W
ith reports that the number of clandestine graves in Oklahoma was climbing, law enforcement officials decided to turn to technology for a solution. Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) acquired a FINDAR® GPR system to search for the burial location of homicide victims
FINDAR® is a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) designed by Sensors & Software Inc. for the express purpose of detecting buried forensic evidence. Law enforcement agencies in Canada, the United States and Europe were consulted during the design process, resulting in advanced technology that is both powerful and easy to use.
“Without that technology, it’s possible that we would not have found the remains.”
– Pottawatomie County District Attorney
Previously, OSBI relied on a highly-trained forensic archaeologist to decipher a victim’s burial site. Now with minimal training, investigators can simply scan an area with FINDAR® and locate hidden graves.
Samantha Weaver, a mother of two children, was last seen in June 2012. After a few years of following leads, the investigation narrowed and officials began to focus their attention on a particular property outside of Shawnee, Oklahoma. A shed near the back of the property was of particular interest. The OSBI was called in and used their FINDAR to assist local law enforcement with the investigation.
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) officials surveyed the crime scene with FINDAR and were not disappointed with the technology’s ability to deliver results. Under plywood and three feet of soil, a decomposing body was discovered
Finding the body after three years is a significant turn of events for the investigation into the death of the Shawnee mother and will hopefully lead to a quick arrest and conviction.
“It’s the most rewarding thing in the world,” notes Beth Green, a trained GPR operator for OSBI. “That is the whole reason why I’m in law enforcement – to help people and speak for people who cannot speak for themselves”.
By correlating the cross-section views with the depth slices, one can have far greater confidence in what they are observing and in marking out the targets on the floor.
Download the case study: FINDAR Speaks for Murder Victims
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INDAR® offers law enforcement officials a means for reliably locating buried evidence, be it a clandestine grave, a firearm, or caches of drugs and money in order to produce evidence to close criminal cases. It is capable of locating metallic and non-metallic items.
A 10-foot by 10-foot area can be searched in less than 30 minutes. Data can be processed and viewed on site to offer immediate evidence recovery.
Sensors & Software offers forensic-focused training with industry experts who have led high-profile
law enforcement evidence searches internationally.
