Footprinting

For this endeavor, our class got into groups to analyze footprints. As luck would have it, first period (my period) got to go outside to collect dirt in containers so we could do the analysis inside. Once each group had a suitable quantity of dirt, we took our bins inside to get started. One person in each group laid their footprint and then we would analyze it. We recorded the outside temperature, weather conditions, relative humidity, and even the wind conditions as if it were an actual investigation in the field. In relation to the footprint, we recorded the length, width, direction it is going, cardinal direction, and specific data such as tread and class characteristics.

My footprint

Worksheet I/we filled out for footprint analysis

Creating a Profile

One day we came into class and miscellaneous pieces of forensic evidence were spread out on each table. Our teacher told us that there was a murder and that we needed a profile of the subject based upon the evidence on our table. There were 2 pieces of paper with a couple strands of hair taped to each, a ripped up note, a set of 4 fingerprints, and a smear that was assumably blood. After analyzing each hair underneath the microscope, we concluded that one set of hair belonged to a caucasian with light brown hair. In the other hair sample we found that the hairs came from both a dog and a cat; one hair was very straight dark hair (cat) and the other was kinda curved and brown (dog). We deduced that the fingerprints came from a right hand, but we were unable to tell which digits they were of. Unfortunately we could not decide whether or not the splatter came from blood or lipstick; the sample was very smeared and could pass for either. Finally, our group painstakingly pieced together the note and concluded that it said, "You'll never find her!" I personally observed that the suspect was probably egotistic due to the confidence that it would take to leave behind such valuable evidence.

My Profile sheet with all of the evidence I/we collected

After our analysis of the clues, we were told to make

Handwriting



"Speech is the expression of ides or thoughts or desires. Handwriting is the visible form of speech. Just as speech can have inflections of emotions, somewhere in handwriting is an expression of the emotions underlying the writer's thoughts, ideas, or desires." -Aristotle



    The study of one's handwriting is called graphology, and it was first studied by Aristotle circa 330 B.C. he claimed that the written word is the same as the spoken word -both reveal the speaker's emotion and personality in some way. Over a thousand years later, in 1662, one of the first publications about graphology was written by Camillo Baldi, the father of handwriting analysis. Baldi was an author and professor who often incorperated Aristotle into his teachings. The next 200 years led to extensive research into different handwriting styles, predominately in Europe. Below is a timeline of major aadvancements in graphology:



1882: Jamin J. Crepieux writes Hysteria and Handwriting. Handwritng and Expression., which is a compilation of the examination of 45 hysterical people’s handwriting. In 24 instances, the handwriting marked agitation and abnormally large movements of the pen.

1895: W. Preyer writes On the Physiology of Handwriting, which establishes that no matter what the pen/writing utensil is held by, be it right hand, left hand, foot, etc., the hand writing remains the same. This proved that handwriting is directly from the brain and doesn’t reflect the ability of the appendage.

1901: G. Meyer writes Die Wissenschaftlichen Grundalgen der Grapholgie, which studies different patterns that characterize one’s handwriting, such as slant, size, angularity, etc.

1919: J. Downey writes Graphology and the Psychology of Handwriting, which is a study of the handwriting of those with bipolar disorder.

1926: R. Saukek writes Experiments With Handwriting, which identifies the objective criteria in handwriting, such as relative speed and how handwriting changes from adulthood.

1933: G. Allport and P. Vernon write Studies in Expressive Movement, which is a collection of different experiments done that revealed a connection between expressive gestures, such as handwriting, and attitudes, traits, and values.

1936: K. Roman writes Studies on the variability of handwriting: The development of writing speed and point pressure in 2,200 school children. The title explains what it talks about.

1939: H, Jacoby writes Uniqueness and handwriting, where 2oo samples of the letter “i” were studied. It was discovered that out of the 200 samples, none were identical.

1944: T.S. Lewison and J. Zubin write Handwriting Analysis: A series of scales for evaluating the dynamic aspects of handwriting, in which the authors were able to identify the handwriting of delinquents and non-delinquents.

1948: W. Wolff writes Diagrams of the Unconscious, explores many different aspects in handwriting and of handwriting, such as one’s signature.

Characteristics

1. Line quality: Do letters flow or are they deliberate?
2. Spacing between words and letters
3. Ratio of height, width, and size of letters: is everything consistent?
4. Lifting of the pen: Are words/letters connected or seperated?
5. Connecting strokes: Similiar to #4, but applies to analysis of how capital letters connect or not connect to lowercase letters
6. Strokes to begin and end: Where on the page/line does the writing begin/end? (edge, middle, etc.)
7. Unusual letter formation: Any unique letters?
8. Pen prssure: How much pressure is applied to strokes going up and/orSlanr down?
9. Slant: Do letters slant left or right?
10. Baseline Habits: Do they write on the line, go above the line, or go below the line?
11. Fancy writing habits: Any characteristic loops or curls?
12. Placement of diactrics: How do they dot their "i"'s and cross their "t"'s?

