Digital Forensics Dispatch

iPhone Digital Forensic Evidence Key in Trial of Mother Accused of Murdering Child

November 11, 2021

KMBC News recently reported on the sentencing of Aushena Warren in the murder and attempted murder of her two young sons. Warren, 34, received her sentence on Tuesday November 2^nd after pleading guilty to second degree murder of her oldest son, who was drowned in the bathtub, and first degree assault of her younger son, whom she attempted to smother with a pillow.

The events took place on June 17, 2017 while Warren’s husband was at work, leaving her alone with the two children, ages 6 and 8. After allegedly committing the acts, she was spotted jumping from a bridge into the Missouri river and rescued by the members of the fire department, who happened to be conducting training on the river that day.

Over the course of their investigation, law enforcement made a number of unsettling discoveries including a note left at the scene apologizing for the killing. Potentially even more unsettling were the detailed searches located on Warren’s iPhone. Investigators at the Heart of America Regional Computer Forensics Lab were able to recover searches such as “how long does it take to drown”, “how long does it take to suffocate someone”, “mother murders children”, “can pillows smother”, “which kills you faster suffocating or drowning”, and “family of mother who drowned children.” Other searches indicated she may have been researching women’s prisons in Missouri as well.

With the help of digital evidence, the court determined that Warren should receive a life sentence for the murder and a 15 year sentence for the attempted smothering.

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