Crime Scene Forensics--Finding Shoeprints as Evidence

"Maybe you remember the Russian fable Cinderella. If the shoe fits, wear it."-Chekhov, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Crooks many times find themselves heading straight for prison if it is found that their shoe fits. Shoeprints and impressions are very useful to criminal investigators for a variety of reasons. For one, not only can they show that a particular person was at the scene of the crime, they may also confirm or deny a perpetrator's alibi. For instance, suppose a neighbor claims that when he went next door to borrow a cup of milk, he found the lady who lived there lying on the living room floor beaten to death. He mentions that the door was unlocked, so he checked for the woman's pulse, called 911, and waited for the authorities to arrive. The neighbor says that he went nowhere in the house. If crime scene investigators (CSI's) discover the neighbor's shoeprint on a piece of newspaper, lying on the floor of the woman's closet next to her empty safety deposit box, his story will not jibe with the criminal investigators.

Prints can also be indicative of the points of entry and exit at a crime scene. Shoeprints found in the soft soil of a flower bed underneath the pried-open window and matching dirt and grime prints on the floor inside the house suggest the point of entry. Prints filled with blood pointed out through the rear door indicate the point of exit. Shoeprints left on the tile or wooden floors, countertops, ladders, stairs, windowsills, and even chair seats may reveal the crook's movements within the house.

Following the shoeprints through a crime scene assists CSI's to narrow their search for evidence. When prints are found in more than one room of a house that has been burglarized, CSI's focus their search in those areas. Following the exit path can indicate to CSI's where the crook tossed the weapon or pieces of clothing, such as a mask or gloves. The best evidence tends to be found when retracing a crook's path.

A shoeprint also can link a crook to several crimes. Finding the same prints at several different crime scenes suggests that the same crook may be involved in each crime. This association many times is significant to solving the crimes. Each individual crime scene may provide other evidence that when taken by itself is of no use, but when combined with evidence from the other scenes may become crucial.

For instance, suppose that CSI technicians find a blond piece of hair at one crime scene, brown carpet fibers from a Toyota at another, and, blood spatter patterns that indicate that the killer was right-handed and about six feet tall at a third crime scene. If viewed individually, each item of evidence tells investigators little about the crimes, but when the same prints link the crimes and suggest that the same individual committed all the crimes, a much clearer image is revealed. That picture is of a six-foot-tall, right-handed man with blond hair who drives a Toyota with brown carpet. Although this profile does not provide enough conclusive identification, it, however, builds a better description of the perpetrator.

Multiple shoeprints can suggest whether more than one person is involved and may even help determine exactly how many. When CSI technicians find three distinct types of prints, they can say that at least three people are involved. More people may have been involved in the crime but failed to leave behind any shoeprints.

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