Visible Proofs: Forensic Views of the Body: Galleries: Cases: Juan Vucetich and the origins of forensic fingerprinting (2024)

FAQs

What did Juan Vucetich do for fingerprinting? ›

Juan Vucetich (1858–1925), an Argentinian police official, devised the first workable system of fingerprint identification, and pioneered the first use of fingerprint evidence in a murder investigation.

In 1892, Juan Vucetich, an Argentine chief police officer, created the first method of recording the fingerprints of individuals on file.

By 1901, however, Argentina was the first country in the world to base its identification methods entirely on fingerprinting. Vucetich would see his own fingerprint system became established throughout most of South America, where it is still used today.

Fingerprint examiners lack objective standards for evaluating whether two prints “match.” There is simply no uniform approach to deciding what counts as a sufficient basis for making an identification.

What was the contribution of Juan Vucetich to forensic science? He used a system of fingerprint identification to catch a murderer.

Fingerprints were also the reasons behind the solving of another famous case: the case of the Stratton Brothers. Thomas Farrow, and his wife, Ann, managed a paint shop in South London. On March 27, 1905, Mr. Farrow had been found dead on the floor of his paint shop.

Francisca Rojas is believed to be the first criminal found guilty through fingerprint evidence in the world. On 29 June 1892, 27-year-old Rojas murdered her two children in Necochea, Buenos Aires Province, in Argentina.

Dillinger was awaiting trial in the slaying of an East Chicago police officer when he escaped from jail in Crown Point, Indiana, in March 1934 with a gun carved out of wood. While on the run, he underwent plastic surgery to alter his face and was said to have tried to remove his fingerprints with acid.

Sir Francis Galton published his book, "Finger Prints" in 1892, establishing the individuality and permanence of fingerprints.

Vucetich was born in Hvar, Kingdom of Dalmatia, then part of the Austrian Empire, and immigrated to Argentina in 1884. In 1891, he began the first filing of fingerprints based on ideas of Francis Galton, which he expanded significantly. He became the director of the Center for Dactyloscopy in Buenos Aires.

Why is fingerprinting important? ›

One of the most important uses for fingerprints is to help investigators link one crime scene to another involving the same person. Fingerprint identification also helps investigators to track a criminal's record, their previous arrests and convictions, to aid in sentencing, probation, parole and pardoning decisions.

Explanation: The fingerprint identification method that is still used today is the one developed by Sir Francis Galton. Galton was a pioneer in the field of fingerprints and conducted extensive research on their uniqueness.

It's a misconception that twins have identical fingerprints. While identical twins share many physical characteristics, each person still has their own unique fingerprint. If you're curious about how identical twins are similar and how shared fingerprints aren't possible, read on to learn more.

Using a neural network, a team of researchers led by engineering senior Gabe Guo of Columbia University has identified different fingerprints belonging to the same person – or intra-person prints – with a success rate of up to 77 percent for a single pair of prints.

Fingerprints Are Not Secure

This is one reason fingerprints have been easily planted in the scenes of a crime. People with grievances against others can decide to extract their fingerprints and plant them in the scenes of crime. This is a major flaw of fingerprint identification that has been noticed for years.

Vucetich compared the fingerprints of Rojas and Velasquez with the bloody fingerprint. Francisca Rojas had denied touching the bloody bodies, but the fingerprint matched one of hers. Confronted with the evidence, she confessed—the first successful use of fingerprint identification in a murder investigation.

The most publicized case involved the notorious gangster John Dillinger, who attempted to destroy his own fingerprints by applying a corrosive acid to them.

The first murder case in the United States that successfully used fingerprint evidence came in 1910 in Illinois. Thomas Jennings was accused of murdering Clarence Hiller after his fingerprints were found at Hiller's house. Jennings appealed his conviction, but the Supreme Court of Illinois upheld the evidence in 1911.

In the 1930s, notorious U.S. bank robber John Dillinger tried to obliterate his finger- prints with acid. More recently, a suspect in the back of a police car bit off the ends of his fingertips so that he could not be identified. In both of these cases, the fingerprints could not be erased.