Crime Scene Products CLICK HERE FOR THE EVIDENT HOMEPAGE www.EvidentCrimeScene.com

EVIDENT Case File - The Billie Mine

FOR FORENSIC CONSULTING SEE: Casework

The Search for Human Remains at the Billie Mine, Death Valley, CA
During the April 2008 trip to Inyo County, CA to assist with the Barker Ranch investigation, Michael Grimm Sr. and his son Michael Grimm Jr. of EVIDENT were asked to accompany Charles Illsley, Keith Campbell and Ed Spann to a location near Billie Mine. Inyo County Sheriff's Office was in the process of attempting to identify partial human remains which were found in a ravine.
The primary search technique involved a night-time alternate light source search. During day light hours the area around the remains site was searched for anything of interest. During this search Ed Spann located an area of disturbed soil and rock.
The exposed rocks in this location were covered in a naturally occurring black rock varnish. The suspected area had clearly been disturbed as the rocks were inverted, exposing areas that lacked rock varnish. The area of disturbed soil was approximately the size of a clandestine grave.
The suspected area was carefully excavated with each rock being moved and examined for possible evidence. The soil immediately underneath the rocks was solid and did not appear to have been disturbed. It is believed that this was the initial burial site, followed by removal of the body and relocation up over the hill into the ravine.
As darkness fell the team prepared for the ground search with forensic light sources. A combination of portable lasers and hand-held LED based units were used, including the OPTIMAX LED. The intention was to find any remaining bones or bone fragments that would have been overlooked due to the severity of the terrain.
The portable laser was loaded into the bed of a truck and transported along a gravel road which ran parallel to the site. Charles Illsley and Mike Grimm Sr. operated the laser. Multiple people were spread over the relevant area, all wearing protective laser goggles. The intention was to illuminate any possible bones or bone fragments from a distance while the ground personnel recovered the fluorescing evidence. Due to the nature of current portable laser designs the laser beam itself becomes too diffuse over such large distances. A more focused, narrow beam would be more advantageous.
After the attempt with the portable laser the team moved into the ravine itself. The portable laser and several hand-held LED units were distributed across the suspected site. The hand-held LED units proved themselves invaluable for searching in such difficult terrain. The weight and fragile nature of current laser systems limits their value in the field.
Persistent searching by Sgt. Jeff Hollowell of Inyo County Sheriff's Office yielded a small human bone fragment, located with a hand-held LED unit. The fragment was found just below a small rock ledge. A simple overhead search of that section would not have resulted in locating the fragment. Sgt. Hollowell inspected the area closely using different angles of illumination.
Bones and bone fragments are known to fluoresce brightly. An unexpected condition was discovered while searching the area. Billie Mine is a borax mine, a compound commonly used to make soap. Borax also has a fluorescent property, creating a tremendous amount of background interference when searching with a light source.
The team returned to the Furnace Creek Ranch late that night. The following day they traveled to the Barker Ranch to assist in the ongoing investigation into possible clandestine graves left by Charles Manson and his followers.

CLICK HERE FOR THE EVIDENT HOMEPAGE

Crime Scene Products
739 Brooks Mill Road
Union Hall, VA 24176
Phone 1-800-576-7606
FAX 1-888-384-3368
email contact@evident.cc

EVIDENT Crime Scene Products
© 2008 EVIDENT, Inc.