NCJ Number
191245
Journal
Journal of Forensic Identification Volume: 51 Issue: 5 Dated: September/October 2001 Pages: 496-503
Date Published
2001
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article presents the methodology and findings of a study that applied and assessed standard latent fingerprint detection techniques to the raw ivory of African elephants, so as to establish possible linkages between the ivory and poaching suspects.
Abstract
The project was performed in two stages. In the first stage, the possibility of the detection of fresh latent fingerprints was investigated. The stability of the latent prints on the tusks was analyzed in the second stage. In the first stage, the following methods were used to detect fresh latent fingerprints placed on the tusks by four incidental donors: powdering, SPR, superglue fuming with various dyes, and vacuum metal deposition (VMD). All methods but the VMD yielded satisfactory results for fresh latent prints. Two-week-old latent prints from the four donors could not be detected by using magnetic powder or SPR. Superglue fuming followed by black magnetic powders was more effective. One and 2-day-old fingerprints were easily detected by magnetic powder and SPR on all ivory and glass samples. Three-day-old prints were still possible to detect on the control ivory sample kept in the laboratory, but nothing was detected on the ivory sample kept in the container. After 3 days, neither powder nor SPR were able to detect latent prints even on the control ivory sample kept inside the laboratory. 1 table and 14 references