Is there a relationship between fingerprint donation and DNA shedding?

Dominick, Ainsley and Welch, Lindsey and Nic Daeid, Niamh and Bleay, Stephen M. (2009) Is there a relationship between fingerprint donation and DNA shedding? Journal of Forensic Identification, 59 (2). p. 133. ISSN 0895-173X

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Abstract

This research investigates the possible relationship between fingerprint donation and DNA shedding. Volunteers were asked to provide a series of fingerprint depletions on glass. The level of fingerprint detail developed and DNA profiling results obtained were compared for each donor to investigate whether a relationship between fingerprint donation and DNA shedding exists. Our results suggest that between comparisons of donors, there is no statistical difference between the left and right hand of our volunteers in terms of fingerprint donation, but there is a statistical difference in terms of DNA shedding with three of our eight donors. Our results also indicate that there is no correlation between fingerprint donation and DNA shedding, meaning that an enhanced fingerprint with full ridge detail will not necessarily give a full DNA profile. In serious crime, these two avenues of evidence must be explored.

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