Clutter Susan Wright, Bailey Robert, Everly Jeff C, Mercer Karl
Virginia Fire Marshal Academy, Glen Allen, VA 23059-4500, USA.
J Forensic Sci. 2009 Nov;54(6):1332-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2009.01143.x. Epub 2009 Aug 28.
Throughout the United States, clearance rates for arson cases remain low due to fire's destructive nature, subsequent suppression, and a misconception by investigators that no forensic evidence remains. Recent research shows that fire scenes can yield fingerprints if soot layers are removed prior to using available fingerprinting processes. An experiment applying liquid latex to sooted surfaces was conducted to assess its potential to remove soot and yield fingerprints after the dried latex was peeled. Latent fingerprints were applied to glass and drywall surfaces, sooted in a controlled burn, and cooled. Liquid latex was sprayed on, dried, and peeled. Results yielded usable prints within the soot prior to removal techniques, but no further fingerprint enhancement was noted with Ninhydrin. Field studies using liquid latex will be continued by the (US) Virginia Fire Marshal Academy but it appears that liquid latex application is a suitable soot removal method for forensic applications.
在美国各地，由于火灾具有破坏性、后续灭火行动以及调查人员存在火灾现场不会留存法医证据的误解，纵火案的破案率一直很低。最近的研究表明，如果在使用现有的指纹提取方法之前去除烟灰层，火灾现场能够提取到指纹。进行了一项将液体乳胶应用于有烟灰表面的实验，以评估其去除烟灰以及在干燥乳胶剥离后提取指纹的潜力。将潜在指纹施加到玻璃和干墙表面，在可控燃烧中使其被烟灰覆盖，然后冷却。喷洒液体乳胶，干燥后剥离。结果显示，在采用去除技术之前，烟灰内就已产生可用的指纹，但用茚三酮处理后未发现指纹清晰度有进一步提升。（美国）弗吉尼亚州消防局长学院将继续开展使用液体乳胶的实地研究，但液体乳胶应用似乎是一种适用于法医鉴定的烟灰去除方法。
