Negative data’s still data

“Negative data’s still data” names a central inference in the investigation of Chase Andrews’s death: evidence can lie in what is missing as well as in what is found. Sheriff Ed Jackson uses the phrase to turn the absence of fingerprints and footprints into grounds for further investigation, while keeping open more than one explanation for the gaps.

Meaning in the Investigation

During a review of the findings with Joe Purdue, Ed Jackson calls the material “negative data.” The phrase follows their recognition that the search has yielded no fresh fingerprints on the railing or grates from Chase Andrews or anyone else, apart from prints left by two boys who went up to the third switchback. The missing traces matter because the tower’s railing, stairs, and grates would be places to look for signs of movement.

Absence as a Clue

Ed Jackson stresses that investigators have found no footprints showing that Chase Andrews crossed the mud to the steps, climbed them, or opened either of the two grates at the top. They also have no evidence that anybody else performed those actions. The absence does not identify a culprit or settle how Chase reached the tower; instead, it sharpens the question of how a death there could leave so little trace.

Hypotheses and Further Search

The phrase does not turn an absence into certainty. Ed Jackson proposes two possibilities: someone cleaned the surfaces thoroughly, or Chase was killed elsewhere and his body moved to the tower. Joe Purdue points out that moving the body should have left tire tracks. The discussion therefore leads to a concrete next step: the investigators plan to return and look for tread marks beyond those made by themselves and the ambulance. In context, the expression is both a principle of attention and a limit on what the evidence can yet prove.