No one has hours to scour the papers to keep up with the latest news, so we’ve curated the top news stories in the field of Forensic Science for this week. Here’s what you need to know to get out the door!
Albuquerque Police Department, UNM Office of the Medical Examiner, & FBI Leverage Othram’s Forensic Sequencing Platform to Identify a 2013 Jane Doe (DNASolves – 10/31/2024)
In January 2013, a man walking in an empty field found human bones near Broadway Boulevard SE and Murray Road SE in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office responded and identified the remains, which were found in a shallow grave, as human. Given similarities to other remains found in 2009 on the city’s west mesa, Albuquerque Police Department (APD) assisted in additional searches with cadaver dogs and investigative support.
Months later in September 2013, additional remains were found in a nearby area, which were determined to belong to the same individual. Forensic anthropologists determined that the individual was a White female between 40 and 60 years old. Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP11145.
In September 2022, the Albuquerque Police Department, working with the Office of the Medical Examiner at the University of New Mexico, submitted forensic evidence to Othram. Upon receipt of the evidence at Othram’s laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas, Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the evidence. A comprehensive DNA profile for the woman was built using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing®. Upon completion of the process, the profile was delivered to investigators with the Albuquerque Police Department’s Cold Case Unit and the FBI’s forensic genetic genealogy team.
Using new leads, investigators located family members in Albuquerque who assisted in identifying the woman as 54-year-old Terry Matthews.Terry was married in February of 2006 and was last seen that same summer. Terry was never reported missing, and her case has since been handed back over to Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office.
DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office Teams with Othram to Identify a 2018 John Doe (DNASolves – 11/01/2024)
In September 2018, a white male went into cardiac arrest while inside of a Wendy’s restaurant that is connected to a Pilot Travel Center on Bouldercrest Road, southeast of downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Witnesses rushed to perform CPR as 911 was called. EMS arrived at the scene and transported the man to Atlanta Medical Center where attempts to save his life were unsuccessful. A nurse at the hospital reported the man’s death to the Dekalb County Medical Examiner’s Office, and reported that the man’s name, date of birth, and age were unknown.
Although no identification was found on the man, his physical appearance was easily describable. Investigators measured his height at 6’ 1”, his weight as 190 pounds, and his age was estimated to be between 55 and 75 years. A few scars were found on his body; one excoriation directly over his right kneecap, and two around his left kneecap. The man was wearing brown cargo shorts with a black and brown belt along with white and navy sneakers. He also had gray and brown hair as well as a beard and mustache, and an overall presence of body hair with hazel-colored eyes.
In October 2019, details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP61155. A forensic sketch depicting the man’s likeness was developed and released to the public in hopes that it would generate new leads in the case. Despite extensive efforts by law enforcement investigators to identify the man, no matches were found, and the case went cold due to a lack of investigative leads.
In hopes that advanced DNA testing could help identify the man, the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the forensic evidence, and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive genealogical profile for the unknown man. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team then used this profile to conduct genetic genealogy research, ultimately providing new investigative leads to law enforcement.
Using this new information, a follow-up investigation was conducted leading investigators to potential relatives of the man. Reference DNA samples were collected from the potential relatives and compared to the DNA profile of the unknown man. This investigation led to the positive identification of the man, who is now known to be Steve Armstrong, 59, of Jackson, Tennessee.
York Regional Police Teams with Othram to Identify a 1980 John Doe (DNASolves – 11/01/2024)
In July 1980, the remains of an unidentified individual were discovered in Markham, Ontario, Canada. Markham is a town in Ontario’s central York Region in the Greater Toronto Area. A local resident made the discovery between 14th and Steeles Avenues. It was determined that the remains were that of a White male, who was between the ages of 25 and 40 years. The individual became known as Markham Doe. Markham Doe weighed approximately 100 to 120 pounds, was 5′ 6″ tall, and had dark brown, medium-length hair. York Regional Police led the investigation into the identity of Markham Doe.
Markham Doe’s remains were interred at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, when in 2007, the York Regional Police Cold Case Unit performed an exhumation so that a facial reconstruction could be developed. Skeletal evidence was also obtained for the purpose of DNA testing. A year later, a traditional DNA profile was developed and uploaded to the national DNA database, but there was no match to a known individual. For forty-four years, the Markham Doe’s identity remained a mystery.
With previous failed attempts to develop a comprehensive DNA profile using advanced DNA testing, York Regional Police teamed with Othram in June 2022. Forensic evidence was sent to Othram’s laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas. Othram scientists successfully developed a suitable DNA extract for Markham Doe and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the individual. This profile was returned to investigators with the York Regional Police so that a forensic genetic genealogy search could be conducted. This search led to the development of new leads in the case.
