Presumed San Bernardino shooters reportedly smashed their cellphones and hard drives

The presumed San Bernardino killers destroyed their digital media — (Image credit: iStock)

Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik, the husband-and-wife team presumed to have murdered 14 people and wounding 21 others at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California, attempted to destroy their digital media, law enforcement sources tell ABC News. When police searched their residence, they found that all cellphones, computer hard drives, and any other devices with digital memory had been smashed.

As investigators try to piece together a motive for the mass shooting, text messages, emails, and other digital communications could prove critical, and FBI computer forensic analysis will try to retrieve information from the damaged memory modules. But, as one official told ABC News, these digital recovery teams "are not miracle workers." Law enforcement will also try to get relevant emails and text messages from any phone company or internet providers.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.