New fingerprint biometrics technology has been used to identify the victim of a 33-year-old homicide, reports the Associated Press.
The body was found near a walking trail in Des Moines in late February of 1984, with investigators unable at the time to determine the victim’s identity. Now, the FBI’s Latent Print Unit has succeeded in matching it to one John Clifton Downey, allowing police authorities in Iowa to reach out to next of kin in another state.
The identification of the victim is considerable breakthrough given the age of the case. It also helps demonstrate the sophistication of today’s biometric technology, with the FBI’s investigators having now used only a thumbprint from the decomposed body to determine its identity; and it adds further credibility to the FBI’s prowess in harnessing such technology, with the organization having succeeded last summer in identifying a murder victim in a case dating back to 2003.
The investigation into Downey’s murder, meanwhile, continues.
Source: The Washington Post
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June 6, 2017 – by Alex Perala
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