High-Tech Investigation Helps Nab Child Molester

WOODLAND, Calif. (CBS13) -- A single picture acted as a digital fingerprint that helped a Yolo County task force track down a child molester months after the lurid acts took place.

Lt. Pete Martin said distinctive details in a photo found on suspect Juan Hernandez's computer led to a plea deal of 21 years behind bars for molesting a child.

"It's like a puzzle," Martin said. "I thought this was the best smoking gun I've ever got in my career."

The picture only showed a hand touching a child's private parts, but it was all the task force, headed by the Yolo County District Attorney's office and bolstered by a $250,000 federal grant, needed to see.

"The hands had distinctive scarring and tattooing," Martin said.

Investigators compared a photo of Hernandez's hand with the hand in the photo, matching up the same scars and same tattoos.

"I don't think Mr. Hernandez would have plead to 231 years if we hadn't found what we found," Martin said.

The task force has turned to a number of elaborate techniques to track down suspects.

Cell phone photos not only capture the time a picture was taken, but also the location, thanks to GPS coordinates. Investigators can uncover deleted text messages from smart phones, helping attorneys prosecute "he-said/she-said" cases.

County officials will continue applying for federal grant money to continue the program.