CoAnalyst in Action: Real-World Examples of AI-Powered Investigations

Date Posted: June 18th, 2025

How AI is Changing Digital Investigations

Today, law enforcement agencies and investigators face huge amounts of data from many sources—call detail records (CDRs), social media, financial transactions, encrypted messages, and more. Manually sorting through it all can take weeks and delay investigations.

CoAnalyst, Penlink’s AI-powered tool, helps speed up the process. It finds key information and surfaces connections in just seconds.

Here’s what that looks like in practice. Below are three real-world examples of how CoAnalyst has helped investigative teams move cases forward.

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Case #1: Uncovering Human Trafficking Networks

The Challenge
A multi-agency task force was investigating a suspected human trafficking operation. They had thousands of call records, social media messages, and financial transactions. Manually reviewing it all wasn’t realistic.

How CoAnalyst Helped

• Pattern recognition highlighted suspicious financial activity tied to multiple prepaid debit cards.
• Natural language processing (NLP) flagged coded messages and signs of recruitment on social media.
• Investigators asked simple questions like:
  “List all connections between these phone numbers and financial transactions over $500.”

The Outcome

In just a few hours, investigators found the key suspects, tracked their movements, and uncovered a recruitment network that crossed state lines. That led to several arrests and the rescue of victims.

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Case #2: Solving a Cold Case Homicide

The Challenge
A homicide investigation had stalled because there wasn’t much direct evidence. Investigators had digital forensic data from a suspect’s phone, but there were years of messages, call logs, and emails to go through.

How CoAnalyst Helped

• The system quickly went through old digital evidence and highlighted messages related to the crime scene.
• NLP picked up on small but important connections in the suspect’s past conversations.
• Location data helped confirm the suspect was near the scene when the crime happened.

The Outcome
New leads came to light. Detectives were able to strengthen the case and present solid digital evidence in court. The suspect was arrested, and a five-year-old case was finally closed.

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Case #3: Disrupting Organized Crime Operations

The Challenge
A law enforcement agency was working a drug trafficking case across several jurisdictions. The suspects used encrypted messaging apps, burner phones, and moved money across borders.

How CoAnalyst Helped

• Metadata from encrypted messages revealed how the suspects were communicating.
• The tool identified frequent phone number changes, helping uncover key members of the group.
• Investigators used network diagrams to clearly see how people were connected.

The Outcome
That information led to a coordinated raid, multiple indictments, and the seizure of millions in illegal assets.

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Why AI-Powered Investigations Matter

These examples show how much AI can help when you’re working complex cases. CoAnalyst, part of the PenLink platform, helps teams:

• Save time by reducing the need for manual review
• Catch important details that might otherwise be missed
• Find leads faster with simple, search-based queries
• Strengthen cases with clear visuals and usable evidence

Want to understand how CoAnalyst and PLX work together? Read this:

How PLX and CoAnalyst Work Together to Simplify Digital Investigations

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See CoAnalyst in Action

AI is changing how digital investigations get done. It’s faster, clearer, and more efficient. Want to see what it can do for your team?

Book a demo with our experts to learn more.