The Untold Story – How Mobile Phone Location Data Drives Criminal Investigations

Behind the scenes of every major criminal investigation, mobile network operators (MNOs) play a pivotal role. Lawfully-authorized mobile location data has become an indispensable tool for law enforcement, helping to solve complex cases, protect the public, and ensure compliance with strict data retention and telecom security requirements.

While the process is rarely discussed publicly, the recent quadruple murder case in Moscow, Idaho (USA) offers a rare insight into how this data is gathered, used, and safeguarded.

Case study – Mobile location data in action

When four students from the University of Idaho were murdered on 13 November 2022, the local community, which hadn’t experienced a murder in 15 years, was horrified. Information flooded in – 15,000 tips in all.

Police were able to obtain CCTV footage which captured an image of a Hyundai Elantra near the crime scene. Using lawful authority, police obtained cell site location information for the driver’s phone, which revealed he was near the victims' residence around 9am on 13 November – approximately five hours after the killings. This revealed:

• The suspect was near the victims’ residence around 9am on the day of the murders.

• He had been in the area at least 12 times before – always late at night or early morning.

• On the night of the killings, his phone disconnected for two hours before reappearing on a route consistent with fleeing the scene.
  

When combined with CCTV evidence, the mobile location data formed a compelling case for prosecutors.

Telecom security and legal compliance

For MNOs, telecom security isn’t only about preventing cyber threats – it also includes safeguarding sensitive subscriber data and ensuring that lawful requests are handled precisely according to regulation.

In the US, data retention and lawful access are regulated by the Carpenter v United States decision, requiring a search warrant for more than seven days of location history. In the Idaho case:

• Police first obtained a warrant for two days of data.

• After analysis, a second warrant expanded the request to cover June – December 2022.
  

Supplying data outside the authorized scope could breach data retention laws, compromise telecom security, and jeopardize a prosecution.

The Idaho murder investigation illustrates how important historic cellphone location data can be, but equally how important it is that data is legally obtained and only supplied for the authorized period of time. Supplying more data than is authorized could undermine a subsequent court case and put MNOs in breach of data protection legislation.

From criminal investigations to public safety

While this case centered on a homicide, the same processes are vital in other public safety contexts, including SAR (Search and Rescue) operations. Identifying a missing person’s last call location can be critical in an emergency response, where every minute counts.

Whether helping detectives build a case or aiding SAR teams in remote locations, fast and compliant delivery of mobile location data is essential.

Subtonomy REX – secure, compliant, and fast

Subtonomy REX gives MNOs the tools to handle lawful location data requests with unmatched efficiency and precision. Subtonomy REX is an automated, highly secure and self-service solution that is fully compliant with all regulatory and legal requirements.

• Instant retrieval of the only authorized mobile location data.

• Strict compliance with lawful interception and data retention regulations.

• Full audit trails to strengthen telecom security and accountability.

Subtonomy REX helps MNOs protect customer privacy, support law enforcement in criminal investigations, and deliver the right data at the right time.