In the aftermath of the attempted assassination of Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay, investigators turned to advanced digital forensic solutions to track down those responsible. With multiple mobile devices involved, authorities were able to extract and analyze the data to make connections and quickly identify individuals linked to the crime. Turbay has since passed away, dying from the injuries he sustained in the shooting, which underscores the need for holding those responsible accountable for his death.

This case underscores the growing role digital forensics plays in safeguarding democratized nations and public safety, showing how evidence stored in phones and apps can often make the difference between stalled investigations and actionable justice. It also highlights the fact that agencies can no longer stop at extractions. To move quickly, investigators must be equipped with AI-powered investigative analytics that can process large volumes of evidence and surface the information that matters most.

How the Technology Contributed

  • Uncovering Hidden Data Fast: Messages, GPS records, deleted files and call logs were recovered and correlated across devices.
  • Connecting the Dots: AI-powered investigative analytics helped investigators spot links between suspects, timelines and events which might otherwise have gone unnoticed.
  • Accelerating Progress: Instead of weeks or months of manually reviewing each mobile device, actionable intelligence was generated quickly, allowing law enforcement to move forward with confidence.

What Can Your Agency Prioritize Today?

  1. Centralize Evidence Review – Managing data from multiple devices in one platform, such as Cellebrite Pathfinder, reduces the risk of missing critical connections and investigative leads.
  2. Leverage AI for Scale – Once an agency masters extraction, the next step is giving investigators the ability to investigate cases independently with the help of AI-based tools. These solutions act as an assistant and can condense hours of manual work into minutes by categorizing evidence, enabling text search across all media, building timelines, mapping locations and other tedious tasks.
  3. Streamline Reporting – Exporting evidence into court-ready formats can often slow down progress. With the right tools, investigators can generate smart PDFs, visual timelines and redacted reports that meet legal standards and are easy to share with prosecutors.

A Global Shift

The Colombian case is one example among many worldwide where digital forensics has played a pivotal role in major investigations. The attempted assassination of a political leader is also a stark reminder of the high stakes involved in modern investigations. As threats become more sophisticated, agencies must evolve their approach. This means not only having strong extraction capabilities but also digitizing more of their manual processes. When investigators feel comfortable relying on technology that automates routine tasks, they gain back valuable time to focus on what matters most: investigating and solving cases.


Want to see Cellebrite Pathfinder in action? Try our interactive demo.

Read the full article (Spanish).

Share this post