Seeing the Orchard search posts, I almost didn't post this question, but I'll go ahead anyway.
I do want to know more about how the FBI can evaluate cell phone data. It's not just calls and texting that I'm interested in. We all know that apps on HG and JM's phones could have been tracking their locations that night (up until phones turned off), and may be saved on a server. They can create maps of their locations based on whatever Facebook or Yelp or other apps gather. I hope they're thinking of this. I assume they are.
averagemommy, the FBI's cyber forensics capabilities as well as many other investigative resources are virtually unlimited.. Here's a few.. Go to their website for others..
FBI Computer Forensics Labs <see other fbi cyber forensics crime analysis units>
http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2009/august/rcfls_081809
<sniped - read more>
Combined, our network of labs racked up some pretty big numbers during the year. The RCFLs and their examiners:
Processed 1,756 terabytes of data (a single terabyte is equivalent to the content of one large library!);
Conducted 4,524 forensic examinations;
Assisted 591 onsite law enforcement operations;
Trained 4,991 law enforcement officers in digital forensics techniques; and
Appeared in court 74 times to testify at trial.
And here a few more numbers: RCFL personnel examined 58,609 pieces of digital media of all kinds. The most popular types included CDs and hard drives (about 17,500 each); floppy disks (10,982); DVDs (4,310); flash media (2,548);
and cell phones (2,226). Other items included digital cameras, GPS devices, and video and audio tapes.
But even more impressive than these statistical accomplishments were the important investigations these RCFLs supported. For instance:
The Miami Valley (Ohio) RCFL helped the Columbus Joint Terrorism Task Force investigate Christopher Paul, who eventually pled guilty to conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction against targets in Europe and the United States.
The Kentucky RCFL examined media seized during a civil rights investigation into abuses against inmates by Fayette County Detention Center corrections officers.
The Heart of America (Missouri) RCFL uncovered clues on a computer belonging to Lisa Montgomery, charged with the murder of a 23-year-old pregnant woman and the kidnapping of the woman’s unborn child.