Fingerprint Identification in an Air Crash Victim – Case Report and Discussion of the Technique Used

Abstract

Victims of air crashes present a major forensic challenge for identification, as bodies may exhibit extensive fragmentation and charring. The primary identification methods in such situations are fingerprint analysis, forensic odontology, forensic anthropology, and genetic analysis. Even in charred body segments, fingerprint identification should be the first option whenever feasible. However, the various trauma mechanisms involved and the intense loss of water from tissues can cause skin avulsion, hardening, and wrinkling, making fingerprint comparison more difficult. Several necropapilloscopic methods are available for these situations, but due to the unique characteristics of each case, the greater the technical arsenal available, the higher the chances of obtaining an adequate record. In the case described in this report, despite the extensive fragmentation of the body, part of the right hand was preserved, allowing fingerprint examination. Most necropapilloscopic techniques in special situations are aimed at obtaining epidermal impressions. However, in the present case, the epidermis could not be used, and fingerprint recording was obtained from the dermis. The technique presented is simple, rapid, and low-cost, allowing its application even in locations with limited infrastructure. It may also be used in any case where the epidermis is unsuitable for collection. It is hoped that this report will contribute to the use of necropapilloscopy in forensic practice, encouraging further study and refinement of these techniques.

Keywords

Identificação
Impressões digitais
Técnica
Medicina legal
Autopsia.
Identification
Fingerprints
Technique
Forensic Medicine
Autopsy
Identificación
Huellas Dactilares
Técnica
Medicina Legal
Autopsia

References

  1. G.N. Wagner; R.C. Froede. Medicolegal investigation of mass disasters. In: W.U. Spitz (Ed.). Spitz and Fisher’s Medicolegal Investigation of Death – Guidelines for the Application of Pathology to Crime Investigation. 4ªed. Springfield: Charles C. Thomas, United States of America; 2006. p. 966–93.
  2. A. Cerritelli. Interpol - Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) Guide; 2014. p. 39-40.
  3. A.M. Christensen; B.E. Anderson. Methods of Personal Identification. In: N.R. Langley, M.T.A. Tersigni-Tarrant (Eds.). Forensic Anthropology – A Comprehensive Introduction. 2ªed. CRC Press: Boca Raton, United States of America; 2017. P. 313-33.
  4. D.J. Spitz. Identification of human remains. In: W.U. Spitz (Ed.). Spitz and Fisher’s Medicolegal Investigation of Death – Guidelines for the Application of Pathology to Crime Investigation. 4ªed. Springfield: Charles C. Thomas, United States of America; 2006. p. 199–203.
  5. A.R.L. Figini; J.R. Leitão e Silva. Datiloscopia e Papiloscopia. In: Figini ARL (Ed.). Datiloscopia e Revelação de Impressões Digitais. Campinas: Editora Millennium, Brasil; 2012. p. 37-50.
  6. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Problems and Practices in Fingerprinting the Dead. In: The Science of Fingerprints – Classifications and Uses. Middletown, United States of America; 2017. p. 199-236.
  7. L.S. Bordoni; A.J. Silva; F.C. Santos; P.H.C. Bordoni. Identificação de segmento corporal – relato de caso e discussão dos aspectos médico-legais. Rev. Bras. Crimin. 2018; 7(2): 26-33.
  8. A.J. Silva; F.C. Santos; M.M. Castro; P.H.C. Bordoni; L.S. Bordoni. Identificação Papiloscópica em Cadáveres Carbonizados – Considerações Médico Legaise a Importância da Integração Pericial. Brazilian Journal of Forensic Sciences, Medical Law and Bioethics. 2018; 7(3):205-22.
  9. S. Pankanti; S. Prabhakar; A.K. Jain. On the individuality of fingerprints. IEEE Trans Patt Anal Mach Intell. 2002; 24(8):1010–25.
  10. A. Holobinko. Forensic human identification in the United States and Canada: A review of the law, admissible techniques, and the legal implications of their application in forensic cases. Forensic Sci. Int. 2012; 222: 394.e1-394.e1.
  11. S.T.G. Ferreira et al. Floods and mudslides in the State of Rio de Janeiro and a plane crash in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest: A study of two different experiences in disaster victim identification (DVI). Forensic Sci. Int. Genetics Supplement Series. 2011; 3: e516–e517.
  12. B.T. Johnson; J.A.J.M. Rieme. Digital capture of fingerprints in a disaster victim identification setting: a review and case study. Forensic Sciences Research. 2019; 4(4): 293–302.
  13. G.H. Moody; A. Busuttil. Identification in the Lockerbie air disaster. Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 1994; 15(1):63‐9.
  14. D. Corach; A.Sala; C. Bobillo; M. Caputo; E. Alechine; M. Irisarri; M. Marino; E. Canonaco; C. Rodriguez. Optimized mass fatalities victim identification: An airplane crash as a test case. Forensic Sci Int. 2013; 4(1):e222-223.
  15. K. Sauerwein; T.B. Saul; D.W. Steadman; C.B. Boehnen. The Effect of Decomposition on the Efficacy of Biometrics for Positive Identification. J Forensic Sci. 2017; 62(6):1599-1602.
  16. H. Plotnick; H. Pinkus. The epidermal vs. the dermal fingerprint: an experimental and anatomical study, AMA Arch. Derm. 1958; 77:12–17.
  17. L.L. Mizokami; L.R.V. Silva; S.A.S. Kückelhaus. Comparison between fingerprints of the epidermis and dermis: perspectives in the identifying of corpses. Forensic Sci Int. 2015; 252:77-81.
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Copyright (c) 2021 Brazilian Journal of Criminalistics

Share

Download

PDF (Português (Brasil))

Author(s)

  • Aldeir José da Silva,
  • Fernando Carvalho dos Santos,
  • Marcelo de Souza Almeida,
  • Alexander Santos Dionísio,
  • Polyanna Helena Coelho,
  • Leonardo Santos Bordoni,

    • Aldeir José da Silva

    Colégio Santa Maria, Pontifícia Universidade Católica, Belo Horizonte (MG)

    Fernando Carvalho dos Santos

    Grupo de Identificação, Delegacia Regional Executiva, Polícia Federal, Belo Horizonte (MG), Brasil.

    Marcelo de Souza Almeida

    Instituto Médico Legal André Roquette (IMLAR), Polícia Civil do Estado de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte (MG), Brasil.

    Alexander Santos Dionísio

    Instituto Médico Legal André Roquette (IMLAR), Polícia Civil do Estado de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte (MG), Brasil

    Polyanna Helena Coelho

    Polícia Civil do Estado de Minas Gerais

    Médica formada pela UFMG (2010) e especialista em Medicina do Trabalho pelo Hospital das Clínicas da UFMG (2013). Médica Legista da Polícia Civil do Estado de Minas Gerais (2014).

    Leonardo Santos Bordoni

    Instituto Médico Legal André Roquette (IMLAR), Polícia Civil do Estado de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte (MG), Brasil. Faculdade de Medicina,, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte (MG), Brasil. Grupo de Identificação, Delegacia Regional Executiva, Polícia Federal, Belo Horizonte (MG), Brasil. Faculdade de Medicina de Barbacena, Fundação José Bonifácio Lafayette de Andrada, Barbacena (MG), Brasil. Escola de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto (MG), Brasil . Faculdade da Saúde e Ecologia Humana, Vespasiano (MG), Brasil.

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >>