What happens to potential clues as an incident progresses?

As an incident progresses, potential clues can deteriorate and become harder to locate due to various factors such as environmental conditions, movement of people, weather changes, and the natural degradation of evidence over time. For example, physical evidence like footprints or objects can become obscured or destroyed by weather elements like rain or wind, or they may be disturbed by responding personnel or bystanders. This deterioration can make it more difficult for searchers to identify, collect, and analyze clues that may have been present earlier in the incident. Additionally, the longer an area is left uncontrolled, the more likely it is that evidence will be compromised or lost, emphasizing the importance of acting quickly in search and rescue operations to preserve any potential evidence.