The AFP is urging members of the public to be on the lookout for an elf suspected of causing Christmas chaos in homes and workplaces across Australia, with forensic experts releasing a 'facefit' composition to help track him down.
The AFP Facial Identification Team has constructed an image of the festive felon from a number of witness descriptions and evidence gathered by forensic officers as part of their crime scene examinations, following a break-in at the AFP laboratory in Canberra last week.
On Wednesday 18 December, 2024, forensic officers arrived at the scene to find their specialised equipment wrapped in Christmas paper sparking the investigation dubbed Operation Unwrapped. It is believed nothing was stolen from the scene.
Investigators sealed the area, and after carefully unwrapping the equipment, used their expertise to collect and analyse a trail of festive evidence left behind which included crushed candy canes, smashed baubles and destroyed tinsel.
AFP Forensics collected evidence for analysis, with officers identifying Christmas wrapping paper fragments, tiny footprints matching the elf's described size, a brown hair sample, and a cheeky, hand-written note left by the culprit that read, "You'll never catch the elf-ender".
AFP investigators also spoke to a number of witnesses near the scene, including several children who reported similar holiday hijinks occurring at their homes in recent weeks.
One witness, who used the pseudonym 'S. Klaus', passed intelligence to the AFP from an undisclosed location near the North Pole. They told investigators that the elf had been tasked with monitoring the Naughty or Nice List, however the elf had recently ceased all contact.
AFP Acting Manager of Forensics Dr Mark Tahtouh said AFP Forensics was proud of the progress it had made on this mysterious Christmas case, and officers would not rest until the suspect was caught.
"The AFP's forensic capability is crucial for the collection of evidence in all crimes, no matter what time of year it is. Our forensic specialists have played an important role in this investigation and releasing the facial image constructed by our experts is the next step in catching this elf-fender," Dr Tahtouh said.
"We are committed to solving this case and just like a Christmas puzzle, every piece of evidence helps us put together a full picture of crime. The missing piece is now the elf himself.
"Christmas may be known as the silly season, but this is unacceptable and falls under the Christmas Crime Code Act as seasonal sabotage.
"Whether he's hiding in plain sight or sneaking around your Christmas tree, we need your help to catch this festive fugitive.
"The AFP is calling on the public to watch the investigation video and stay on high alert for any more signs of this cheeky Christmas elf activity."
AFP Forensics comprises of just under 400 members working across specialist services and capabilities throughout Australia, and includes areas such as document examination, fingerprints, evidence recovery, forensic drug analysis, hair examination, geospatial services, facial identification, bloodstain pattern, digital forensics, ballistics, disaster victim identification (DVI), armoury, and crime scenes.
