Fingerprints and human identification 95
techniques may be required. One such technique involves the use of isopropyl
alcohol to dry water-soaked friction ridge skin. Isopropyl alcohol is applied
to the hands, which are then blotted dry with paper or cloth towels. This
process should be repeated until the desired results are achieved. Another
technique involves using a hair dryer to dry the skin by setting the hair dryer
on low heat and blow drying the hands. The final method, called the flame
technique, involves the use of a butane grill lighter to dry the skin. The flame
is moved back and forth across the friction skin for a few seconds, taking care
to dry but not to char the skin. The same results can be accomplished by roll-
ing a finger over a hot light bulb instead of using an open flame.
Since the early days of fingerprinting, the standard method for record-
ing fingerprints has been the application of a thin layer of black printer’s
ink to the fingers and then recording the friction ridge impressions onto a
fingerprint card. Although this technique works well with the living, it is
more difficult in its application for printing the dead. The examination of a
body usually takes place with the deceased positioned on his or her back for
eventual autopsy. This position makes it difficult or nearly impossible for the
examiner to apply ink to the fingers using an inking plate, and thus requires
that ink be rolled onto a spatula and applied to the fingers. The application of
too much ink may result in distorting/smudging of the recorded prints. It is
also not feasible to roll the finger impressions onto a fingerprint card, espe-
cially when rigor mortis has set in the body. The recording of inked impres-
sions is thus accomplished using a tool called a spoon that can be placed on
the end of the finger. Fingerprint blocks are held in the spoon and are used to
capture friction ridge detail and create a complete fingerprint record.
The recommended recording strategy for recovering fingerprint impres-
sions from deceased individuals involves the use of black powder and white
a d he si ve l i ft e r s. Th i s t e c h n ique i s qu ic k a nd e a s y to u s e , re su lt i ng i n c le a r pr i nt s
compared with those obtained through inking. The first step in the procedure
is to lightly coat the fingers with black powder, covering the entire pattern area,
using a traditional squirrel hair fingerprint brush or sponge-type paintbrush.
Each finger is powdered separately and placed on an adhesive lifter, such as
Handiprint (product of CSI Forensic Supply), that is cut to the approximate
size of the finger blocks on a fingerprint card. The lifter is placed just below
the first joint and then wrapped around the fingertip to record the powder
impression. If debris from the finger is being lifted along with the powder and
obscures ridge detail, a less adhesive lifter, such as a mail label, should be used.
The recorded impression is then affixed to the back of an acetate fingerprint
card (Figure 6.8). This type of clear plastic card can be produced by photo-
copying a standard fingerprint card onto transparency film.
Some alternative printing strategies that are useful in recording quality
postmortem impressions from difficult remains involve the use of Mikrosil®
(Kjell Carlsson Innovation, Sundbyberg, Sweden) and AccuTrans® (Ultronics,