The Brandyn Foster Homicide: Case Study Presentation | Advanced Strategic Communications

A Lasting Impact

Through FBI-facilitated coordination with Google engineering personnel, this case work directly contributed to the development of the Google Tombstone Report, now relied on by law enforcement worldwide. See how ›

"Relentless pursuit is the price of justice. The path may twist, turn, and test your resolve, but only those who refuse to quit find the truth."

Joseph R. Auriemma, Jr.

The Case

When the digital trail goes dark on purpose

In January 2017, Brandyn Foster disappeared. There was no scene, no body, and a suspect determined to make sure neither would be found. Phones were dropped. Identities were switched. The digital footprint that should have closed the case in days was being deliberately erased in real time.

The investigation that followed lasted 371 days. It required warrant tactics most homicide investigators have never seen used outside of narcotics or terrorism cases, swamping warrants, IMEI tracking, Title III eavesdropping, sneak-and-peek warrants, and an investigative discipline that refused to accept "we can't get that" as an answer.

When the case finally turned, it turned because of legal process. Not luck. Not a confession out of nowhere. Disciplined, lawfully aggressive use of search warrants, applied to digital records that had never been pulled this way in a homicide investigation before, produced the evidence that secured charges and a conviction.

Why This Case Study, Now

2017 case file. 2026 problem set.

Every homicide investigator working today is going to face what this case taught: a suspect who knows what their phone gives away, drops it on purpose, switches identities, and moves to encrypted apps. Burner devices, deliberate counter-surveillance, and platform-by-platform digital evasion are no longer outlier tactics, they are the case file.

The Brandyn Foster homicide is taught because it is the working playbook for that environment. The warrant tactics, sequencing, and digital-evidence discipline that closed this case are the same ones that close cases against suspects who arrive at the scene having already done their homework.

What This Presentation Delivers

Three takeaways every investigator can use the next morning

01

Advanced Warrant Tactics

Swamping warrants, IMEI tracking, Title III eavesdropping, and sneak-and-peek warrants, what they are, when they apply to a homicide case, and how to draft them so a judge signs and a defense attorney can't pull them apart.

02

Digital Investigation Strategy

How records from cell phones, Google, and social media platforms were legally obtained and strategically sequenced to rebuild a timeline the suspect had spent months trying to destroy.

03

Investigative Resilience

What to do when phones go dark, identities switch, and the case stalls. The mindset, sequencing, and multi-agency coordination that kept the investigation moving across 371 days.

A Lasting Impact

This case directly contributed to the Google Tombstone Report

During the investigation of the Brandyn Foster homicide, Joe worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and, through FBI-facilitated coordination, spoke directly with engineering personnel at Google. That conversation revealed that certain deleted-user-data records existed within Google systems but were not being produced in response to lawful process. Those investigative findings directly contributed to changes in how Google documented deleted-data responses and to the development of what became known as the Google Tombstone Report, a record identifying data that once existed on Google systems but had since been deleted or rendered unavailable.

Attendees see exactly how that result came about. Not as folklore. As a working demonstration of how disciplined case work, productive coordination with federal partners, and a refusal to accept "no records exist" can change the way a major provider responds to lawful process.

Read the full origin story ›

By the Numbers

Inside a 371-day Investigation

655

Leads Run

127

Subpoenas Served

72

Search Warrants

57

Intel Workups

9

Title III Warrants

Where Joe Has Presented This Case

A returning featured speaker at the homicide conferences and symposia where investigators bring the cases they want to break next.

NYS Henry F. Williams Homicide Conference

Featured Speaker · 3 Years

Pennsylvania State Police Homicide Symposium

Featured Speaker · 2 Years

Delaware State Police Homicide Conference

Upcoming · October 2026

What Attendees Are Saying

From the rooms where Joe has presented this case

"Joe Auriemma is outstanding. I'd listen to him for a whole day. A cop's cop with the ability to relay such a convoluted timeline and complex search warrants in an easy-to-follow way. He. Is. Awesome."
Homicide Conference Attendee

"This was a VERY complex case and the presenter did a phenomenal job organizing it and making it easy to understand how it started and how he was able to get charges in the end."
Homicide Conference Attendee

"One of the best case studies I've seen. Great presentation on the workings of a complex investigation. Joseph was engaging and knew how to present the information clearly."
Homicide Conference Attendee

"Excellent presentation and great example of why digging further into underused warrants is worth it."
Homicide Conference Attendee

Investigator Joseph R. Auriemma, Jr. taking Sade Knox into custody for the murder of Brandyn Foster. At the time of arrest, Knox was pregnant with the child of her co-defendant, Carlos Graham.

