The person who abducted Nancy Guthrie may have actually left a major clue for investigators by trying to hide their digital footprint. Digital forensics expert Heather Barnhart, who helped crack the Idaho student murder case, says that even turning off a phone can become “the loudest evidence.”
Barnhart, who works with Cellebrite and the SANS Institute, explained that criminals often underestimate how hard it is to truly disappear in a connected world. According to Fox News, she previously analyzed the phone and computer of convicted killer Bryan Kohberger. While authorities haven’t shared many details about the digital evidence in the Guthrie case, Barnhart believes that cell tower data, Wi-Fi logs, and other digital trails could be critical.
