NCJ Number
156340
Journal
Journal of Forensic Identification Volume: 45 Issue: 4 Dated: (July- August 1995) Pages: 373-380
Date Published
1995
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This paper describes the vapor phase fuming of latent fingerprints with dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde (DMAC) and notes that this technique provides good visualization of ridge details on a wide selection of substrates and can be included in routine sequential examination procedures.
Abstract
The visualization of latent fingerprints produced by vapor phase fuming is often desirable due to its often nondestructive characteristic; fuming techniques vary in their effectiveness. In the work reported here, fuming experiments were initially carried out on fingerprints from several donors who laid down a mixture of sebaceous and eccrine-sweat-rich materials on white paper and polythene. The prints were aged for 5 days at ambient temperature and humidity before fuming. The results revealed the usefulness of DMAC, which has particular promise as a reagent for visualizing marks on fax papers, a substrate that has previously been problematic. Figures and 16 references (Author abstract modified)