Publication: Development of latent fingermarks at extremely low temperature
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2026-02
Authors
En, Loo Yee
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Fingermarks are a crucial form of forensic evidence due to their persistence and individuality. However, their stability can be affected by environmental exposure and substrate characteristics. Criminals may attempt to conceal evidence by subjecting it to extreme conditions such as freezing, making the recovery of usable fingermarks a significant forensic challenge due to residue degradation and condensation effects. This study investigated the development of latent fingermarks on various substrates, including food (apple and orange), five types of plastics (HDPE, PET, polypropylene, polystyrene and LDPE), metal and glass after exposure to −20°C in the freezer for one week. The study was conducted in two phases; a preliminary experiment to assess surface changes and identify effective development methods for fresh sebaceous fingermarks, and a main experiment to evaluate development performance after freezing. Eight development techniques were examined: non-magnetic powder, magnetic powder, SPR, Sudan Black, Amido Black, Crystal Violet, Oil Red O and ninhydrin. Sudan Black, Oil Red O and magnetic powder consistently showed higher effectiveness in the preliminary phase for most tested substrates. Results from the main experiment indicated that latent fingermarks could still be developed after being frozen at −20°C for one week. However, a general reduction in quality and ridge detail was observed. Fingermark quality was influenced by substrate type and development technique. Non-porous substrates such as plastic, metal and glass retained ridge detail longer than food substrates, which exhibited faster degradation due to higher moisture content. These findings provide valuable insight into the effects of extreme cold exposure on fingermark development and support the improvement of protocols for latent fingermark visualisation and preservation in cold or frozen environments.
Description
Keywords
-