Police in Anchorage, Alaska can thank a woman's random find on the street for a significant break in a murder case that actually led to an arrest, the Alaska Daily News reported.
KTUU
Woman Finds Memory Card Labeled 'Homicide' That Leads To Actual Murder
In a surreal moment, a woman walking down the street one day found an SD card labeled "Homicide at midtown Marriott."
It wasn't for a student project or an amateur filmmaker, either. The memory card contained no less than 12 videos and 39 images of the progression of an actual murder. The Associated Press reported that the images and videos showed such disturbing scenes as a woman being strangled as a man's voice says "just...die," and pictures of her face down in a truck and under a blanket on a hotel luggage cart.
The woman turned the SD card over to police, who promptly started to piece together a case.
KTUU
Just two days later a body was found along a highway south of Anchorage, and it matched the victim in the videos on the SD card. About a week later, police had a suspect in custody, 48-year-old Brian Steven Smith.
One of the things that tipped the investigators off was that Smith has a distinct South African accent.
Facebook | Brian Smith
As did the voice on the videos on the memory card. Police said they recognized the voice and accent from a different, unspecified investigation.
Investigators also discovered that Smith had registered at a local Marriott hotel in early September, and the carpet at the hotel matched carpet seen on the SD card's content.
The final nail for Smith came from his cellphone data.
Facebook | Brian Smith
Records showed that Smith had been in the area where the remains were found within minutes of when the last image on the SD card was taken. He also owns a truck matching the truck seen on the SD card.
Police credited the woman who turned in the SD card with helping catch Smith.
Facebook | Anchorage Police Department
"The Anchorage Police Department extends its gratitude to the citizen who stepped forward with the evidence of this crime," a statement said. "They played an instrumental role in making sure Smith will be held accountable for his actions."
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