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Google satellite photo shows a murder scene, says victim's father

Google satellite photo shows a murder scene, says victim's father

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Google satellite photo of crime scene
Google satellite photo of crime scene

An aerial photo from the "satellite" view of Google Maps may show the body of 14-year-old Kevin Barrera, murdered in Richmond, California in 2009. Kevin's father Jose says he recognizes the body as his son, and plans to petition Google to have the photo removed. The scene in the aerial photo is consistent with a crime scene, showing a single body laying by the tracks, a police car, and a group of figures, possibly detectives, observing the body from a distance. According to The Smoking Gun, there's further reason to believe Barrera is correct, as reports list his sons body as discovered along the same Union-Pacific tracks shown in the image.

It's not the first time Google Maps has run afoul of a bystander's privacy, but this case has brought up particularly raw emotions. With the case still unsolved, Barrera is asking the company to remove the image from Maps out of sensitivity. "When I see this image, it's still like that happened yesterday," Barrera told a local TV station. "And that brings back a lot of memories."

Update: Google tells CNET that the imagery will be replaced soon. "Google has never accelerated the replacement of updated satellite imagery from our maps before, but given the circumstances we wanted to make an exception in this case," said Brian McClendon, vice president of Google Maps. "We believe we can update this in eight days, and we've spoken to the family to let them know we're working hard on the update."