Fingerprinting the Deceased

According to the "New Criminologist" online magazine, the identification of deceased persons using fingerprinting techniques is commonly completed by medical examiners and police officers, either at the scene of death or in a mortuary environment.

Fingerprinting

The New Criminologist reports that the most commonly used technique to identify a body is through an eyewitness identification. The most reliable technique is through fingerprinting, which is often completed when a body has decomposed or is physically damaged to such an extent that a witness identification is impossible.

Process

According to the "Tarrant County Medical Examiner" newsletter in Texas, fingerprints are usually taken from the deceased using ink and fingerprint cards. "Science Daily" explains that in 2006 an electronic fingerprinting technique was introduced using a mobile handheld device connected to a central database for rapid identification.

Techniques

When a body has begun the rigor mortis process, the "Tarrant County Medical Examiner" explains, the rigid fingers must be broken to increase flexibility for the ink fingerprinting process to be completed. In cases where the fingerprint has been damaged by water or humidity, a tissue builder can be injected into the finger to round it out. In cases where the damage has accelerated, the skin of the finger can be removed and air dried for printing over the gloved hand of the medical examiner.

References

• New Criminologist: Post-Mortem Fingerprinting
• Science Daily: Fingerprinting Technology Pioneered in Leicester
• Tarrant County Medical Examiner: The Science of Fingerprint Identification