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Computer crime unit looks into Craigslist killings

Posted at 6:23 PM, Jul 22, 2014
and last updated 2014-07-22 18:26:17-04

WYOMING, Mich.,---The investigation continues into Wyoming’s triple homicide while police have finished their work at the scene of the suspect’s house. The investigation is far from over.

According to Wyoming Police Chief James Carmody, hundreds of items removed now need to be processed, including electronic devices and data storage.

The Michigan State Police Internet Crime Unit and Internet Crimes against Children Task Force (ICAC) has been helping review that data in the investigation.

Detective Sgt. Chris Prevette with ICAC says the team is there to answer any questions that may come up and, in cases like this, they just want to retrieve everything they can for local investigators.

It’s a job that comes with hundreds of hours of training. “There’s a lot of weight that’s put on your shoulders to figure these things out quickly,” said Prevette.

The Wyoming killings have shaken many across West Michigan. Police say a young couple looking for sex on Craiglist turned into a heinous homicide.

Prevette says it’s not necessarily web sites like Craigslist that are bad, but rather how they are used. "Why do we feel on the Internet it’s not the real world, and we don’t have the same dangers? Well the fact and reality is those dangers exist, and they’re more prevalent than anywhere really on the Internet, because people can anonymous themselves and act in a dangerous way."

That's a tragic reality that has hit close to home and left police searching for answers. Chief Carmody said Monday in a news conference his department wansts to make sure they cover all the things they need to so they’re confident there are no other victims or suspects.