Cracking the case with digital forensics

In the world of law enforcement, digital forensics is a game changer nearly as important as DNA testing.

When two 13 year old girls went missing in September 2014, the first place detectives looked for clues was on their iPods, smartphones and other digital devices. The digital evidence led them to the girls and they were found in the basement of 23 year old Casey Lee Chinn. He is now being charged with felony criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping and solicitation of a child.

Digital forensics – the examination of cellphones, tablets and personal electronics in criminal investigations – is dramatically changing the way cases are worked and solved. While technology has created new portals for predators searching for victims, it is also leaving telltale trails for police.

Law enforcement say that digital forensics has become an investigation imperative. With majority of adults carrying a cellphone, the devices have become the one constant in many people’s lives. Your cellphone has become everything you need throughout the day – your alarm clock, camera, phone line, email, social media terminal and so much more. Police use that almost constant phone activity to verify a suspects or witness’ statement and provide a log of a person’s movements and activities. Smartphones can even be an eyewitness by recording a crime in progress.

Electronic devices are just a treasure trove of information. The digital evidence is one of the first thing investigators look at because they leave footprints all over the place – who you were talking with, where you’ve take your photos and even who you’ve been tweeting.

It’s true; technology leaves a telltale trail for law enforcement and digital forensic investigators.

DLA is based in Cape Town and combines the experience of two seasoned investigators with both criminal and civil backgrounds with the latest technologies to achieve the digital evidence that you require.