Hello, I’m a new member here. I got interested in this case since I currently work as a civilian aircraft mechanic at Edwards Air Force Base. I won’t be divulging too many personal details for obvious reasons but I am interested in the contents of the hip bag.
I’m seeing a lot of discussion about the crime scene evidence and people are investigating the most likely sources: auto repair workers, household focused tradesmen, hobbyists, etc.
But I suspect the killer or perhaps the killer’s parent(s) was/were affiliated not just with the United States military but more specifically with aircraft maintenance. Many aircraft maintenance career fields have used or use powdered dyes and can have this residue along with glass beads on their personal items inadvertently. In some cases it can be as common as finding old screws or lightbulbs on one’s personal items after work.
One career field for example has publicly available tech data about their process that references these materials. The career field is NDI, aka: Nondestructive Inspections. These technicians would be present in both the US Air Force and the US Naval Air Forces. As for source of the tech data I have attached the PDF file. You can also find this PDF if you search for “NONDESTRUCTIVE INSPECTION METHODS, BASIC THEORY” into Google. It’ll be a .mil address from Tinker Air Force Base.
The two paragraphs of this tech data appear to line up quite well with the powdered dyes and the glass particles found in in the hip bag:
“2.1.2.1 The oil-and-whiting method was replaced by magnetic particle inspection on steel and ferrous parts in 1930.
However, industries using non-ferromagnetic metals, especially aircraft manufacturers, needed a more reliable and sophisticated tool than discolored machine oil and chalk. In 1941, fluorescent dye materials were added to highly penetrating oil to make a penetrant material. Colored dyes, primarily red, were introduced a little later. Since then, a large number of penetrant systems or families have evolved. These include developments in various types and concentrations of dye materials, types of penetrating oils and additives, materials and methods for removing the excess surface penetrant, and various materials and forms of developing agents.”
And,
“2.10.1.2.1 Abrasive Blast. Abrasive blast media used to remove paint coatings include, but are not limited to, materials such as plastic media, glass bead, dry ice, and alumina grit. Plastic Media Blast (PMB) is often the preferred process for paint removal on aluminum and magnesium components due, largely, to its relatively minimal peening effect on the part surface.
However, even though PMB has less effect on the surface than most other materials, it has been shown to cause enough surface deformation of aluminum and magnesium to cause crack closure and prevent fluorescent penetrant entry. In addition to closing cracks by the peening effect of the particles hitting the surface, abrasive blast may also clog cracks with residues of the abrasive media preventing effective penetrant inspection. Glass bead and alumina grit blast are considerably more aggressive processes and should only be used when specific engineering directive authorizes their use.”
japantoday.com
