Trackergd
Verified SAR Manager and Tracker - Retired
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2013
- Messages
- 4,371
- Reaction score
- 27,024
Understand that I am not disagreeing with any of you, I am just pointing out the fact that 90% of the missing person "Last Place Seen" locations I have been called to were badly contaminated by Volunteer Fire Fighters, Police, Family and others. It has taken me hours in some cases to pick the proverbial "Fly S*** out of the Pepper" and find a print or a partial print that matches the shoe pattern of the missing person, then I have to do three more things, look at and measure the print to see if it is the correct size, the depth of the imprint matches the weight of the subject and that the wear patterns of the shoe shown in the print matches wear patterns on another pair of the subjects shoes. This is how I rule out that there are not more individuals wearing the same brand shoe....of course there are more things I look at, but these are the basics. I would say only in 10% or a little less, do I get an uncontaminated print field with say...only two or thee other prints from LE in it (because they know what to preserve). In 1980's, tracking was only just coming back into focus as a skill set having started back in 1975-77 or so. Most LE did not know what to look for, much less not to contaminate it. Oddly enough, they did know about tire tracks, but in general, not footprints. Sterns County LE may have known, but with the picture of the two officers (one kneeling) and looking at what is reported to be Jacobs prints, I can see a lot of tire prints and foot prints. There is another picture that stands out with plaster in a number of foot prints. It appears that some of these prints were run over by tires and there are a lot of other footprints. It's just the reality of the situation. I don't know that we can be 100% sure of what was found in that print field, what was collected as evidence by plaster and photograph and that 100% sure that Jacobs prints (if that's who's prints they are) were not faked as you aptly pointed out and forced me to reconsider as it is very unusual for someone to fake prints. I know one of the tire prints is from an older bias ply tire and somewhat narrow such as an older farm pickup, older jeep or old VW beetle and at least one heavy car with wider tires and more modern tires. I can see horse shoe prints and ATV (in this case ATC) tire prints. Without the original photographs, plaster casts and another pair of Jacobs shoes, there is little else I can do other than speculate and offer some scenarios for consideration. I wish to gosh I could do more.