# How did the FBI identify the body of Thomas Crooks (Trump's would be assassin)? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [July 14, 2024, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202 "2024-07-14T14:29:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202/1 "2024-07-14T14:29:42Z")
At first, the news reported that the gunman had no id on his body; then within a few hours the FBI announced his name. How did they know? Has any news source mentioned this? My blind guess is that his rifle gave him away. If the gun was legally registered , it would have been easy to trace the owner. But I have seen zero news reporting about this. Also, there has been nothing about his family or friends. In this age of social media, there have been no shots of a crying mother saying he was a good boy, no videos of high school friends, etc. The lack of sensationalism is a good thing. But in today’s media world, it seems strange to me. Is there some kind of official gag order? Or just journalists being a little slow , despite the easy opportunity to boost their ratings? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202/2 "2024-07-14T14:35:06Z")
Did you want conjecture? To get the facts may take a few days. If conjecture and best guesses, I’ll move to #In My Humble Opinion ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202/3 "2024-07-14T14:36:05Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Also, there has been nothing about his family or friends. [Here](https://nypost.com/2024/07/14/us-news/dad-of-trump-shooter-thomas-matthew-crooks-trying-to-figure-out-what-the-hell-is-going-on-report/) is his father, pretty much doing a ‘no comment’. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202/4 "2024-07-14T14:42:00Z")
Apparently Thomas Crooks did not spend much time on social media. I know that sounds remarkable for a 20 year old in this day and age, but not _everyone_ is heavily involved with social media. That alone reduces how much material the media has to report on. As to how he was identified - possibly fingerprints, distinctive tattoos, who knows? We all seem to be on camera these days, we leave traces everywhere we go. Maybe he left he ID at home but kept his phone on him. I’m sure we’ll know eventually. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202/5 "2024-07-14T14:43:31Z")
Regarding the thread title, If he wasn’t successful, is he truly “Trump’s assassin?” ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202/6 "2024-07-14T14:46:37Z")
I just added “would be” to the title and made the move to #In My Humble Opinion. @Broomstick, for #Factual Questions, please hold off on the conjecture in the future. Of course, now that I moved it, conjecture is fine. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202/7 "2024-07-14T15:01:39Z")
Sorry, a too-fast reading of your prior note led me to believe it had already been moved, but request to pay attention to the category in the future is noted. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202/8 "2024-07-14T15:03:34Z")
CNN is reporting that the gun helped identify shooter. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202/9 "2024-07-14T22:24:28Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > CNN is reporting that the gun helped identify shooter. That’s what I heard too. They found who bought the rifle. Found that he had a son the right age. Did a preliminary ID off of pictures then confirmed with DNA. He had no record so no fingerprints on file. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202/10 "2024-07-14T22:34:45Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Apparently Thomas Crooks did not spend much time on social media. I know that sounds remarkable for a 20 year old in this day and age, but not _everyone_ is heavily involved with social media. Not really. My nieces and nephews range from 16 to 29 and they barely if at all use social media. It’s for people older than they are. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202/11 "2024-07-14T22:43:30Z")
I was thinking the driver’s license in his wallet might have played a small part. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202/12 "2024-07-14T22:47:17Z")
Never mind ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202/13 "2024-07-14T22:50:56Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I was thinking the driver’s license in his wallet might have played a small part. Except it’s been reported that he had no ID on him ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202/14 "2024-07-14T22:53:25Z")
Yeah, he supposedly had no ID on him and was identified by the gun itself (probably via whomever it was registered to) and DNA testing (?!). ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202/15 "2024-07-15T05:07:47Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Not really. My nieces and nephews range from 16 to 29 and they barely if at all use social media. It’s for people older than they are. Same. My kids are early-mid twenties and have a very small social media footprint. Yeah, I would have suspected the gun would be the give away, unless the shooter thought to somehow modify it in some way to remove identifiable markings. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202/16 "2024-07-15T13:13:42Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > and DNA testing (?!). I doubt there was DNA testing involved, just given the time frame involved. Shooting happened approx 6:30 pm on a Sat evening in rural NW PA & they had a bomb squad at his house by 1am. Just getting a sample & getting it to a lab (probably in DC) would have taken some time, at hour or two at minimum as they probably don’t have a plane sitting there to courier it ASAP. Even if there was a tech there to process it as soon as it came in; how long does a test take? I don’t believe he has a record so no crimes where he’d have a DNA sample on file. Unless he had done a 23 & me or something similar his DNA wouldn’t be on file anywhere. Even if a cousin or other relative had, it would take some additional time to work thru to find he was the right person. That’s a stretch for even the TV crime shows that have instant access to every security cam ever, including some random hunter’s trail cam that doesn’t even _have_ internet connectivity & DNA &/or spectrum analyzer that can confirm the gasoline used to set the arson came from the specific pump where the bad guy was seen all in under 5 mins to make an arrest when they come back from the the next commercial break. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202/17 "2024-07-15T13:31:39Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Yeah, I would have suspected the gun would be the give away, unless the shooter thought to somehow modify it in some way to remove identifiable markings. My recollection is that it’s difficult to effectively remove the serial number from a gun. It’s stamped into the metal, which deforms the underlying grain structure; I saw a demo once which showed that even if you file off the visible numbers, that deformation can still be rendered readable again by magnetic or chemical means. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202/18 "2024-07-15T13:35:54Z")
They didn’t need the DNA match to go to his father’s house, because that’s what the gun got them. Presumably once they got to his father’s house, they took a sample from the father, and the DNA test told them “parent, sibling, or child DNA match”, which, combined with the age of the shooter, they narrowed down to “son”. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202/19 "2024-07-15T13:39:30Z")
For that matter, once they traced the gun, they could have shown the parents a photograph of the body, and said, “Do you recognize this person?” ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202/20 "2024-07-15T13:39:34Z")
Are long guns registered in PA? I would be surprised. There was probably a purchase record, but that’s probably it. In this case, it was enough, since it wasn’t transferred after purchase. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202.md?page=2)