    In class, we performed a handwriting experiment. First, we were given sheets of paper, such as the one in the picture below, and were told to write a sentence in cursive and print in the first block. Then we exchanged papers and had to try to first freehand forge and then trace forge each other's handwriting. THe two styles of forgery differ in that freehanding is more meticulous than trace because of the concentration one has to put into copying the handwriting. I personally had difficulty with both and have soundly decided to to attemp to forge any signatures in the future.



    In the second part of our experiment, everyone was told to write a phony check and tear it up. we then put our checks into envelopes and they were mixed up and select, random envelopes were placed at each table. From there we had to reassemble the checks the try to deduce who wrote it based upon their handwriting. As luck would have it, my group got my check. I didn't announce that to my group though, of course. After piecing together the check, my group immediately regognized how closely my "e"'s closed almost to the point of looking like "c"'s.

Check before

Check After

    There are not very many ":famous" cases involving handwriting -that have been solved, that is. One of the cases that has been solved by using handwriting analysis is Glibert v United States, where Gilbert forged a government check and posed as the payee's agent. He was found guilty for forgery.

Hair and Fiber Analysis

   

    Hair is a relatively reliable piece of evidence in an investigation, depending upon how much is left at the scene. For instance, hair can tell what ethnicity the hair came from or if it is human hair at all. Each animal species has it's own unique cuticle, or scale, pattern. Investigators can use animal hairs to figure out if either the victim or the culprit has pets, which could narrow the suspect list. Also, different ethnicities have different shapes/types of hair. For example, Asians typlically have very straight black hair whereas those of african decent normally have coarse dark hair. In addition, specialists can tell what part of the body the hair is from. Scalp hair is typically show little variation in diameter and uniform pigmitation, whereas pubic hair is usually short and curly with a wide variation in diameter. Hair can also tell investigators wether or not there was a struggle if a body is not found. Hair that has follicular tissue connected to it indicates that it has been somehow forcibly removed. A hair that falls out naturally has a round, bulbous shape at the root. Probably the most valuable piece of evidence to investigators is DNA, which can be found in the roots of a piece of hair. This is a very rare occurrence, unfortunately. Typically the roots of the hair are not present when found at a scene. In most cases, investigators find and rely on fiber(s). Some examples include cotton, polyester, silk, rayon, and nylon.
    The importance of hair/fiber analysis was first recognized in the late 1800s. The first case to suposedly involve hair/fiber was the 1847 case of the murder of Duchesse de Praeslin. In 1883, Alfred Swaine Taylor and Thomas Stevenson wrote a book called The Principles and Practice of Medical Jurisprudence, which talks about using hair in forensic investigations. The book also includes sketches of different hair samples under the microscope, labels of the different parts of a strand of hair, and references to different English cases where hair/fiber analysis was inolved. The use of the comparison microscope to perform side-by-side analysis of hairs collected from a crime scene and hairs from a suspect or victim first occurred in 1934 by Dr. Sydney Smith. This method of comparison helped solve the murder of an eight-year-old girl.
    Hairs/Fibers are classified as trace evidence, which is evidence that results from objects coming into contact with one another and can be collected by investigators. In order to collect such trace evidence, investigators commonly use tape, special vacuums, tweezers, and air-tight containers. Collection of such evidence can play a vital role in an investigation. When hair grows, traces of ingested chemicals are evident, similiar to an ice core. In cases where a victim was poisoned by substances such as arsenic or cyanide, investigaors can examine the hair to find out how much was injested prior to death.
    One of the most famous cases involving hair/fiber analysis was the Atlanta Child Murders. During the 70s in Atlanta, a serial killer was killing black children. The bodies had been strangled and left in the woods. all hope appeared to be lost until investigators discovered the same type of carpet fibers on some of the victims. When this information was released to the public, the victims were found naked along the shores of the river. The case went dry for some time, until one day officiers pulled over a vehicle that was crossing a bridge after hearing a mysterious splash. They took Wayne Williams into custody, and searched his car. His car revealed the same type of fibers that was found on the victims. Because of this and other evidence, Wayne Williams was conviced for murder and sentenced to multiple life sentences with no chance of parole.


   

Wayne Williams

Fingerprinting

History



Chinese deed signed with fingerprint



     Fingerprinting has been around for thousands of years, the oldest dating to circa 2000 BC when building the pyramids! About 3rd century BC, the Chinese recognized the individual aspects of fingerprints. Fingerprints were put on every legal document, which could later be used in court litigation proceedings. Over two thousand years  later in Persia, documents were again signed by fingerprints.

    Advances in fingerprinting didn't take too many leaps until the years surrounding 1858. William J. Hershal was an English administrator who was the first to document the application of fingerprints when he made a construction builder, by the name of Rajyadhar Konai, put a print of his palm and fingers on an official business transaction form since Mr. Konai could not write. Hershal was also the first to systematically record the fingerprints of inmates at jails.

