Preliminary studies into the secondary transfer of undeveloped latent fingermarks between surfaces

Abstract

This study investigates the conditions under which undeveloped fingermarks will transfer between surfaces that have come into contact. Latent fingermarks were deposited on a glass surface, which was brought into contact with paper surfaces for varying periods of time and pressure. Subsequently, the paper was treated with a variety of development procedures including 1, 2-indanedione-zinc, ninhydrin, Oil red 0, aqueous Nile blue, and SMD II. 1, 2-Indanedione-zinc was successful at detecting transferred fingermarks, with good contrast and ridge definition, observed when fresh fingermarks were transferred by contact with the secondary surface for a minimum of 24 hours under a 5.00 kg pressure. The high degree of clarity and contrast of the developed transferred fingermark made it difficult to differentiate as a secondary mark. Transferred marks can only be recognized as a mirror image when compared to a mark directly deposited from an individual.