IDENTIFICATION OF FINGERPRINTS ON DIFFERENT KINDS OF STONES ON THE BASIS OF TIME

Abstract

Fingerprints are one of the most important types of evidence in crime investigation due to their permanency, uniqueness, and ease of enhancing. Demonstrators usually prefer hiding their identities by covering their faces in illegal events such as throwing stones at security forces or at businesses and residences so as to damage property. Once the fingerprints are detected on stones, it could be possible to reach the perpetrators. However, there is insufficient research about recovering fingerprints on stones and their subsequent reliability. In this study, fingerprints left on 12 different kinds of stone surface were held for 1, 3, and 5 days respectively, after which it was sought to determine whether or not suitable fingerprints could be recovered for comparison. In this study, As a result of various chemical applications in the laboratory on 12 different types of stones, it was revealed that fingerprints with sufficient characteristics could be obtained from various stone types. Fingerprints of good quality were made visible with cyanoacrylate fuming method, particularly on stones with smooth surfaces and minimal porosity such as the outer surfaces of red brick, marble, mosaic, ceramic, tile and granite. After more than a hundred and thirty years, fingerprints still remain to be considered as one of the most important sources of evidence. It is evaluated that fingerprints developed from stones which were thrown during an assault could be instrumental in identification of a perpetrator.

Keywords

• Fingerprint
• stone
• Cyanoacrylate
• Silver nitrate
• Ninhydrin.

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