Cases that would have been prevented with today's technology

[zack007attack]

Many of us have probably seen plenty of cases that we believe would have been prevented if the technology we have today (such as cell phones, GPS systems, digital cameras, etc.) were in the hands of victims. Does anyone see how a specific piece of technology we have today in the 21st century would have prevented specific cases from happening that occured in the 90s, 80s, or earlier from happening? Here are some I see:

1) Dwayne McCorkendale: cell phone. He would have been able to call his wife from his truck, maybe using a hands free device, and might not have gotten out of the truck and close to whoever shot him in cold blood.
2) Dick Hansen: digital camera. His friend could have gotten pictures of the back of the shooters car that could have given them a license plate and lead them to the killer.
3) Kecksburg, Bentwaters UFOs. digital camera. The sighters could have gotten pictures and kept them hidden to disprove military coverups
4) Amelia Earhart. GPS. She could have seen how off course she was from Howland Island and corrected it in order to make it there.
5) Flight 19 bomber squad. GPS. They likely would not have gotten lost.

Can anyone think of any other technologies and cases?

[TracyLynnS]

Angela Hammond: cell phone (or even plain old 20th century phone).

She was abducted from a phone booth because she didn't have a phone in her house. If she had a cell phone or home phone, she wouldn't have needed to stop and use the phone booth.

Also, if she had a cell phone, and was still abducted, authorities could possibly "ping" her phone and triangulate her location using the cellular relay towers or maybe utilize a GPS feature on the phone.

[TracyLynnS]

Tommy Zigler: DNA and maybe a decent crime scene reconstructionist.

He was convicted of killing his wife and her parents in the 70s, partly because blood evidence was said to belong to one victim when about 30 years later, DNA leads us to believe it did not. It seems dirty politics may be playing a huge role in this case that could have been avoided if DNA was immediately available.

[MegtheEgg86]

I say Beverly McGowan. I think with the ridiculous amount of airport security today as well as better fraud monitering techniques and technology, Elaine Parent would've been caught years before she ever set foot in that apartment.

[MegtheEgg86]

Just thought of another one: Greg Adams. Had he been wearing the protective vest that most police officers are required to wear today, he might've survived Donald Eugene Webb's gunshots.

[TracyLynnS]

Maybe Judith Hyams. She could have gone to a knowledgeable doctor nowadays, and not ended up likely dead because of a back alley abortionist who didn't know what he was doing.

[TracyLynnS]

Kristi Krebs. A cell phone in 1993 may have helped the 22 year old mentally disturbed woman after her car became hopelessly stuck, and lost in the forest.

Leah Roberts. Same as Kristi Krebs, but she went missing in the forest in 2000. Lots of people had cell phones by then.

Tammy Leppert. Cell Phone. If her boyfriend really did drop her off on the side of the road in 1982, she could have called her family for a ride home.

As I was looking through some of the cases on the UM site, I really realized how many of the cases would never have happened if general common sense had been used. No need for technology. Just simple stuff like don't hitchhike, don't leave your kids unattended, etc.

[dynoguy88]

Another cell phone case. Ellen Fried - one of the several victims of the New Hampshire/Vermont serial killer in the 1980's. She was talking on a payphone with her sister who lived in California outside a market at 2:00 in the morning.

Unlike the Angela Hammond abduction, Ellen wasn't kidnapped during her phone conversation. However, she grew so concerned when a truck kept circling the parking lot over and over that she put the phone down so she could start her car. She then returned to the phone and talked with her sister for a few minutes before hanging up. This was one of those cases where a person was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She then was abducted, driven 10 miles, taken into the woods and stabbed to death.

Ellen lived in the country outside Claremont, NH in 1984. She didn't have a home phone so she'd drive into town whenever she wanted to call someone. A cell phone would have avoided her fate.

[MissFit29]

Michael Rosenblum - cell phone, if only for the possibility of gps tracking (I kind of doubt he would have answered any calls, because he was upset with his family and girlfriend).

[Oldschooler81]

Interesting thread, I've thought about this alot too. I think from today's perspective it's what makes some of the cases that much more creepy (or sad) considering there's much less chance of that happening. Especially anything with cellphones where people could've at least called 911. Each of the big technologies either didn't exist or hadn't really taken off in UM's glory days, like:

GPS - 2003/04 is when I think it got huge and installed in many new cars, although it was probably around before

cellphones - pretty big by the mid-late 90s (although car phones were around some years before that, my dad had one too), although not to the point of everyone having them until maybe '02/03

DNA testing - circa '94, but not commonplace until late 90s

Originally Posted by zack007attack

3) Kathy Hobbs: cell phone. She wouldn't have had to use a payphone and might not have been abducted.

Wow, I didn't know Kathy used a payphone - did it go a little different than the segment showed it (she was walking out of the store when the guys grabbed her)? Another thing is, she could've also used it to call her friends at the apartment complex before she went alone to the store in the first place.

[Mastermind]

Great thread!

1. It should be noted though that right now and in the later years of UM, cell phones were very prominent and that hasn't stopped people from killing, kidnapping and doing all types of crimes. I would make the argument that all those cases would still happen regardless of technology.

2. Technology is a two way street. Remember that the criminals also have the same advantage of technological advancements. The killer also is aware of the advancements and can make changes in his behavior. The killer knows that people have cell phones, so that's the first thing he probably takes. This is the argument I use when people say that modern technology would have prevented the Jack the Ripper crimes. I say Jack the Ripper would have killed further away, spread his killings apart, wear gloves and dump the bodies.

Quote:
Originally Posted by zack007attack
3) Kathy Hobbs: cell phone. She wouldn't have had to use a payphone and might not have been abducted.

Wow, I didn't know Kathy used a payphone - did it go a little different than the segment showed it (she was walking out of the store when the guys grabbed her)? Another thing is, she could've also used it to call her friends at the apartment complex before she went alone to the store in the first place.

Well if the guys is hellbent on killing someone, Kathy may have just rolled the dice and opened the door for another unlucky victim to take her place.

If the guys is particular keen on killer her in particular, using a cell phone may have just delayed the attack. The attacker might find another way to get at Kathy.

[MissFit29]

I would argue that Dwayne McCorkendale would not have been murdered if he had a cell phone and had not stopped at the rest stop to make the phone call.

Also, the Blind River rest stop murders may have still occurred, but if Gord McAllister had a phone, he could have called the police from inside their motor home when that guy banged on the door - the killer may have been apprehended, at least.

[Apostapler]

Maybe OnStar could've saved Kristine Skubish? Although I think she died instantly.

[zack007attack]

I deleted that part. I ment to say Angela Hammond instead of Kathy Hobbs; sorry for the confusion.

[TracyLynnS]

Originally Posted by Apostapler

Maybe OnStar could've saved Kristine Skubish? Although I think she died instantly.

Oh yeah. On Star could have definitely located the car and her son would have been found much sooner. Instead, I think he was found about 5 days after the crash, and was very dehydrated and nearing death.

Also, any case that has a police chase involved... I believe that the On Star people can remotely shut the car off, allowing the police to catch the escaping criminal. I'm not sure how much info the cops have to be able to give On Star so that they know exactly which car to shut down, tho.