Enrique+Camarena+Case+Study

Crime Scene Chemistry Anna Bowers 1/24/08 Miller, 6

Questions Enrique Camarena Case

1. Evidence could be destroyed when hair and other smaller pieces of evidence are picked up or moved around by the onlookers accidentally. If footprints were present, now it will be a lot harder to tell which one belonged to the attacker. Finally, their hair and clothing particles could get mixed up with the attacker’s, making the job of the investigators much harder. 2. This sketch doesn’t mark where any evidence was found. It doesn’t tell us anything about the rest of the house, like the kitchen,etc. What about the outside, driveway, cars? This could explain the attackers’ getaway. Not detailed at all. 3. They would collect footprints, if available, this could prove there was a struggle by the way they were moving. If objects have been overturned or broken in a certain area, couches, chairs, lamps. Lastly, if there is blood that has been spilled in a lot of different areas could mean that there was a struggle between attacker and victim. 5. a. Forensic Toxicologist b. Forensic Anthropologist c. Forensic Anthropologist

Case Analysis 1. The main challenges were the Mexican police inhibiting the FBI’s ability to collect evidence, by refusing to let them thoroughly investigate the home, and when they found evidence, like the license plate they took it from them, refusing to allow further investigation on it. Pavon-Reyes the head investigator at first was paid off and allowed the suspects to board a plane and get away. Mexican law enforcement also fabricated a plan in hopes to make the case end faster and the blame would be put on someone else. 2. The investigators figured out that the victims were being held at 881 Lope De Vega because of a couple of key things. First both cars that were seen by witnesses, the VW and the Mercury, were located at the home. In the guest house they found hair from the victims in the bedrooms and found carpet samples on the clothing of one suspect. The steel door with bars was also an indicator that something was going on. 3. Soil samples were first removed from the bodies and their clothing when they were taken out of the bags. The soil from the bodies was different than that of the soil from where they were found, meaning they were buried elsewhere. Then after a testimonial by one of Caro-Quintero’s men, investigators went and discovered two different bodies at La Primavera Park. Soil samples were taken from the park and matched almost exactly the soil taken from the bodies of Camarena and Zavala.