Forensic Files - Season 7, Episode 26 - Palm Print Conviction - Full Episode

Summary

In Anchorage, Alaska, a woman named Martha Hansen was brutally murdered. Despite her body being unrecognizable, police used innovative forensic techniques, including superglue fuming to retrieve a palm print, and discovered distinctive bleached hairs at the crime scene. Surveillance footage and DNA evidence led them to Evans Lee Curtis, who was connected to the victim and ultimately confessed to the crime, resulting in a 99-year prison sentence.

Takeaways

• 🍻 A woman, drunk and defenseless, left a bar in Anchorage, Alaska, and was later found dead under suspicious circumstances.
• 🕵️‍♂️ The crime scene yielded an unusual clue: a latent palm print that could be visualized using superglue fuming technique.
• 📅 The incident occurred on August 8, 1996, in downtown Anchorage, where the victim was found near a wooded area, indicating a brutal struggle.
• 🚫 The victim was so badly beaten that visual identification was impossible, and there were no immediate witnesses or missing persons reports matching her description.
• 🔍 Captain Bill Gifford's decision to use a special technique for lifting fingerprints from human skin proved crucial.
• 🧪 The superglue fuming process, adapted from a gluing factory in Japan, required specific conditions such as no emergency personnel handling the body and the right temperature and humidity.
• 🖐️ A partial palm print from the killer's left hand was found on the victim's left thigh, providing a significant lead for the investigation.
• 🔎 In addition to the palm print, 35 head hairs not belonging to the victim were discovered, suggesting the assailant's physical struggle with the victim.
• 👥 The victim was identified as Martha Hansen, a 48-year-old mother of six, and a regular at a local bar who was denied service due to her intoxication.
• 👤 The suspect, Evans Lee Curtis, was identified through a combination of surveillance footage, distinctive hair evidence, and a palm print match.
• 💢 The conviction was secured with DNA evidence from the suspect's pants and boots, along with the superglue-fumed palm print, leading to a 99-year prison sentence.

Q & A

What was the unusual clue left at the crime scene?

The unusual clue was a partial palm print that could be visualized with a simple tube of glue using a special technique called superglue fuming.

What was the condition of the victim's body when it was found?

The victim's body was severely beaten, her clothing was strewn over a 30-foot area indicating a struggle, and she was so badly beaten that visual identification was impossible.

Why was it difficult to identify the victim initially?

The victim did not match any missing persons reports, there were no witnesses, and she had a high blood/alcohol level, complicating the identification process.

What was Captain Bill Gifford's unusual decision regarding the victim's body?

Captain Bill Gifford decided to attempt to get latent prints off the body using a special technique of superglue fuming, which was typically used on nonporous surfaces.

What were the conditions required for superglue fuming to be effective on the victim's body?

The conditions required included no emergency personnel handling the body, the victim not being dead for a long period to avoid decay, no precipitation, and the right temperature to prevent melting or disintegration of the prints.

How did the police obtain the palm print evidence?

They built a tent around the body, increased humidity with heated water, and used a heat gun to blow a large amount of superglue into the air-tight container around the body, which then attached to the oils left by the killer's hand.

What additional evidence was found at the crime scene?

Police found 35 head hairs that did not belong to the victim, which were presumably the assailant's, and bloody boot impressions on the victim's torso.

How did the police identify the victim?

The victim was identified as Martha Hansen, a 48-year-old divorced mother of six, after a background check and through a video surveillance image from a bar.

What was distinctive about the hair evidence found at the crime scene?

The hair evidence was distinctive because it was long (between 18 and 20 inches), highly unusual, belonged to Mongoloid races, and had an uneven orange tint due to incomplete bleaching.

How did the police link Evans Lee Curtis to the murder?

Evans Lee Curtis was linked to the murder through a surveillance image showing him with the victim, his distinctive long hair matching the hair found at the scene, and his palm print matching the one on the victim's thigh.

What was the outcome of the case against Evans Lee Curtis?

Evans Lee Curtis was sentenced to 99 years in prison after pleading guilty, faced with overwhelming forensic evidence including the palm print, DNA matches, and bloody boot impressions.