The leads enabled a follow-up investigation, which led to possible relatives of Markham Doe. Using these new leads, Markham Doe was identified as 26-year-old William Joseph Pennell of Toronto, Ontario. Detectives learned during their investigation that Pennell had been in prison for a variety of criminal offenses, including armed robbery, which was committed while out on parole. Pennell was eventually imprisoned once again, but later escaped.
National Archives Aids in Tulsa Riot Mass Burial Identification (National Archives – 11/04/2024)
On the 100-year anniversary of race riots erupting in the predominantly Black-populated and affluent Greenwood District in the city of Tulsa, OK, the city launched an investigation into unmarked graves in likely mass burial sites resulting from the riots. The laboratory assisting Tulsa, Intermountain Forensics, turned to the National Archives for records to help identify individuals from those graves. Based on those records, the first positive identification was made earlier this summer: a World War I veteran named C. L. Daniel.
The 1921 event has been called both the Tulsa Race Riot and Tulsa Race Massacre, and it resulted in a massive loss to Black lives and properties. Investigations into the excavated burial sites sought to identify the remains using a combination of forensic genealogy and community statements and family histories about family members interred after the riots.
This extensive research led to many possible identifications, but in July it yielded its first result. Intermountain Forensics came across possible veteran matches for the burials and consulted the National Archives to confirm the identity.
“The Intermountain Forensics 1921 Tulsa Identification Project forensic investigative genetic genealogy group submitted several requests related to burials,” said Anna Kampwerth, a supervisory archives specialist at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC). “The requests were for World War I–era veterans, an era heavily affected by the 1973 fire and which requires the most additional reference research for our team.”
Kampwerth and their colleagues used identifying information from the request to confirm relevant holdings at the National Archives at St. Louis, which shares office space with the NPRC.
One Year In, Team has Tentative Identities for Some Sugar Land 95 Victims (Forensic – 11/04/2024)
“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, expect as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
This part of the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery has been subject to debate for generations due to its scope. In the years after the Civil War ended, the clause—and the subsequently passed “Black Codes”—were exploited by those still trying to subject African American and Black people to a life of slavery.
To work within the law, many African American individuals in the south were “convicted” of trumped-up charges and forced into convict leasing camps. The conditions here were akin to slavery—they were shot, beaten, starved and more.
One such camp was the Bullhead Bayou Camp in Sugar Land, Texas. Whether in the grueling Texas summer heat or cold and wet winters, the individuals were forced to complete heavy labor. And when deaths inevitably occurred, the individuals were stripped of any identification and interred in makeshift graves.
In February 2018, while building a career center in Sugar Land, the first set of human remains in a mass grave from the Bullhead Bayou Camp were discovered. Those remains and 94 others buried there became known as the Sugar Land 95. (Researchers actually ended up recovering 101 remains.)
At ISHI 35 last month, Meradeth Houston Snow—who runs the Forensic Anthropology program at the University of Montana—gave an update on her team’s efforts to restore the names of the individuals who died at that labor camp between 1875 and 1911.
“These individuals deserved better, and we’re hoping through this project to be able to do that,” said Snow during her presentation.
Philippines’ Top Forensic Pathologist Anticipates Improved System (Forensic – 11/04/2024)
Deficiencies in criminal investigation procedures during the drug war have left many grieving families hopeless and frustrated with the local justice system. This is set to change following the signing of a training partnership agreement between the government and Australia’s Monash University that aims to raise a new breed of forensic experts who will facilitate the proper conduct of death investigations in the country.
Now nearing retirement, forensic pathologist Raquel Fortun expects a bright future for the local justice system.
“I waited 30 years for this and now, I am 2 1/2 years away from retirement. We don’t have a death investigation system which should be beneficial to our criminal justice system and public health issues. We are not seriously interested in preventing deaths by learning from them,” Fortun said. “The partnership of Monash University and the University of the Philippines is a very good beginning. We are looking forward to finally offer forensic science training programs to Filipinos and share research findings and there are already applicants,”
Fortun is one of only two forensic pathologists in the country. Her independent examinations of some of the bodies of drug war suspects revealed several irregularities in the autopsies previously conducted by law enforcement authorities. It reminded her of the early years of her career when the practice of forensic science was practically “nonexistent in the Philippines.”
“Now there’s hope,” she said, describing the collective support from the national government, the University of the Philippines, and the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM) of Monash University in improving death investigation procedures locally through specialized training programs.
Weber County Sheriff’s Office & Utah Department of Public Safety Team with Othram to Identify a 1992 John Doe (DNASolves – 11/04/2024)
In April 1992, deputies with the Weber County Sheriff’s Office observed a large fire in a field near I-15 and 21st Street in West Haven, Utah. West Haven is located approximately 35 miles north of Salt Lake City. Upon arrival at the scene, deputies discovered that an abandoned boat was engulfed in flames. Inside of the boat, deputies observed the badly-burned body of an unidentified individual. The individual’s body was transported to the Office of the Medical Examiner in Salt Lake City where an autopsy was performed. It was determined that the remains were that of a 30 to 45 year old male, who was approximately 6’1″ tall. Upon investigation, the circumstances surrounding the fire and death of the individual were found to be suspicious.
