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NOT PLAYING AROUND: Clue left in Play-Doh helps nab suspected thief

Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Here's something you do not hear every day. A child's play toy helped catch a suspected shoplifter.

Play-Doh is probably in every toy bin, but as one would-be thief found out, you should be very careful when handling this stuff.
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The suspect wanted to take expensive electronics from a WalMart in Massachusetts, but those items are wrapped with a security device that sends out a loud noise if they are stolen.

So the guy took some Play-Doh and covered the speakers.

What he did not resolve was that he left behind an important clue -- his fingerprint. It sticks out like, dare I say, a sore thumb?

"Forensic science evidence cannot be changed, it cannot be disputed," said Leicester Police Chief James Hurley. "It is there. His print was on that Play-Doh. Mr. Jackson thought he was being clever, and in a way it was. Unfortunately, his cleverness was more clever for us than it was for him."
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This is not the first time bad guys left behind too much evidence.



In Maryland, it was DNA on a McDonald's bag left at a crime scene that lead police to a murder suspect.

And who can forget the trail that ended up catching the Golden State Killer. A family tree DNA website gave police clues they used in conjunction with a discarded item to nab that suspect.

So remember, if you are up to no good, Play-Doh is the last thing you want in your tool kit.
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