ComputerForensicsDigest.com

Last week, authorities used a new branch of computer forensics -- GPS forensics -- to help locate the body of a missing Peoria, AZ man. The case offers a glimpse into one of the rapidly-growing specialties in the computer forensics industry.

A short time before Christmas, James Jay Keefer, 55, told friends that he was heading off to do some exploring near Kingman, about three hours northwest of Glendale. When he failed to return, friends and family reported him missing.

The day after Keefer left town, a woman named Cynthia Ann Langrall, 57, was shot while jogging in Glendale. Suspicion quickly focused on Greg Allen Hawkins, 48, a Peoria resident known to have a long-standing grudge with Langrall's husband. Hawkins was also Keefer's roommate, and had gone with him to on the trip to Kingman.

Before police could question Hawkins, he fled the state and barricaded himself in his parents' home in northern California. Law enforcement officials conducted extensive negotiations to persuade Hawkins to give himself up, but after several hours, he committed suicide.

During their search of the house, police discovered a handheld GPS unit. A forensic exam revealed the coordinates for a "location of interest" near Kingman. When police visited the site, they found human remains which they believed to be Keefer. DNA tests are being conducted to confirm the body's identity.

Given the tremendous popularity and growing ubiquity of GPS technology, it's not surprising that this is a rapidly growing segment of the industry. According to the Web site GPSForensics.org, more than $5 billion worth of GPS devices were sold in the United States in 2008, and another $5 billion worldwide. Depending on the particular design of the device, a variety of potentially useful information can be extracted from GPS devices, including:

    * Track Logs
    * Trackpoints
    * Waypoints
    * Routes
    * Stored Location; Home, Office, etc…
    * Security Location
    * Recent Addresses
    * Call Logs (Missed, Dialed, Received)
    * Paired Device History
    * Incoming/Out Going Text Msg
    * Videos, Photos, Audio

As GPS technology is added to a wider and wider array of devices, the role of GPS information in court cases will undoubtedly increase markedly.