Case Analysis
Enrique Camarena was an undercover DEA agent who served in the United States Marine Corps. On February 9, 1985 Camarena was abducted near the U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara, Mexico. A little while later captain Alfred Zavala, a DEA informant was abducted. The abduction of these two men led to one of the largest investigations conducted by the DEA. Many suspects were arrested in the United States and Mexico. Primer Commandant Pavon-Reyes of the (MFJP) Mexican Federal Judicial Police was assigned to the case immediately which much hesitance. Two suspects were quickly identified, and were brought in for questioning. They were released two hours later by Mexican officials.
This investigation was long and plagued by problems. Many suspects were arrested in the United States and Mexico. Some of the forensic evidence that was found in the Enrique case included: hair samples, soil samples, clothing items, finger prints and fibers. The steps that were followed by the crime scene investigators were not effective. Crime scene investigators returned and proceeded to evaluate the scene where the bodies were originally found. A limited investigation was conducted due to the fact that it had been discovered that the bodies were dumped there after being murdered. This was determined by taking samples from the soil. What was abstracted from the bodies did not match that of the crime scene. Crime scene investigators also checked for any significant traces of body fluids near the burial site, in which none was discovered. Ron Rawalt was a forensic geologist assigned to the Washington DC laboratory. He used soil samples from the body of Camarena and from the site where his body was located and tested them. The test proved that there was plenty evidence that the body was previously buried somewhere else and then exhumed. This evidence proved that Camarena was killed in a different location based on the body fluids found on the body and the mixing with rock, soil material.
This investigation was long and plagued by problems. Many suspects were arrested in the United States and Mexico. Some of the forensic evidence that was found in the Enrique case included: hair samples, soil samples, clothing items, finger prints and fibers. The steps that were followed by the crime scene investigators were not effective. Crime scene investigators returned and proceeded to evaluate the scene where the bodies were originally found. A limited investigation was conducted due to the fact that it had been discovered that the bodies were dumped there after being murdered. This was determined by taking samples from the soil. What was abstracted from the bodies did not match that of the crime scene. Crime scene investigators also checked for any significant traces of body fluids near the burial site, in which none was discovered. Ron Rawalt was a forensic geologist assigned to the Washington DC laboratory. He used soil samples from the body of Camarena and from the site where his body was located and tested them. The test proved that there was plenty evidence that the body was previously buried somewhere else and then exhumed. This evidence proved that Camarena was killed in a different location based on the body fluids found on the body and the mixing with rock, soil material.
References: Rodgers, David J., (n.d.). Forensic geology exposes massive cover-up in the Enrique Camarena case in Mexico (1985) Saferstein, R. (2011). Criminalistics: An introduction to forensic science (10th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.