Using Infotainment Data for an Arson Investigation
Background
An individual who was suspected of arson claimed that he had not been in the vicinity of the fire site in question in the days leading up to the fire as well as at the time when the fire had been started.
Process
Vehicle infotainment systems like Ford SYNC, GM OnStar, and Chrysler Uconnect collect and store information including vehicle location, vehicle speed, and phone calls or text messages made on connected devices. Once being retained to conduct an analysis of the case, Explico’s team of experts used the infotainment data from the suspect’s vehicle to create a time history of its location during the several days leading up to the fire. Information including door open/close and gear shift events were analyzed to understand the vehicle’s specific activities around the time when the fire was started.
Results
Once the analysis and investigation were complete, Explico concluded that the arson suspect’s vehicle had visited the fire location several times during the days leading up to the fire and was at the fire site at the time when the fire was started. Door open/close and gear shift events confirmed that the suspect parked and exited the vehicle while it was located at the fire site.
