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International Private Investigator FEATURE
Fernando Fernández with
Elizabeth Torres. A Warning and a Call to Action
Thanks to our team’s forensic work and the effective legal representation
by defense attorney Lic. Maritza Torres, Elizabeth Torres was declared Not
Guilty on all charges.
But this case represents more than a courtroom victory—it’s a wake-
up call. AI is now capable of fabricating voices, simulating screenshots,
mimicking communication records, and soon—creating full entire videos.
To My Fellow Colleagues
As professionals in investigative and forensic disciplines, we must
recognize that digital deception is evolving faster than many legal
By combining all of these findings, we concluded that the systems can adapt. We now need to treat every piece of digital evidence
voice repeating “Keishla, Keishla” had been generated using with skepticism until it has been verified using proper forensic protocols.
artificial intelligence.
Here’s what I recommend:
We explained to the court that every human voice carries
a unique vocal pattern, much like a fingerprint. These Do not accept screenshots as valid unless they come from a
patterns—especially formants and frequency structures—can properly extracted device image.
be measured and compared with known voice samples. In this
case, the voice in the audio did not match Elizabeth Torres’s Examine metadata, use ELA and PCA tools, and confirm
real vocal profile. consistency with official records.
Even more concerning, the number that placed the call In voice cases, demand acoustic analysis of formants, pitch,
belonged to Twilio, a platform widely known for its use of frequency, and breathing patterns.
AI-powered chatbots and automated voice systems. This
strongly supported the theory that the clip had been generated Investigate the origin of communication platforms—especially
using voice cloning technology. numbers linked to services like Twilio.
Moreover, the audio had been extracted from a Mac computer, And above all, protect your client’s right to examine the original
and again, the same drag-and-drop method had been used. source devices. Anything less is not real justice.
The prosecution never provided the original device for
examination, despite multiple written requests and motions If you’re ever facing a suspicious piece of evidence, or a case involving AI-
filed by the defense. manipulated media, feel free to reach out. We are in new territory—but
with the right expertise, the truth can still be found.
Educating the Court: Turning Forensics into Justice
Fernando Fernández
One of our greatest challenges was translating highly technical Digital Forensic Expert
findings into clear, understandable language for the court.
We developed visual exhibits comparing natural voice
waveforms versus AI-generated ones, showing the absence of
breath and inflection in the cloned version. We also illustrated
how screenshots, lacking metadata and traceability, are no
different than photos of documents—not reliable originals.
Our goal was to demonstrate not just what was wrong, but why
it mattered. Without strong standards for evidence collection
and verification, anyone could be framed with tools available
to the public.
The judge not only ruled in our favor but issued strong remarks
about the importance of digital forensics training for
prosecutors and law enforcement, recognizing the need to
evolve with technology.
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