Is there a forensics test for determining who did or did not write something?

Question

I am in the middle of a custody fight, and I received emails from two of my children's email accounts while they were visiting with my ex and received two scathing emails from them that I know as their mom they did not write. Is there an area of forensics that specializes in determining from different samples of the children's writing whether or not they actually wrote these emails? Also, I'm pretty certain they didn't even send them. I believe that he logged onto each of their accounts and wrote them and sent them to me. If he did this from his office, how can I from the emails I've received be able to determine which computers these emails were written and sent from? If you know, please respond. Only serious answers from people who know. I'm working against a clock this all transpired after hours when lawyers arent available to talk to. I need to do some internet research quickly. So far my keywords arent pulling what I need. If you can help, please answer. If you cannot, please dont

Answer 1

If you have an attorney, then check with him/her on "hearsay" evidence in your state, they may or may not be allowed into evidence. Have you gotten other emails from this computer before, if so you may be able to have a computer consultant get this info. I'm not real familiar with this area but know that computers have an i.d. Unfortunately, Judges have alot of discretion so nothing is guaranteed.

As far as their "style" of writing, you can look at commonly misspelled words that you KNOW from their schoolwork but I don't believe that would be enough to sway a Judge.

Are you trying to submit these as evidence or is he? If he is, then the burden is on him to prove that these emails are from the children. A good attorney could discredit him in cross-examination easy by making him prove the children were the origin, expose the computer source and/or request the Judge privately speak to the children regarding them. In my opinion, It would be suicide for him to submit these emails.

If you want these into evidence you need to speak with your attorney to determine how much weight they will actually put on your case. You may be "inadvertently" putting your children in a position that you don't want them in if the court's choose to speak with them.

I'm a Paralegal in Georgia and we had critical emails that we needed to have submitted into evidence and after a computer consultant said he could trace the emails a Judge ordered the other party to make their computer available. Needless to say we won our case.


Good Luck!

Answer 2

Yes, it can be determined where an e-mail came from.

This might be helpful if you have e-mails that came from your ex's office
http://www.stopspam.org/email/headers.html

Just the fact that both children supposedly sent angry e-mails to you at the exact same time says that they are forged.