YOKNAPATAPHWA COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT

Investigating Officer(s): Det. S. Murphy, Det. T. Armstrong
Incident No.: 000153-06A-2023
Case Description: Veronica Smith death investigation

Following the discovery of text messages that indicated someone may have been watching Veronica Smith, the Yoknapatawpha County Crime Scene Unit re-examined the Smith/O'Connor property, focusing on the exterior where someone could have observed the activities in the house.

CSU provided the following summary of evidence collected from the exterior of the Smith/O'Connor residence, along with preliminary analysis results.


Evidence Collected

Fingerprints - exterior of sliding glass door, south wall of family room

  • 000153-16: One (1) handprint, side of right hand
  • 000153-17: One (1) handprint, side of left hand
  • 000153-18 through 000153-24: Seven (7) fingerprints

Fingerprints - exterior of window, east wall of garage

  • 000153-25: One (1) handprint, full left hand

Shoeprint - below window, east wall of garage

  • 000153-26: One (1) right shoe, men's

Residue - on east wall of garage between window and ground

  • 000153-27 through 000153-28: Two (2) two samples of dried liquid

Preliminary Analysis

At the scene, CSU conducted preliminary comparisons of the prints recovered to known prints belonging to Veronica Smith, George O'Connor, and Haley Smith. Further analysis is required to confirm these findings.

Fingerprints
ItemPreliminary Finding
000153-16: One (1) handprint, side of right hand Unidentified
000153-17: One (1) handprint, side of left hand Unidentified
000153-18 through 000153-24: Seven (7) fingerprints O'Connor, George (2)
Smith, Veronica (1)
Smith, Haley (3)
Unidentified (1)
000153-25: One (1) handprint, full left hand Unidentified

 

Shoeprint
ItemPreliminary Finding
000153-26: One (1) right shoe, men's Approximate size: 10.5
Toe pointed west
Location A indicates the top ridge of the tread, which is irregular and may be used as an identifier when comparing the print with shoes.

 

Residue
ItemPreliminary Finding
000153-27 through 000153-27: Two (2) two samples of dried liquid Field test positive for urine
Additional analysis pending