Over the years, attempts were made to identify the subject, including submitting his DNA into national databases, but all attempts were unsuccessful. Dental records of multiple individuals who were reported missing from surrounding areas and states were examined, but a match to the man could not be made. Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP9400. Despite extensive efforts by law enforcement investigators to identify Weber County John Doe, the case went cold for 32 years.
In 2024, the Weber Metro Cold Case Task Force was formed. Multiple detectives with the Weber County Sheriff’s Office serve on the task force, and began to review this case. Using funding provided by the Utah Department of Public Safety, the Weber County Sheriff’s Office teamed with Othram in hopes of identifying the man through the use of advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy.
In 2024, forensic evidence was submitted to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas. At Othram’s laboratory, scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the forensic evidence and used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown man. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team then used this profile to conduct genealogy research, ultimately providing new investigative leads to law enforcement.
Using this new information, a follow-up investigation was conducted leading investigators to potential relatives of Weber County John Doe. A DNA sample was collected from a potential relative and compared to the DNA profile of the unknown man. This investigation led to the positive identification of Weber County John Doe, who is now known to be thirty-year-old Kevin Lynn Capps, born February 27th, 1962. The investigation revealed that at the time of Kevin’s death, he left behind a daughter who was four years old. Detectives made contact with Kevin’s daughter to provide her with an update on the case.
A Las Vegas Woman Was Found Strangled to Death in 1994. Decades Later, a Nonprofit Group Helped Identify her Killer (CNN – 11/05/2024)
Founded in 2020 by entrepreneur Justin Woo, the Vegas Justice League – and his nationwide initiative Project Justice – has helped solve 41 cold cases across the country, including nine murders in Las Vegas. The initiative provides the funding for forensic genetic genealogy, a law enforcement technique that uses DNA analysis and genealogical research to identify suspects in criminal cases or “Jane Doe” victims whose identities were never determined.
Funding for the cases comes from donations from the six members of the Justice League, including Woo and his wife, Lydia Ansel, as well as donations from the community. Once enough money is raised for a case, the nonprofit alerts law enforcement, who then send the case to a lab that specializes in forensic genetic genealogy such as Othram, a Texas-based laboratory that works exclusively with law enforcement.
First DNA from Pompeii Body Casts Illuminates who Victims Were (Nature – 11/07/2024)
Bits of human bone recovered from Pompeii, Italy, have yielded DNA from people who died during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius — and the genetic data are challenging old assumptions about the victims’ identities and relationships1.
Researchers obtained the bone fragments from the plaster casts of people who died in the eruption, which buried the city under ash and pumice in ad 79. The DNA is the first to be recovered from the casts and reveals details about the sex, ancestry and family ties of five individuals.
St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office Teams with Othram to Identify a 2017 John Doe (DNASolves – 11/07/2024)
In November 2017, the partial skeletal remains of an unidentified individual were found in Slidell, Louisiana. The discovery was made by a hunter in the Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge on the northshore of Lake Pontchartrain north of New Orleans. The St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office sent the man’s remains to the LSU Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services (FACES) Laboratory in hopes that a facial reconstruction could be developed. However, the skull was missing its mandible and without it, a proper reconstruction of the individual’s likeness could not be completed. LSU FACES was able to determine that the skull belonged to a White male who was at least 25 years old at the time of his death.
Traditional DNA testing was performed, allowing for the development of an STR profile that was entered into CODIS. There was no match to a known individual or close relative of the man. Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP53947. Despite investigators’ attempts, the man’s identity could not be determined and the case went cold.
The St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office once again teamed with Othram in hopes that advanced DNA testing could help identify the man, whose remains were discovered nearly seven years prior. Previously, St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office worked with Othram to identify Pamela Lee Hupp, a homicide victim whose remains were discovered in 1986.
In 2024, forensic evidence was submitted to Othram’s laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas. Othram’s scientists successfully developed a DNA extract and then used Forensic Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown man. This profile was used by Othram’s forensic genetic genealogy team in a genealogical search allowing for the development of new leads in the case.
These leads were provided to law enforcement, who located a potential relative of the man. In the course of the investigation, the relative confirmed that they had a missing relative in Louisiana. The relative then provided a DNA sample so that a comparison to the John Doe’s DNA profile could be made using Othram’s KinSNP® Rapid Relationship Testing. This investigation led to the identification of the man as Gary A. Maggio of Slidell, Louisiana. Maggio is believed to have been 67 years old at the time of his death. Gary, an avid outdoorsman, was born in 1949 and had not been heard from since 2016.
