Two runaway fugitives were caught in Mexico, all thanks to Spotify

By Williams Pelegrin July 10, 2015

spotify leads police to fugitives brittany nunn peter barr — Larimer County Sheriff's Office

In the world of music streaming services, Spotify is arguably the heavyweight champion, thanks to its 75 million active users and more than 30 million songs. Oddly enough, however, it also directly helped police capture two runaway fugitives who crossed the border into Mexico, reports The Coloradoan.

The fugitives in question — 25-year-old Brittany Nunn and her husband, Peter Barr — spurred a seven-month local, state, and federal manhunt after the mother abducted her own children. According to the report, Nunn was close to losing custody of her children to their biological fathers, so she and her husband fled to Mexico with her children.

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Interestingly enough, police located the couple through a search warrant served to Spotify. Thanks to the search warrant, investigators learned Nunn’s Spotify account was being used from an IP address in Mexico. Combined with search records from Netflix and several other accounts belonging to Nunn, investigators also found out she had a package ordered to Cabo San Lucas.

Once officials knew where the family was located, investigators monitored their positioning for several months while FBI agents, customs officials, and the U.S. State Department worked with the Mexican consulate to bring the family back within U.S. borders. They were successful in doing so, and both Nunn and Barr were arrested on counts of suspicion for fleeing the country to avoid prosecution and felony custody violation. As for the children, they are now with their respective fathers.

Officials believe Nunn and Barr were in Mexico since January, though they don’t know exactly how the pair entered the country with the kids in tow. Even so, there’s an interesting dynamic at play in this case. Although there are plenty of other things that quietly give away our location, a manhunt like this one might have only been possible in this modern era of technology.

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Williams Pelegrin

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Williams is an avid New York Yankees fan, speaks Spanish, resides in Colorado, and has an affinity for Frosted Flakes. Send…

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