FBI mum on use of lie detector test

An FBI special agent said yesterday that polygraph tests are one of the tools they use to investigate cases of missing persons, but he refused to say whether they have used this tool in the case of missing sisters Maleina and Faloma Luhk.

As this developed, 40 FBI and CNMI personnel again failed yesterday to find any clues at the Marpi landfill that could shed light on the girls’ mysterious disappearance on May 25. The team, which began the search at the landfill on Wednesday, will continue scouring a portion of the garbage heap today, Saturday.

FBI special agent Tom Simon said the polygraph test or lie detector test is one of the many tools that they use in this type of investigations. “We use [polygraph] both to identify persons of interest and to clear other people so we can move on to more productive investigative avenues,” said Simon, the FBI Honolulu’s media relations coordinator.

When asked whether the FBI has used the polygraph test on any “persons of interest” in their investigation into the Luhk sisters’ case, Simon said he will not talk about evidence that has been gathered or specific investigative tools they are using.

“But I will tell you that in this type of investigation, polygraph test is one of the many tools that we do use. I don’t want to get into specifics as to who has been polygraphed or hasn’t been polygraphed,” he added.

Simon also refused to discuss specific investigative steps that have been taken.

As for the search at the dumpsite, Simon they did not find anything yesterday and that they will continue the search today.

“We’re making excellent progress in the area of the dump that we believe represent the relevant time period,” he said.

Simon said if they can eliminate the dump as a place of interest, that will allow them to move on to more productive areas.

Yesterday, 11 FBI agents were joined by 20 personnel from the Department of Public Safety’s Fire and Police Divisions, Commonwealth Ports Authority, Public Health, Division of Environmental Quality, and Emergency Management Office.

“It’s hot, exhausting!” Simon said of the search.

He said they’re looking for backpacks and anything else that might constitute as evidence of what happened to the girls.

He said they are searching the garbage collected not only in the As Teo area on May 24 and 25, but the trash picked up from the entire island during that period of time.

“As long as we continue seeing newspapers on the 24th and the 25th [here], we know we are on the right track,” he said.

While the search at the landfill continues, Simon said that other FBI agents continue work with police officers to run down leads.

With the girls’ disappearance entering its 17th day today, Simon encourages the public to continue calling in leads to the FBI and police.

“We take every call seriously and we want to keep the girls in the forefront of our lines in this community. I don’t want the public to get bored with the story and move on. I want them to be engaged with the story, to continue to think, talk among themselves, and call in anything that may be relevant to the FBI or the police,” he said.