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Comparison of handmarks in manual strangulation: an experimental study
Mie E Kristensen1, Niels Lynnerup, Birgitte Sejrsen
1Institute of Forensic Medicine, Frederik d. 5's vej 11, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
|March 29, 2006
Summary
Forensic fingermark analysis on simulated strangulation is challenging. Researchers found that while direct matches were not achieved, the study could exclude incorrect matches in most cases, highlighting the difficulty of conclusive evidence.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Science
- Criminalistics
- Human Anatomy
Background:
- The study was initiated due to a police case involving a strangulated victim with visible fingermarks.
- Two suspects implicated each other, necessitating a controlled experiment to evaluate fingermark evidence reliability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the feasibility and accuracy of matching fingermarks from simulated strangulation to individual hands.
- To assess the reliability of fingermark comparison in forensic investigations, particularly in cases of manual strangulation.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-one male participants had their fingers coated with blue paint.
- Participants simulated strangulation by grasping a neck dummy with firm pressure.
- Fingerprint imprints were collected, hands photographed, and imprints were blindly compared to hand photographs.
Main Results:
- No direct, conclusive matches were found between fingermarks and the correct hand in any trial.
- In 4 out of 5 cases, the fingermark could be associated with a group of hands that included the correct one, allowing for exclusion of non-matches.
- The study indicated significant difficulty in establishing objective criteria for matching fingermarks from simulated strangulation.
Conclusions:
- Matching fingermarks from simulated strangulation is difficult and often inconclusive.
- Fingermark analysis in such cases may be more effective for excluding suspects rather than providing definitive identification.
- The reliability of fingermark matching is limited, especially without unique anatomical features present in the impression.
