NCJ Number
148727
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 39 Issue: 3 Dated: (May 1994) Pages: 847-853
Date Published
1994
Length
7 pages
Annotation
A case involving an attempted murder in Connecticut exemplifies the applicability of aquatic community ecology to forensic investigations.
Abstract
During July 1991, two young boys were brutally attacked by multiple teenaged assailants while fishing at a suburban pond. The victims were bound with duct tape, beaten with a baseball bat, and dragged into the pond to drown. One victim managed to free himself, rescue the other youth, and obtain help from local residents. A thorough investigation led to the rapid apprehension of three suspects. In an effort to link the suspects to the crime scene, investigators seized sediment-encrusted sneakers from both assailants and victims and analyzed for aquatic microorganisms. The marked similarities in the algal communities present on the sneakers indicated exposure to a common freshwater habitat, most probably the crime scene pond. Further analyses revealed similarities among the samples in the various species identified. These findings further supported the idea that all the samples originated from a common locality, if not the same locality. Photograph, figure, tables, and 19 references