    At about the same time, Scottish doctor Henry Faulds was making his own strides in the field of fingerprinting. While woking at a hospital in Tokyo, Japan about 1874, Faulds kept records of fingerprints and concluded that fingerprints were unchangeable. He also discovered that fingerprints were best created for wile with printer's ink on a smooth board. In addition, Faulds was credited for the fist identification of a fingerprint when he successfully lifted a print from a bottle of whiskey. Fingerprinting became a part of the American society in 1882, when a surveyor in New Mexico by the name of Gilber Thompson put his prints on a survey to prevent forgery. ten years later in Argentina, fingerprints were first used in crimesolving when Police Commodore Juan Vucetich took prints off a door which led to the capture of a murderer. In 1924, Congress gave the Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.) the authority to establish an Identification Division. This centralized all fingerprinting files and made it much easier to identify repeat criminals and missing persons.

An exapmle of a patent print
is dirty fingerprints on a glass,
such as those shown here.

Types

Patent Prints: visible prints that occur when a foreign substance on the skin of a finger comes in contact with the smooth surface of another object. These prints are visible without the aid of technology or any way to enhance them.

"Booking" is when general information of an offender
is put into the police database. Part of the booking
process includes taking exemplar fingerprints.

Exemplar Prints: Prints taken directly from a person.

There are many methods used to reveal invisible latent prints.

Latent Prints: Prints that are invisible to the naked eye. 

Techniques/Chemicals used to Expose Fingerprints

Laser luminescence: Involves the illumination of fingerprints due to fluorescing particles picked up during everyday life from paints, inks and oil.  It can be used on painted walls, metals, plastic and rubber, cloth and wood.

This diagram shows how laser luminescence works in a simple form.

Fingerprint reqovered using
metal evaporation.

  Metal evaporation- The fingerprint is developed by first evaporating a thin layer of gold onto the specimen, followed by a layer of cadmium which fills in the print and provides a contrast

Ninhydrin test kit

  Ninhydrin test - Indantrione hydrate reacts with the amino acids in the fingerprint, giving a visible deposit.  Also not suitable for fabrics or rough surfaces.

The collection of iodine vapor is called iodine
fuming. Fingerprints are sealed in a container
with iodine crystals. The vapor released by the
crystals adhears to the oils of the fingerprint,
making it visible.

Iodine vapor: Can be used to develop fingerprints on fabrics and rough surfaces.  Iodine vapour alone is useful only for prints up to 24 hours old, however a mixture of the vapor and steam allows this method to be effective for up to two months.

Acinetobacter Calciacatieus

Bacteria: Certain bacteria, for example acinetobacter calciacatieus, can be used to develop prints on valuable oil paintings, without harming the painting in the process.  The bacteria in a nutrient gel are pasted onto the surface of the painting, making the print visible as they multiply.  The gel can then simply be wiped off, leaving the painting unaffected.

TyphoonTrio+ variable mode imager,
a machine used to perform
autoradiography.

Autoradiography - Radioactive atoms are incorporated into the fingerprint by placing the piece of fabric into a container containing radioactive gases, such as iodine or sulphur dioxide, at a humidity of less than 50%.  The fabric is then put into contact with photographic film, and the radioactive atoms cause a picture to become clear.

Basic types/patterns of Prints

Basic fingerprint patterns. Specific variations look slightly different from the
ones shown here.

 

 Arches:

Plain: have an even flow of ridges from one side to the other of the pattern, no “significant up thrusts” and the ridges enter on one side of the impression, and flow out the other with a rise or wave in the center.

Radial: slope towards the thumb, have one delta and no re-curving ridges.

Ulnar: ridges slope towards the little finger, have one delta and no re-curving ridges.

Tented: have an angle, an up thrust, or two of the three basic characteristics of the loop.

Loops:

Radial: named after the radius, a bone in the forearm that joins the hand on the same side as the thumb. The flow of the pattern in radial loops runs in the direction of the radius (toward the thumb).

Ulnar: named after the ulna, a bone in the forearm. The ulna is on the same side as the little finger and the flow of the pattern in a ulnar loop runs in the direction of the ulna (toward the little finger).

Whorls:

Plain: consist of one or more ridges which make or tend to make a complete circuit with two deltas, between which an imaginary line is drawn and at least one re-curving ridge within the inner pattern area is cut or touched.

Central Pocket: consist of at least one re-curving ridge or an obstruction at right angles to the line of flow, with two deltas, between which when an imaginary line is drawn, no re-curving ridge within the pattern area is cut or touched.

Double Loop: consist of two separate and distinct loop formations with two separate and distinct shoulders for each core, two deltas and one or more ridges which make, a complete circuit

Accidental: consist of two different types of patterns with the exception of the plain arch, have two or more deltas or a pattern which possess some of the requirements for two or more different types or a pattern which conforms to none of the definitions.