Snow posts elsewhere:
"One interesting thing. When the Ingrams washed the bills in the kitchen sink, they obviously caused some of the degraded edges to come off the bills. Hence the rounded appearance.
But, if the "rubber band stuck to bills" theory is correct, then apparently all traces of rubber bands were removed from the bills before the FBI saw them and took photographs? This is an interesting problem.
possible scenarios:
There are crumbling rubber bands, that might fall off on the beach and never make it home. There is sticky rubber band fragments sticking to bills. But apparently they got washed away before the FBI saw them. There's kind of a "magic bullet" problem here. The rubber bands exist only in memory. Whatever their condition, they left no trace that is visible to us in FBI photographs, the bills the Ingrams kept, or other FBI evidence gathering or reports. The rubber band evidence was apparently totally removed from the scene, or in the kitchen sink."
Its not clear how much of the money the Ingrams washed in the sink or in what manner - or even applied Clorox to, in one report. Some? All? One early report has them picking rubber band fragments off at the kitchen table, if true ? Moreover, we dont know exactly how the Ingrams presented their money in a sandwich bag, when they arrived at the Portland office. Somehow 12 groups were presented for the press to photograph on a table - the photo seen today. The story is the money was packed and sent directly to the lab and the lab conducted further separating, processing, fingerprinting some bills; whatever that was.
The lab presumably separated the bills as best they could for a count. Bills were put in many evidence folders and photographed. Every time these bills were handled along the way dust and debris resulted. At some point the dust and debris that had collected in folders was placed in one or more plastic boxes, I am told. Tom saw at least one box of bill residue when he was at Seattle. Tom photographed that container and always cites that singe plastic box when the subject of 'fragments' comes up; saying 'this is the only fragments I ever saw'.
When the division of the money occurred at Court years later, Brian says he was given actual original FBI evidence folders with red evidence tape still on them, and in each folder was debris/dust in addition to fragments of bills and whole bills he was given.
I suggested to Brian that all of the debris from his folders should be examined for sand, rubber band fragments, etc. That analysis would have been done but the project fell through. Brian still has his evidence folders presumably still with the debris he mentioned - all of which has forensic value!
I dont recall that Tom ever found any band or sand fragments on his three bills? But, I think its unlikely the Ingram washing process removed all sand and rubber band fragments that was originally on the money. Rubber band fragments could have forensic value if found.
One reason it is possible for band fragments to still be attached to bills, or bill pieces, is because of the chemistry of rubber bands itself. If those bands were ever warm enough to enter the chemical melt stage, then something like amber, fragments of bands could have stuck to bill threads and could still be attached to some bills. The melt transition stage in rubber band chemistry is not unlike that of amber. Once crystal form and are sticky they tend to stick to their surroundings. Bands in the melt stage are quite sticky an can adhere to anything they touch ... even insects! Spores! Sand grains. ...
I seriously doubt that the rounded appearance has much to do with with whatever cleaning process the Ingrams used. I think the rounded appearance of the bills is natural weathering (water/decomposition/forces acting on the bills etc.)
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