Footwear impressions in petrol at arson scenes represent a potentially valuable yet unexplored forensic evidence source. This study investigates possible enhancement and recovery methods of these marks on a non-porous surface. Using a series of marks before and after being subjugated to fire, they will undergo physical (magnetic/aluminium powder, gelatine lifts) and chemical (cyanoacrylate fuming, Rhodamine 6G) enhancement/recovery methods. Results showed that generally magnetic powder paired with gelatine lifts were best suited to be used on pre- and post-fire marks as an enhancement method. Notably, this study highlights the need for a soot removal step before enhancement for an overall more successful methodology. A persistence test revealed that a petrol mark unaffected by fire in an indoor environment can last multiple weeks and still be enhanced by magnetic powder. This study displayed that petrol-based footwear impressions can be a viable piece of evidence, particularly in the absence of DNA or fingerprints; however, future research is needed to evaluate whether it would be practical and/or cost-benefit to implement these methods in real-world arson scenes.
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