An innovative approach to latent fingerprint development at crime scenes: The cyanoacrylate spraying methodology.

This article evaluates the effectiveness of three latent fingerprint development (FPD) methods—dusting, cyanoacrylate fuming, and a newly developed cyanoacrylate spraying technique—on various nonporous surfaces over a 12-month period. The cyanoacrylate spraying method, which involves applying a solution of ethyl cyanoacrylate dissolved in hyfet and petroleum ether, demonstrated the highest success rate (95%) in producing identifiable fingerprints, outperforming cyanoacrylate fuming (89.3%) and dusting (52.9%). The study found that glass surfaces yielded the clearest fingerprints across all methods, and that the spraying technique offers advantages such as faster processing time, reduced harmful emissions, and applicability directly at crime scenes without requiring specialized fuming chambers. These findings suggest that the cyanoacrylate spraying method is a practical and efficient alternative for forensic fingerprint development on evidence that cannot be transported to laboratories.