title: Lifting bloody footwear impressions using alginate casts followed by chemical enhancement.
abstract: A method for lifting bloody footwear impressions using alginate casts and enhancing the lifted impressions with amido black is presented. On rough or dark substrates, background interferences may conceal significant details of footwear impressions. Illumination with alternative light sources and chemically enhancing the bloody footwear impressions may reveal additional details, but sometimes, lifting footwear impressions prior to enhancing is the only way to expose hidden details (by using blood reagents not adequate on the original). Several cast formulations were tested for lifting the footwear impressions. The best results were achieved using Aroma fine®. Enhancement of the footwear impressions was attempted with several reagents prior to lifting, during the casting process, and on the lifted footwear impressions. Applying amido black to footwear impressions lifted with alginate produced the sharpest and most detailed footwear impressions. Alginate castings followed by chemical enhancement with amido black may produce high-quality footwear impressions for comparison.
authors.affiliation: Toolmarks and Materials Laboratory, Division of Identification and Forensic Sciences (DIFS), Israel Police H.Q., Jerusalem 91906, Israel. simanim@police.gov.il
authors.forename: Sarena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wiesner
authors.forename: Elad
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Izraeli
authors.forename: Yaron
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shor
authors.forename: Avi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Domb
mesh_terms: D000464:Alginates; D000580:Amido Black; D001801:Blood Stains; D004396:Coloring Agents; D044707:Forensic Sciences / Q000379:methods; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D006801:Humans; D012775:Shoes
chemical_list: D000464:Alginates; D004396:Coloring Agents; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D000580:Amido Black