Electronic fingerprinting of the dead

Int J Legal Med (2008) 122:7780 DOI 10.1007/s00414-007-0158-6

TECHNICAL NOTE

Electronic fingerprinting of the dead

G. N. Rutty & K. Stringer & E. E. Turk

Received: 2 July 2006 / Accepted: 10 January 2007 / Published online: 13 February 2007 # Springer-Verlag 2007

Abstract To date, a number of methods exist for the capture of fingerprints from cadavers that can then be used in isolation as a primary method for the identification of the dead. We report the use of a handheld, mobile wireless unit used in conjunction with a personal digital assistant (PDA) device for the capture of fingerprints from the dead. We also consider a handheld single-digit fingerprint scanner that utilises a USB laptop connection for the electronic capture of cadaveric fingerprints. Both are single-operator units that, if ridge detail is preserved, can collect a 10-set of finger pad prints in approximately 45 and 90 s, respectively. We present our observations on the restrictions as to when such devices can be used with cadavers. We do, however, illustrate that the images are of sufficient quality to allow positive identification from finger pad prints of the dead. With the development of mobile, handheld, biometric, PDA-based units for the police, we hypothesize that, under certain circumstances, devices such as these could be used for the accelerated acquisition of fingerprint identification data with the potential for rapid near-patient identification in the future.

Keywords Forensic . Fingerprinting . Electronic . PDA .

Livescan . Cadaver

Introduction

Fingerprinting is one of the four primary identification criteria that can be used in isolation to identify a deceased individual [1]. A number of techniques are available to recover fingerprints from cadavers [25]. With the development of biometric identification systems in the living has come the concept of a police officer being able to check the identity of an individual in the street using portable, handheld, biometric devices (http://www.crossmatch.net/single_finger_scanners.html

Web End =http://www.crossmatch.net/single_ http://www.crossmatch.net/single_finger_scanners.html

Web End =finger_scanners.html ; http://morpho.com/products_solutions/law_enforcement/RapID.html

Web End =http://morpho.com/products_ http://morpho.com/products_solutions/law_enforcement/RapID.html

Web End =solutions/law_enforcement/RapID.html ; http://www.identix.com/products/pro_mobile_ibis.html

Web End =http://www.identix. http://www.identix.com/products/pro_mobile_ibis.html

Web End =com/products/pro_mobile_ibis.html ). They are based upon personal digital assistant (PDA) devices such as pocket PCs. Fingerprints and mug shots can be captured and stored for future analysis or sent by secure wireless communication to an automated fingerprint...