Poor Computer Forensics Investigation Allows Casey Anthony to Walk

Article by Josh Constine




A jury might not have acquitted Casey Anthony of the ‘drowning’ death of her daughter if they knew she Googled “foolproof suffocation” on the last day little Caylee was seen alive. It’s the latest example of Google search history becoming evidence in murder case. But this time the digital footprints were found too late and the suspect has already been set free. Are police paying enough attention to browser history? Clearly not.

But this last week Orlando’s WKMG TV station reported that police had overlooked a key piece of evidence. Someone had Google searched “foolproof suffocation” from the Anthony family computer on June 16th, the day Caylee disappeared. A book about the case by Anthony’s defense lawyer Jose Baez had previously reported that someone made the search, but had the timing off. The book suggested Caylee’s father had Googled the murder method.

Now WKMG reports that search happened an hour later, after George Anthony may have already been at work, and that Casey is likely to have typed it in. If the mother had Googled a way to suffocate someone on the last day anyone saw her daughter alive, the jury might have concluded differently.

 Dusting for fingerprints and DNA evidence may always be critical parts of detective work. But as the ways we learn and communicate increasingly move online, forensics must evolve as well.