title: Identification of a buried cadaver based on finger ridge characteristics of a hand protected by a latex glove.
abstract: This paper presents the case of a cadaver buried in a pine grove, in loamy soil at a depth of about 1.8 m. The case is quite interesting due to the fact that one hand of the victim was bare and the other one was clad in a latex glove. In the laboratory, the severed hands were gently washed with water. The left palm exhibited signs of advanced decomposition. The ridges were visible only on the thumb. The gloved hand was found to be in much better condition. There were signs of saponification on the palm. Ridges on both the palm and all fingers were visible. The fingers of the right hand, palm prints, and the thumb of the left hand were successfully matched against a ten-print card. The match provided the police with a positive identification of the missing person.
authors.affiliation: Fingerprint Examination Department, Central Forensic Laboratory of the Police, Aleje Ujazdowskie 7, 00-583, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Klemczak
authors.forename: Tomasz M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Szczepański
authors.forename: Urszula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Więckiewicz
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kulczyk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002048:Burial; D003878:Dermatoglyphics; D005932:Gloves, Surgical; D006801:Humans; D007840:Latex; D008297:Male; D011180:Postmortem Changes
chemical_list: D007840:Latex
keywords: adipocere; buried cadaver; decomposition; fingerprint; forensic science; latex glove