2019
Gerard Dutton
Nashville, TN
Toolmarks are often found at burglary scenes when an offender tries to gain entry to the premises or locked receptacles within. Occasionally, the tool is left at the scene and if an evidentiary link can be established between a suspect and those tools (Such as DNA or fingerprints), this provides a prime opportunity for toolmark comparison. The case recounted was an instance where a tool left at a crime scene appeared to be responsible for some marks as it was the only potential and obvious candidate, yet the analysis eliminated that tool. Possible explanations for the questions marks were then explored which produced an unexpected result. This case will be discussed along with the important lesson in forensic investigation it provided – the importance of finding answers, even if irrelevant to the investigation.