May 9, 2008
Q. What are the most forensically significant features of footprints left at the scene of a crime?
A. The “accidental marks” unique to a particular pair of shoes, say Cathy Cobb et al in “Crime Scene Chemistry for Armchair Sleuths.” A plaster cast of the treads can help identify shoe type and manufacturer but it takes a comparison of these telltale marks to tie a particular shoe to a particular print. (Casts of tire prints can be analyzed in a similar manner.)
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