Forensic Files - Season 12, Episode 14 - Finger Pane - Full Episode

Summary

On May 16, 2001, municipal workers found the bodies of Dana Faisal, 31, and Kami Kellemann, 32, in a remote marshland area near Texas City, Texas. Both women had been killed violently. Investigators believed the scene was unusually careless, and a criminal profiler warned that the perpetrator might kill again.

A crucial lead came from a bloody smear on Kellemann’s thigh that appeared to contain a fingerprint. Because skin stretches and its texture obscured the ridge detail, investigators treated the area with amido black and sent an image to FBI analyst Richard Vorder Bruegge. He used computer processing to separate the skin’s pattern from the fingerprint, making a comparison possible.

Other evidence helped narrow the search. A clear tire impression showed the logo and tread of Commander snow tires, an unusual fit for the area. Investigators traced sales of that tire type to Colorado. Police also learned that a woman had survived an attack three days before the murders. She described a Hispanic man with a dagger tattoo who drove a white car with a partial license plate. The man had tried to bind and gag her with a washcloth like one found at the murder scene.

Detective Paul Edinburg later spotted a small white car with the matching plate fragment. Its driver, 30-year-old José Castillon, had a dagger tattoo and had recently moved from Colorado, where he had purchased Commander snow tires. Investigators linked his tires to the impression, matched glass from his broken rear window to glass found on a victim, and identified his fingerprint as the one on Kellemann’s thigh. Beer-can records and checks also connected him to a purchase made the night of the murders, while washcloths at his nursing-home workplace matched those found at the scene.

Castillon pleaded guilty to capital murder and kidnapping and received life in prison without parole. The program emphasizes how quickly investigators processed the scene and how digital image analysis turned a faint fingerprint on skin into a key piece of evidence, helping prevent further attacks.

Presenters and Contributors

No presenter is identified in the subtitles. Named contributors include Richard Vorder Bruegge, an FBI image analyst, and Detective Paul Edinburg. The program also features unnamed investigators, forensic specialists, family members, a surviving witness, and a criminal profiler.