprayed with hairspray, or processed with enamel spray paint. The petroleum jelly prints were than cast with clear nail polish, Mikrosil, or Modern Materials Die-Keen dental stone. The remaining jars were processed with CA and MBD fluorescent dye stain. 3 tables and 18 figures