Camryn Sippy

Crime Scene: #2
Evidence being examined: Pocket Knife
Forensic science being used: Superglue Fuming
Summary of the science:
Fingerprinting has been one of the most effective ways for identifying an individual
throughout history, and continues to be. The use of fingerprints has been used for not only
identifying a person, but was also used for business transactions and other like things. The first
book about using fingerprints for classification was published in 1892 by a man named Sir
Francis Galton. This book talked about the different types of fingerprints such as arches, loops
and whorls. As the science advanced and the need for fingerprint identification became more
common in criminal cases, it became an option as a career in 1977.
Everytime you touch something with your hands, you leave fingerprints on the surface of
what you just touched. Fingerprints are considered associative evidence because they link a
person to the scene of the crime. Each fingerprint has different minutia, which are the small
imperfecting in an individuals fingerprints that are unique to that individual. These minutia are
what investigators use to determine whose fingerprints are presents. There are three different
types of fingerprints; the first being latent, the second visible, and the third impression. Latent
prints are fingerprints that are made visible through a chemical process such as superglue
fuming. This type of print is left behind everytime you touch something because of the oils and
chemicals that are on your skin. Visible prints are fingerprints that you can see and take pictures
of directly without having to undergo a chemical process to be seen. An example of a visible
print would be if someone had paint of blood on their hands then touched a wall or table. The
prints left behind are clearly visible. Impression prints are when fingers are pressed into
something and it holds the shape of the fingerprint. When you press your hand into clay, the
clay holds the print of your hand and fingers, therefore its an impression print.
A process in order to make the common latent print visible is cyanoacrylate fuming, also
known as superglue fuming. The process includes heating the superglue to a gaseous state in
order for the fatty and amino acids and the proteins in the fingerprint to react with the moisture
in the air, leaving a sticky, white film on the prints.
Superglue is first put into an aluminum dish and put in an incubator along with the
evidence that is being tested for prints and a separate dish of water for the prints visibility. The
incubator is then brought to the boiling point of the superglue, 60 degrees Celsius, for about an
hour. The cyanoacrylate will turn into its gaseous state, sticking to the latent print.
When the fuming is done, the white, sticky prints can be dusted with a black powder to
make them more visible. Special tape is then pressed on to the print to lift it, then put on paper
and scanned into a computer. Once scanned in, investigators can then begin work on analysing
the prints.

An advancement to the superglue fuming process is to use a high intensity light to get a
better look at the prints.
Based on the minutia of the fingerprint on a pocket knife found in the grave site, it can be
determined that it belongs to John Hannah. The print found matches the left thumb print of John
Hannah.

Sources:
Watson, Stephanie. HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, n.d. Web. 09 Oct. 2014.
"The Cyanoacrylate Fuming Method." The Cyanoacrylate Fuming Method. N.p., n.d.
Web. 07 Oct. 2014.
"Latent Prints." Latent Prints. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Oct. 2014.
"Cyanoacrylate Ester - Latent Print Processing Chemical." Cyanoacrylate Ester - Latent
Print Processing Chemical. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Oct. 2014.