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On May 12, 1993, State Crime scene technicians, Don Smith and Kermit Chanel with
Sgt. Mike Allen and myself went to the area of the three victims of homicide were found.
We arrived just before dark to spray a reagent call ‘Luminal’ which causes and area that
is suspect to have contained blood. A suspect blood area illuminate when the spray
comes into contact what is believed to be blood!
There were five area’s that fluoresced where sprayed in the dark with the ́Luminol. Two
of these spots were where body number 1 and bodies 2 and 3 were laid out of the water
by investigators.
On May 13, 1993 at 9:00 AM Technicians Tom Smith, Kermit Chanel, Det Shane
Griffin and myself went back to the scene where we me by Coroner Ken Hale and
Harrison Robinson of the West Memphis Funeral Home. We proceeded to put up the
Tent / awning over two of the areas that had fluoresced last night. Putting up the awning
we further darkened the area with black plastic so that the illumination of the reaction of
the chemical could be photographed.
Photo #1 was shot at a point 7’0” from the mark on the large oak tree, where the paint
spot had been sprayed as a reference point to measure from, this was in a straight line
between the huge oak and the other tree that had another paint spot on it for a second
reference point. This area had a spot that illuminated
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to the naked eye that appeared to be about three feet in diameter indicating a heavy blood
area.
Photo #2 is an area of illumination that is directly over the spot where victim number 1
was lain upon the bank when he was pulled from the water. This spot is 3’8” from the
spot on the large oak tree in a direct line between that spot and location the body was
found in the water.
Photo #3 was taken on a root of the oak tree with the reference spot, the root is 6’0”
from the reference point in a straight line from that point heading straight into the water.
The fluoresced area in front of this large root indicated an area that was down sloping
toward the water, the illuminate spot formed a ‘V’ like shape!
Area’s that were to be photographed were at such an angle, the questionable area was
probably wash due to the amount of rain and it was nearby a sheer drop off into the
water. The spot illuminated some on both sides of a tree that had been marked with a
paint spot to be the third reference point. The cliff like areas were not conducive to
pitching a tent to create darkness
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so photo could be made! The final spot was on the plateau beside the three tree group
with reference point spot had been sprayed on. It was the spot where victims two and
three had been laid upon the shore when pulled from the water! We were operating in
rain and mud hauling tent material and black plastic, we tracked (?) the spot that the area
did not illuminate enough to photograph!
Don Smith will submit his report from the state crime lab.