1,500+

Warrants Authored

24 Yrs

NYSP Experience

The Speaker

When you book this presentation, you're hearing from the lead investigator

Joseph R. Auriemma, Jr. served 24 years with the New York State Police, including 6.5 years in the Major Crimes Unit. He retired as a Senior Investigator supervising 5 investigators and 29 uniformed troopers. During that career he was the affiant on over 1,500 search warrants and court orders, across narcotics, multi-jurisdictional cases, and some of the most complex homicide investigations in the region.

He was the lead investigator on the Brandyn Foster homicide. During that investigation, Joe worked with the FBI and, through FBI-facilitated coordination, engaged engineering personnel at Google about deleted-user-data records that existed in Google systems but were not being produced in response to lawful process. Those findings directly contributed to the development of what became known as the Google Tombstone Report, an internal Google record now relied on by law enforcement worldwide. He holds certifications as an IADLEST National Certified Instructor (INCI), Certified Forensic Interviewer (CFI), and Certified Polygraph Examiner, and has been featured on Dateline NBC and Rescue 911.

In this presentation, Joe walks the audience through the case file the way he worked it, decision by decision. The teaching style is direct, transparent, and built for investigators: real warrant language, the calls that worked, the calls that didn't, and the methods agencies can take back to their own desks.

Full bio ›

Who This Presentation Is For

Built for the rooms where investigators bring their hardest cases

Homicide Conferences

Attendees leave with named warrant tactics they can request from their digital-crimes units the next case they work, and the language to defend the request.

In-Service Training

Detective bureaus walk out with a case-tested sequencing model: which warrants come first, what each one unlocks, and how to keep momentum across a 12-month digital investigation.

Prosecutor's Offices

Prosecutors leave with a checklist of warrant elements their investigators should be drafting, and a clear view of how an aggressive, lawfully grounded warrant strategy survives suppression.

Training Academies

Recruits leave with the language of advanced warrants, swamping, IMEI, Title III, sneak-and-peek, before they ever need them under the pressure of an active case.

Training Credit

Documentation for your training office

POST Credit

Available upon request, varies by state. Joe will work with your agency's training office on the documentation needed for credit submission in your jurisdiction.

IADLEST INCI

Joe holds IADLEST National Certified Instructor (INCI) credentials. Continuing-education documentation provided to host agency as needed.

Brandyn Dayne, Brandyn Foster's artist persona

Brandyn Foster recorded under the name Brandyn Dayne.

He was murdered in 2017. For 371 days, his family lived without answers. This presentation is built around his case.

FAQ

Common questions from booking committees

How long is the presentation?

The standard format is four hours. Custom durations, keynote slot, half-day, or full-day, can be discussed for specific event formats during the booking call.

Can the presentation be tailored to our audience?

Yes. Every booking starts with a discovery conversation about audience composition, agency-specific case interests, and event theme. The case study itself is fixed; the framing, depth, and Q&A focus are calibrated to the room.

Does the presentation qualify for POST credit?

POST credit availability varies by state. Joe will work with your training office on the documentation needed for credit submission in your jurisdiction.

Is the presentation appropriate for a mixed audience of investigators and prosecutors?

Yes. Investigators see the warrant tactics, drafting decisions, and digital strategy. Prosecutors see the legal-process discipline, suppression-resistant affidavit construction, and how to coordinate with investigators on complex digital cases. Both walk out with applicable takeaways.

What is included beyond the presentation itself?

Via a QR code, attendees have access to search warrant templates and resource guides.

What are travel and expense expectations?

Standard for professional law-enforcement training engagements: travel, lodging, and per diem covered by the host agency or conference. Specific structure, flat rate, line-item, or all-inclusive, finalized during the booking call.

How far in advance do you typically book?

Conferences and symposia generally book four to nine months out. Shorter timelines for in-service training and detective bureau sessions are often workable, reach out and Joe will tell you directly what's available.

Is there flexibility for nonprofits, academies, or smaller agencies?

Yes. The goal is to get the case study to the investigators who need it, not to gatekeep on budget. Rate flexibility is available for training academies and smaller-agency engagements, discussed in the booking call.

Three steps from inquiry to confirmed

01

Inquiry

Send your event date, audience size, and preferred format. Joe responds personally within 48 hours.

02

Discovery Call

A 20-minute call to scope audience, format, customization, and any agency-specific case interests.

03

Confirmation

Booking confirmed and rider sent. Travel and A/V logistics finalized with your event team.

Currently booking 2026–2027 dates · Limited 2026 availability

The Brandyn FosterHomicide