HOUSTON – Channel 2 Investigates is asking tough questions after a private forensic team found bullets and other pieces of evidence in the botched Harding Street drug raid. The evidence they say the original investigators overlooked.
Peter Stout, the CEO and president of the Houston Forensic Science Center reacts to the findings of a private forensic team investigating the crime scene at 7815 Harding Street.
"I think we were reasonably complete, now that is not to say there weren't things that may have potentially left that should have been collected," Stout said.
Michael Maloney, a former senior instructor at the federal law enforcement training center for death investigations and sex crimes, has been working the site for the last five days.
On Monday, he and his team showed us bullets they recovered from the home, rounds they are confident were fired in January's deadly botched raid.
The findings by the private forensic team hired by the families of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas come months after Stout's own team of investigators spent over 100 hours at the home collecting evidence over multiple visits.
"We need to understand from the investigator what in fact they collected. I certainly would be interested in their SOPs, I'd certainly be interested in their accreditations and their certifications, these are all the aspects that go into how scenes are processed. Do you plan to reach out to them? I certainly plan to reach out to them and understand if they are willing to work with us," Stout said.
The Houston Forensics Science Center did reach out late Tuesday afternoon to state that the shirt observed by Channel 2 Investigates was actually photographed and documented by investigators and there was no need to bag it.
A spokesperson said they forgot to take off the forensic markings. A spokesperson reiterated they will attempt to contact the forensic team at some point in the near future.