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Apple’s iPhone Health Apple Helps Investigators in Murder Investigation

January 16, 2018

Here we go again with apps giving away our secrets. BGR reported on January 14^th that Apple's Health app on an iPhone providing investigators with information about who raped and murdered a young medical student in Germany late last year.

German authorities already have a suspect in custody, a man identified only as Hussein K. Hussein K has already admitted his involvement, though some details regarding the murder still remain unclear. Hussein K refused to provide the pin code of his iPhone to investigators, which led authorities to hire a Munich-based security firm which hacked into the device.

Apple's Health app has come standard with iOS for years now, with the ability to track a user's daily steps and other types of physical activity.

Data from Hussein K's Health app revealed the exact time of day he was busy climbing stairs on the day of the murder. The time in question reportedly aligns with when police believe the victim was dragged down a flight of stairs to a nearby river and drowned.

The phone also suggested periods of more strenuous activity, including two peaks, which the app identified "climbing stairs". An investigator of similar build to the suspect went to the area where the body was discovered and recreated how the police believe he disposed of the body. The police officer's movement data on the same app also identified him as "climbing stairs."

Phone evidence is everywhere – and apps are proving to be a rich source of useful data, as the number of phones in our forensics lab attests!

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