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Searching the Bottom of a Lake

NCJ Number
220007
Journal
Evidence Technology Magazine Volume: 5 Issue: 4 Dated: July-August 2007 Pages: 14-17
Author(s)
Gary Gulick
Date Published
July 2007
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes how the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department’s Homicide Unit searched for key evidence by totally draining a lake that contained more than one million gallons of water.
Abstract
With creative thinking and a teamwork approach, even searching the mucky bottom of a lake can be a success. In attempting to solve a 2005 homicide case, the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department was informed, in 2006, by an eyewitness, that the suspect had thrown the weapon into a 2.6 acre lake. After conducting an unsuccessful routine underwater search and feeling confident the murder weapon was in the lake, the Homicide Unit decided to have the lake drained. After successfully draining the lake, the Homicide Unit found what they were looking for on the very first day of the search. This article describes the magnitude of such an undertaking and the planning process that had to occur when deciding to totally drain a lake with more than one million gallons of water.