Evidence in forensic investigations is unlikely to be found in protected environments, thus presenting challenges for the development of latent fingerprints. Despite their abundance, latent fingerprints’ durability under different environmental conditions remains a topic of interest, specifically water submersion. This study intends to expand on previous research by using similar variables with alternative water sources from the United Kingdom. Therefore, this offers a more relevant example of English water source’s effects on latent fingerprint persistence. Water samples were collected from various locations, including seawater from Skegness Beach, freshwater from the Brayford Pool in Lincoln, and tap water from the University of Lincoln laboratories. Latent Fingerprints were deposited onto glass slides and submerged for various durations (1, 6, 24, and 168 hours). This was then followed by an array of enhancement techniques such as cyanoacrylate fuming, black magnetic powder, and aluminium flake powder. All three enhancement methods produced similar average scores, however, cyanoacrylate fuming of saltwater slides produced overdevelopment due to the salt residue on the slides. Furthermore, this study found that as the duration of submersion increased, the resulting visibility scores decreased. Saltwater’s impact on latent fingerprints showed lower visibility scores compared to freshwater and tap water, indicating a more destructive effect on latent fingerprint persistence. Future research focusing on extended submersion periods could benefit the estimation of the maximum duration that latent fingerprints remain visible after submersion in various water sources.
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