The Effect of Liquid Levels in Beverage Containers on Fingerprint Persistence: An Experimental Evaluation

Abstract

This study systematically investigates the relationship between liquid content in beverage containers and the preservation of latent fingerprints. Although such items are frequently encountered at crime scenes, the recoverability and comparative suitability of fingerprints deposited on beverage containers have received limited attention in the forensic science literature. Under controlled experimental conditions, latent fingerprint persistence was evaluated on five commonly encountered beverage container types (PET water bottles, glass mineral water bottles, aluminum cola cans, aluminum beer cans, and glass beer bottles) across three liquid conditions (full, half-full, and empty) and five storage intervals (1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, and 3 months) using a standard cyanoacrylate fuming protocol. The primary hypothesis of the study was that latent fingerprints on full beverage containers would be preserved at a higher rate of comparative suitability over time. The findings demonstrated that the liquid level within beverage containers had a significant effect on the persistence and detectability of latent fingerprints on non-porous surfaces. When all time points were considered together, full containers yielded the highest proportion of fingerprints suitable for comparison (80%). The corresponding proportions were 75% for empty containers and 64% for half-full containers. Data obtained from a total of 1,500 fingerprint samples indicate that, to maximize fingerprint recovery, beverage containers should be transported and preserved without emptying their contents. These findings provide a quantitative evaluative framework for optimizing latent fingerprint recovery from beverage containers and contribute to evidence handling practices in crime scene investigations.

Keywords

• Latent fingerprint
• Beverage container
• Cyanoacrylate fuming
• Crime scene investigation

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