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The forensic evidence gathered by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) showed smudges on the water pipe he could have used to climb down after squeezing through the window, but no conclusive fingerprints were found.
The packet of toilet rolls outside the toilet was probably used to cushion his fall.
But from then on, there was no 'conclusive evidence' pinpointing the exact route he took to get out, said the Committee of Inquiry (COI).
It suggested that he could have gone 20m from there, scaled the fence, climbed onto the roof of the adjoining enclosed staircase and walkway and jumped over the converged perimeter fences. But there were no definite signs to suggest that its deduction was right, nor any to show how else he could have got out.
According to forensic experts, shreds of evidence will always be left behind at a crime scene, but their inconclusive nature could be due to a few factors.
United States crime scene expert Gary Rini said in an e-mail that 'endless' possibilities of forensic evidence could remain at a scene, including hair, fibres, fingerprints, DNA and footprints.
But this physical evidence could be lost or destroyed over time, as such evidence is generally 'fragile, some more so than others', he said.
The 33-year crime scene expert suggested that smudges, not conclusive fingerprints, were found on the pipe because the sliding motion of hands would obliterate clear imprints.
The smudges would be useless to forensic experts because they lacked 'rich details for positive comparison'.
Mr Rini was puzzled by the lack of forensic evidence but said that the question was how soon the team had been called in.
This was not stated in the COI's executive summary or in Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng's ministerial speech in Parliament.
The only forensic examination mentioned was that of a CID team, to establish if there had been an insider helping Mas Selamat. The team's work started on the day of the escape.
The fragility of evidence is why a quick response and preservation of the scene are vital, said Mr Rini. The longer the interval, the 'more likely evidence will be lost, contaminated, destroyed or altered'.This is why tents are put up at outdoor crime scenes, so rain or wind cannot remove trace evidence, he said.
A local law enforcement officer said Singapore's weather conditions can adversely affect the quality of evidence obtained. 'Our weather is hot and humid, so it quickens the decomposition rate of blood, skin or biological samples. They will start to decay once there is moisture from rain or dew. Once the samples are decayed, they are of little use even if they are found.'
Depending on the scene, the evidence left behind is not easy to detect. Investigators are likely to be looking for strands of hair, but if Mas Selamat was sporting a short crop, looking for a short strand in a large area would be akin to looking for a needle in a haystack.
The COI said there had also been no evidence of the route Mas Selamat had taken after he got out of the compound. 'Pinpointing a route would have been speculative, given the many possibilities and the lack of evidence on this issue,' it said.
One possibility: that Mas Selamat was heading through the forest, given that his baju kurung was found there.
Mr Glenn Porter, a former federal police forensic officer who now heads the forensic science programme at the University of Western Sydney, said that usually the escape route is 'fairly obvious and discovered shortly after'.
For example, at some scenes, smashed windows or broken doors make these exit points clear. But in a prison-like setting, there could be multiple points to examine before reaching a conclusion. 'Finding or not finding an obvious point of exit would be both realistic outcomes in cases like this,' he said.
For the full FAQ, go to the Mas Selamat Special
