Fingerprint Examination

First time used in 1880s by Dr Henry Faulds in British india

Latent print identification relies on three levels of detail NOT

just points!
Level 1 detail -- Ridge flow (patterns)
Level 2 detail -- Ridge formations (ridge endings, bifurcations, dots, or
combinations thereof)
Level 3 detail -- Ridge path deviation (ridge structure or formation,
which includes ridge width, shape, pores and other details)
Level 1 Detail
Ridge Flow
Level 1 Detail
Ridge Flow

Ridge flows make up three

distinct pattern types:
Loops
Arches
Whorls
Level 2 Detail
Friction Ridge Formations

Friction skin ridges on the hands and feet create

distinctive features that are grouped into three
basic characteristics (also known as points):

Bifurcations (or the splitting of a single

ridge into two ridges)

Ridge endings (or point at which a ridge

ends)

Dots
Level 2 Detail
Friction Ridge Formations
Level 3 Detail
Ridge Path Structure
Basic Fingerprint Equipment

Fingerprints can be recorded with any of the following materials:

Ink (Black Printers Ink) and Paper (Standard Fingerprint Card,
Chemicals and Paper (Standard Fingerprint Card)
Livescan.
Latent Print Examiners are allowed to
make positive identifications

1. With appropriate training

2. With appropriate experience
3. With appropriate ability
4. When using the scientific procedure of
ACE-V
Analysis
Comparison
Evaluation
Verification
 Document Examination
Examination of handwriting, forged checks, forged documents, counterfeit currency, forged wills
Forged paintings etc (Alberst S Osborn Father of science of document examination)

Fig-1: Altered'check'written'in'black'ballpoint'pens'when'viewed'with'visible'light'

Fig-2: Same'altered'check'viewed'with'infrared'radiation'
Art/Painting Forgery
Art forgeryis the creating and selling of works ofartwhich are falsely credited
to other, usually more famous, artists.

Dating technology and analysis techniques made it easier to identify the

forgery
Surface analysis by optical microscopy and UV light (Old ink fluoresce more
compare to retouch)
X-ray radiography and Infra red reflectography for studying the underdrawing
in paintings
XRD, HPLC, SEM-EDX, Py-GCMS, LDI-TOF-MS for analysis of ink used for
painting
Tests of this painting, revealed that the purportedly ancient wormholes in the panel
had been made with a drill (they were straight, not crooked) and that the Virgin's
robe was painted using Prussian blue, a pigment not invented until the 18th
century. It is thought that this painting was created in the 1920s by an unknown
Italian forger.
 Forensic Anthropology

Dr Thomas Dwight father of Forensic Anthropology

Its the application of physical anthropology to the legal process.

Identify skeletal, badly decomposed or unidentified human remains

for legal and human reasons.
 Forensic Anthropologists can often answer
many questions:
Are the remains a single individual or mixed remains of several individuals?

When did the death occur?

What are the gender, age, and race of the individual?

What caused the death?

What kind of death was it a homicide, a suicide, and accident or a natural

death, or is the cause still undetermined?

Did the individual have any anatomical peculiarities, signs of disease, or old
injuries?
Determining Age At Death
Infant Skull or Not?
Teeth

Have deciduous teeth fallen out?

Have wisdom teeth erupted?
Epiphyses
An epiphysis is a region
of bone growth found at
the ends of bone shafts.

These regions are not

fused to the rest of the
bone shaft during the
ages of grwoth.

Once growth has

ceased, they fuse with
the shaft. Usually after
the age of 17.

Fused = adult
Unfused epiphyseal plate = juvenile (under age 17)
Fused Epiphysis

Older Even Older

Forensic Anthropology
Determining Sex using the femur
Forensic Anthropology
Determining Sex using the pelvis
 Subpubic angle
Females greater than
90
Males less than 90

Sciatic notch
Females more than 68
Males less than 68

Sacrum is straighter in
women than in men.
Figure 2 Male (left) and female (right) skulls

Forensic Anthropology
Determining Sex using the skull

Male (left) and female (right) skulls

Forensic Anthropology

Determining Stature
Forensic scientists can estimate a persons
stature (height) by examining one or more of
the long bones. Men and women have
different proportions of long bones to total
height.
 Forensic Anthropology
Determining Culture - race

Difficult determination to make

Facial bones most important

Nasal aperture
Teeth
Interorbital space
Mandible
 Negroid/African Skull
Mongoloid/Asian Skull

Caucasian/European Skull
Aboriginal/Australian Skull
Forensic Anthropology

Determining Time of Death

Anthropologist helpful if soft tissues have

decomposed.
If soft tissue is present, identification can be
done by the pathologist.
Determining Cause of Death or Other
Injuries
Other info

TRAUMA and PATHOLOGIES

Antemortem before death

Postmortem after death

Perimortem at death or
around time of death
 Perimortem Injuries

Iron age period male with perimortem sword

wound to the skull.

Injury occurred at or around the time of death and may

have even caused the death
Antemortem Injuries

Injuries that occurred during

the decedent's lifetime
they appear healed.
Forensic Anthropology

Final Report Should Include:

Taphonomy (time of death)
Biological profile (age, sex, stature, race)
Individual characteristics
Evidence of possible cause of death