The Associated Press reports that FBI agents identified an alleged murderer by the IP address of her computer before apprehending her. Lisa Montgomery of Melvern, Kansas was arrested and charged with “kidnapping resulting in death” in the strangling of Bobbie Jo Stinnett of Skidmore, Missouri. Stinnett is the pregnant woman who was killed last week and had her baby cut out of her, apparently by her assailant. According to the article:
Investigators say that just before the slaying, Montgomery had corresponded over the Internet with the victim, Bobbie Jo Stinnett, about buying a dog from Stinnett. The same technology that makes instantaneous communication possible enabled authorities to crack the case in a matter of hours and rescue the premature baby.
The article goes on to say that investigators took Stinnett’s computer and furiously searched it for evidence that ultimately pointed to Montgomery. A tip was provided by a North Carolina dog breeder who pointed out that Stinnett had been corresponding with people on a message board about raising rat terrier dogs. This led to the discovery of the IP address that was traced to Montgomery’s house.
In June, Operation Gadget reported on the use of mobile phone technology by counter-terrorism agents to locate and apprehend al Qaeda operatives worldwide. It’s good to see that the type of sophistication used in counter-terrorism is being applied to domestic crimes as well. Congratulations to the FBI on the apparent arrest of a brutal murderer. [ via Boing Boing ]