New Fingerprint Tech Leads to Suspect's Arrest in 1983 Murder

 

Avery Jones

Current Event #8 

1/9/22

TaylTaylor, Michelle. “New Fingerprint Tech Leads to Suspect's Arrest in 1983 Murder.” Forensic Magazine, 3 Dec. 2021, https://www.forensicmag.com/581573-New-Fingerprint-Tech-Leads-to-Suspect-s-Arrest-in-1983-Murder/.

          A 38-year-old cold case was recently solved using cutting-edge fingerprint technology according to an article published in Forensic magazine. The new technology, RECOVER, was first discovered ten years ago at Loughborough University with support from the UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. RECOVER was later refined by a UK-based company, foster+freeman, before applying it in the field to live forensic investigations.

          In 1983, Carla Lowe, a 21-year-old female, was found lying in the middle of the road after being brutally beaten and run over in Delray Beach, Florida. Autopsy reports determined that cause of death was blunt force trauma. Lowe had been waiting at a station to catch an Amtrak train. Detectives had long suspected Ralph Williams, who had no connection to Lowe, of committing the murder. However, there was not enough evidence in 1983 to prosecute Williams in the case.

           Todd Clancy, a detective in the newly launched Cold Case Unit of the Delray Beach Police Department, used RECOVER to help solve Lowe’s case, the first since establishing the unit in January 2021. Using this new technology, William’s fingerprints were retrieved from an item found at the crime scene that had been held in the police storage room for 38 years. RECOVER uses a “chemical vapor fuming process” to detect fingerprints on a range of surfaces, including surfaces that have been exposed to high heat, like bullet casings, as well as surfaces that have been sanitized in an attempt to cover up a crime. Given its success in recovering prints from surfaces that have been exposed to destructive elements and chemicals, RECOVER could be revolutionary in solving countless cold case homicides, bringing much-needed closure to victims’ families, and in bringing criminals to justice. In Lowe’s case, Clancy prioritized old files that could possibly be solved using DNA, fingerprints, and re-interviewing witnesses.

          Michelle Taylor’s article is interesting and well written, and it covers the main points of Lowe’s murder. However, she does not explain how RECOVER’s chemical vapor technology works, or if it’s been used in other cold cases. Additionally, Taylor doesn’t discuss the technology’s degree of reliability or certainty in detecting old prints on difficult surfaces. What is most astonishing about this case is the fact that remnants of prints can be detected after almost 40 years without deteriorating. This is clearly an important new tool and advancement in the field of forensic science that could help bring justice for countless victims of unsolved crimes.