A Logical Approach to Criminal Case Investigation

TL;DR

This paper presents a logical approach using knowledge graphs and ontologies to assist criminal investigations, demonstrated through Sherlock Holmes' story, aiming to improve reasoning in complex forensic environments.

Contribution

It introduces a novel logical method leveraging knowledge graphs and ontologies for crime scene analysis, enhancing interpretability in forensic investigations.

Findings

Successfully inferred motives, opportunities, and methods for suspects.

Demonstrated applicability of logical reasoning in complex forensic scenarios.

Enhanced explainability in criminal case analysis.

Abstract

XAI (eXplanable AI) techniques that have the property of explaining the reasons for their conclusions, i.e. explainability or interpretability, are attracting attention. XAI is expected to be used in the development of forensic science and the justice system. In today's forensic and criminal investigation environment, experts face many challenges due to large amounts of data, small pieces of evidence in a chaotic and complex environment, traditional laboratory structures and sometimes inadequate knowledge. All these can lead to failed investigations and miscarriages of justice. In this paper, we describe the application of one logical approach to crime scene investigation. The subject of the application is ``The Adventure of the Speckled Band'' from the Sherlock Holmes short stories. The applied data is the knowledge graph created for the Knowledge Graph Reasoning Challenge. We tried to find the murderer by inferring each person with the motive, opportunity, and method. We created an ontology of motives and methods of murder from dictionaries and dictionaries, added it to the knowledge graph of ``The Adventure of the Speckled Band'', and applied scripts to determine motives, opportunities, and methods.