The New York Times has a long article on the investigative techniques used to identify the person who stabbed and killed four University of Idaho students.
Pay attention to the techniques:
The case has shown the degree to which law enforcement investigators have come to rely on the digital footprints that ordinary Americans leave in nearly every facet of their lives. Online shopping, car sales, carrying a cellphone, drives along city streets and amateur genealogy all played roles in an investigation that was solved, in the end, as much through technology as traditional sleuthing.
[…]
At that point, investigators decided to try genetic genealogy, a method that until now has been used primarily to solve cold cases, not active murder investigations. Among the growing number of genealogy websites that help people trace their ancestors and relatives via their own DNA, some allow users to select an option that permits law enforcement to compare crime scene DNA samples against the websites’ data.
A distant cousin who has opted into the system can help investigators building a family tree from crime scene DNA to triangulate and identify a potential perpetrator of a crime.
[…]
On Dec. 23, investigators sought and received Mr. Kohberger’s cellphone records. The results added more to their suspicions: His phone was moving around in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, but was disconnected from cell networks - perhaps turned off—in the two hours around when the killings occurred.
More Stories
US and Japan Blame North Korea for $308m Crypto Heist
A joint US-Japan alert attributed North Korean hackers with a May 2024 crypto heist worth $308m from Japan-based company DMM...
Spyware Maker NSO Group Found Liable for Hacking WhatsApp
A judge has found that NSO Group, maker of the Pegasus spyware, has violated the US Computer Fraud and Abuse...
Spyware Maker NSO Group Liable for WhatsApp User Hacks
A US judge has ruled in favor of WhatsApp in a long-running case against commercial spyware-maker NSO Group Read More
Major Biometric Data Farming Operation Uncovered
Researchers at iProov have discovered a dark web group compiling identity documents and biometric data to bypass KYC checks Read...
Ransomware Attack Exposes Data of 5.6 Million Ascension Patients
US healthcare giant Ascension revealed that 5.6 million individuals have had their personal, medical and financial information breached in a...
Critical Vulnerabilities Found in WordPress Plugins WPLMS and VibeBP
The vulnerabilities, now patched, posed significant risks, including unauthorized file uploads, privilege escalation and SQL injection attacks Read More