Digital evidence mounting in Boston after marathon bombing

The Boston Marathon’s crowded finish line meant greater tragedy, but it also proved key to identifying the suspects in the bombing.

Thanks to the ubiquity of security cameras and smartphones, authorities were able to release photos April 18 implicating two suspects in the marathon blasts. The suspects became part of a massive man hunt, followed by a dramatic overnight shooting that left one dead and one on the run early April 19. The sudden development reinforces the inevitable complications of crime solving, even with technology’s progression. Hundreds of shutters snapped and cameras rolled before and after the two explosions ripped through the city’s downtown, unintentionally capturing the moment and maybe even the culprits. Faced with this deluge of images, law enforcement officials combined facial recognition technologies, digital enhancements and old-fashioned detective work to sift for clues.