Mapping Evidence: The Trash Bag Killer

ByCurtis Brown, Chase Braggs, Alton Clay, Susan Gunter, Caleb Herring,

Rachel Pittman FORENSIC SCIENCE TEAM

Our Situation• Crime scene in classroom• Trash bag killer wants team to discover his/her identity Evidence 1: Inside classroom

• Notes left asking for help, as well as GPS coordinates of the location of evidence (on next slide)

Note with GPS Evidence CoordinatesEvidence 1

OUR TEAM’s MISSION:Problem:• How can the

discovery of evidence lead to the identity of criminal, as well as significant evidence for arrest?

Hypothesis:• If evidence is found

at the given locations and examined, then the identity of the criminal can be discovered and an arrest can be made.

What we did:

• Locations given were programmed into the GPS outside• Team went to the locations

and discovered the evidence• Later came back and examined the evidence to try to determine identity (a few examples of evidence follow in the next slides)

Evidence Location 2Blood and fingerprints found at this location on the weapon

Evidence Location 3Femur of a victim was found at this location.

Evidence Location 4 Directional blood drops, paper with bloody fingerprints, pencil with teeth impressions

Evidence Location 5Coke can with fingerprints, lipstick of victim, was souvenir kept by killer

Evidence 7Skull of victim with blunt force trauma made to it by what appears to have been the weapon discovered.

Evidence Examination• Compared

fingerprints found to each suspects modus operandi (fingerprint & information)cards

• Handwriting analysis from note

• DNA of blood sent for analysis

…continued Evidence Examination• Determined this

victim was Caucasian male by femur size and skull shape

• Mapped the location of each piece of evidence found (next slide)

Map of Evidence Locations

Conclusion• Based upon the evidence, we were able to

determine the identity of the Trash Bag serial killer and evidence was sufficient to make an arrest. Evidence against the alleged killer included the following:– Fingerprints on weapon and can– Handwriting analysis– Teeth impressions– Footprint at crime scene (not shown in ppt)– Further evidence sent for analysis of DNA from

blood and saliva

Billy Joe Bob did it!!!

Case Closed!