Advancement in Age Estimation in Forensic Science Through Molecular Fingerprinting Techniques – A Review Paper

Abstract

Dactyloscopy has long been used for personal identification from the latent fingerprint residues; capable of providing an insight into various factors of an individual such as age, sex, habits and lifestyle. Various studies have been conducted to precisely identify the changes in sweat glands’ activity and the chemical breakdown of fingerprint residues with respect to time. However, there yet to be established a reliable method for accurately estimating or approximating the age of the fingerprint donor. The emerging field of molecular fingerprinting, which analyses latent fingerprint sweat residue and profiles the components present in it, which aid in personal identification as an individualistic marker specific to an individual. This review article highlights the advancements in estimating the age of the fingerprint donor from the latent fingerprint residue and addresses the technical and technological research gaps in the molecular fingerprinting technique’s timeline as this method hold a potential in aiding the forensic investigation and criminal profiling from the fingerprints retrieved from the scene of crime.