Part 22 (1/2)

[Ill.u.s.tration: 387. Field equipment for disaster identification.]

In addition to the fingerprints of 1,708 unknown dead, the Identification Division received the fingers and/or the hands of 85 unknown dead individuals. In these cases, decomposition was so far advanced that it was not possible to secure inked fingerprints in the regular manner. Of these, 68 bodies, or 80 percent of the group, were identified. Of the 17 unidentified, the fingerprints of 14 were not in the FBI files. In three cases decomposition was so far advanced that all ridge detail had been destroyed.

In order to emphasize what can be accomplished, it is pointed out that in those cases in which hands and fingers were submitted, the time which elapsed from death until the specimens were received ranged from a week to 3 years. Incredible as it may seem, it has been possible to secure identifiable impressions 3 years after death.

These statistics of achievement in the field of identifying unknown dead re-emphasize the fact that in all cases involving the identification of a deceased person, fingerprints should be used as the medium for establis.h.i.+ng a conclusive and positive identification.

Generally speaking, in the course of their work fingerprint operators find it necessary to take the impressions of three cla.s.ses of deceased persons.

They are:

- Those who have died recently, in which cases the task is relatively simple.

- Those dead for a longer period, in which cases difficulty is experienced due to p.r.o.nounced stiffening of the fingers, the early stages of decomposition, or both.

- Those cases in which extreme difficulty is encountered because of maceration, desiccation, or advanced decay of the skin.

These problems will be considered separately.

_1. Fingerprinting the Newly Dead._

When the fingers are flexible it is often possible to secure inked fingerprint impressions of a deceased person through the regular inking process on a standard fingerprint card. Experience has proved that this task can be made easier if the deceased is laid face down and palms down on a table (fig. 388).

In all cases where inked impressions are to be made, care should be exercised to see that the fingers are clean and dry before inking. If necessary, wash the digits with soap and water and dry thoroughly.

In the event difficulty is encountered in trying to procure fingerprints by the regular method, it may prove more convenient to cut the 10 ”squares” numbered for the rolled impressions from a fingerprint card. After the finger is inked, the square is rolled around the finger without letting it slip. Extreme caution should be exercised to see that each square bears the correct fingerprint impression. After all the inked impressions are properly taken, the ten squares bearing the impressions are pasted or stapled to a standard fingerprint card in their proper positions, i.e., right thumb, right index, right middle, etc. Whenever possible the ”plain”

or ”simultaneous” impressions should also be taken.

In some cases it will be found necessary to obtain or improvise a tool similar to a broad-bladed putty knife or spatula to be used as an inking instrument. The ink is rolled evenly and thinly on the knife or spatula and applied to the finger by pa.s.sing the inked knife or spatula around it. The tool, of course, replaces the usual gla.s.s inking slab or plate, the use of which is extremely difficult or awkward when printing a deceased person.

_2. Fingerprinting the Dead, Where Stiffening of the Fingers and/or Early Decomposition Are Present._

This second group consists of cases in which the hands of the deceased are clenched, or the finger tips are wrinkled, or decomposition has begun, and/or where there are combinations of these three conditions.

Cases of this sort may necessitate cutting off the skin. Legal authority is necessary before cutting a corpse. Such authority may be granted by state law or by an official having authority to grant such a right.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 388]

In cases where rigor mortis (stiffening of the muscles) has set in and the fingers are tightly clenched, the fingers may be forcibly straightened by ”breaking the rigor.” This is done by holding the hand of the deceased person firmly with one hand, grasping the finger to be straightened with the four fingers of the other hand and placing the thumb, which is used as a lever, on the knuckle of the finger and forcing it straight (fig. 389). The inking tool and ”squares,” as previously explained, are then used to secure the fingerprint.

In the event the rigor cannot be completely overcome, it will be most helpful to improvise or secure a spoon-shaped tool for holding the cut squares or cut strips while printing the fingers, similar to the tool mentioned briefly in the discussion of crippled fingers. This tool, somewhat resembling a gouge without the sharp edge, should have a handle, a concave end, and a frame or clamp to hold the cardboard squares or strips. In Figure 390, one type of tool is ill.u.s.trated.

This tool eliminates the necessity of rolling the deceased's finger, since the ”square” a.s.sumes the concave shape of the tool, and the gentle pressure applied to the inked finger when it is brought in contact with the square results in a ”rolled” impression without actually rolling the finger.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 389]

Another problem encountered in this second group includes cases in which the tips of the fingers are fairly pliable and intact, yet due to the presence of wrinkles in the skin, complete impressions cannot be obtained. This condition can be corrected by the injection of a tissue builder, procurable from a dealer in undertaker's supplies. If this is not available, glycerin or water may be used.

The method is simple. Injection of the tissue builder, glycerin, or water, is accomplished by the use of a hypodermic syringe. The hypodermic needle is injected at the joint of the finger up into the tip of the finger, care being used to keep the needle below the skin surface (fig. 391). The solution is injected until the finger ”bulbs”