IMPD officer accused of evidence tampering in 2015 death investigation
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — City Police Chief Bryan Roach said Thursday he has recommended the termination of an officer accused of tampering with evidence from the scene of a 2015 death investigation.
Francisco Olmos, 31, is charged with obstruction of justice and computer trespass. He was off duty at the time.
For the longest time, police have been trying to gain access to a locked cellphone that belongs to an 18-year-old girl, who was part of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Explorer program.
The Marion County Coroner’s Office ruled her a death a suicide in 2015. Police couldn’t get into her phone until now with help from new technology and discovered someone deleted text messages from her phone; they believe that person was Olmos.
Olmos, who is a 10-year veteran with IMPD, was accused of tampering with evidence involving a cellphone. He patrols the East District.
According to court documents, Olmos knew the owner of the cellphone. He said they were friends.
She was an 18-year-old girl and a member of the IMPD Explorer program, which allows young people a chance to check out a career in law enforcement.
Olmos told detectives he met her on a ride long with an ambulance crew in 2015. Documents show the the two talked every day through text messages and Snapchat.
Olmos told detectives he received a strange call from her just hours before she died on Nov. 2, 2015. He eventually went to her house to check and asked her dad if he could speak with her. Documents showed her dad went to go get her and found her dead.
It was inside the family’s home where investigators believe Olmos tampered with her cellphone. The girl’s dad told police his daughter’s phone was not password-protected and he did give the phone to Olmos to make a phone call right after his daughter was found dead.
Police couldn’t access the phone then, but new technology allowed them to this past August. On the phone, police recovered Snapchat messages and text messages between Olmos and the teen.
One message Olmos sent to her said, “You can’t do this to me you can’t. I’m headed to your house right now.”
Police learned the messages were deleted between 4:40 p.m. and 4:44 p.m. Medics arrived and pronounced the teen dead at 4:47 p.m.
An initial hearing for the officer is scheduled for Friday morning.
24-Hour News 8 reached out to the Fraternal Order of Police for a comment, but did not hear back.
The deleted text messages
12:52 p.m.: “Please don’t do this to me. Don’t go over there. I’m here you said I was here. You said you would show me. You said you would see me. Why are you doing this to me. Please don’t go over there.”
12:53 p.m.: “Answer me you can’t do this to me AGAIN. I’m going to go to your house.”
12:57 p.m.: “How can you just ignore me like I’m just one of them. You can do this to me. Please please.”
12:59 p.m.: “You can’t do this to me you can’t. I’m headed to your house right now.”
1:01 p.m.: “I’ll be at your house in 10 minutes.”
1:10 p.m.: “You are gonna make me look so stupid in front of your family. I’m going to know on your door.”
3:47 p.m.: “I don’t know what the point of ignoring me is. You make me feel like this is really all my fault. I’m going to stop by your house at 439-5. I need to talk to you it’s urgent.”
