Can police identify the "barefoot bandit" by his toe prints?
Police finally apprehended the so-called "barefoot bandit" on Sunday in the Bahamas. Authorities claim 19-year-old American Colton Harris-Moore had been on a two-year international crime spree, stealing cars, boats, and airplanes. In February, the suspect allegedly left chalk outlines of his feet on the floor of a grocery in Washington State. Could police use Harris-Moore's foot- or toe prints to link him to the crimes?Absolutely. Your fingers, palms, toes, and foot soles are all covered with friction ridges arrayed in a unique and relatively permanent pattern, and U.S. courts will accept evidence from all four areas. While the rest of the body lacks these ridges, many scientists believe that all skin is unique. Researchers have argued that marks from lips, elbows, and ears could also be used to catch bad guys. Criminals don't often leave these prints, though, so there's been little practical need for studies showing that a lip is as special as a snowflake, or that its surface features are preserved through years of sun exposure and abrasions. Crime scene investigators may attempt to lift toe and foot-sole prints from Harris-Moore's capers; they may also try to link him to the crimes based on the shape of his foot alone.
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