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!
Arrowhead Forensics & GA-EMS Partnership Launches New Full Spectrum Imaging System for Crime Scene Evidence Capture (My Twin Tiers – 1/24/2025)
Arrowhead Forensics, a division of Thomas Scientific, in partnership with General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS), have launched the new Full Spectrum Imaging System (FSIS) Crime Scene Examiner (FSIS-CSE). Developed by GA-EMS in collaboration with Arrowhead Forensics, the FSIS-CSE is a compact, lightweight, and portable system featuring the company’s powerful FSIS II camera mounted on a 13-inch tablet. Leveraging GA-EMS’ FSIS II core technology, the FSIS-CSE scans, detects and captures high resolution images of latents, biological stains, chemical, pattern, and trace evidence within confined crime scene spaces such as vehicles and small office areas.
The FSIS-CSE is the latest addition to the best-in-class FSIS product line that includes the FSIS II Laboratory, Mobile Ruggedmaster and Backpack configurations. The partnership’s new product offering focuses on improving customer productivity, crime scene processing efficiency and improving latent evidence imaging quality. As domestic sales have already exceeded expectations, the partnership is rapidly focusing on a growing global customer base, which has already resulted in FSIS II product sales to Europe, the Middle East, and Canada.
Detroit Police Department and FBI Team with Othram to Identify a 1981 Homicide Victim (DNASolves – 1/24/2025)
In March 1981, the body of an unidentified man was discovered near 12th and Stanley Streets in Detroit, Michigan. The man’s badly burned body was found near railroad tracks and his manner of death was determined to be homicide. It was determined that the remains were that of a Black male who was between the ages of 25 and 35 years. The man’s height was estimated to be 5’8” to 6’0” and his weight was estimated to be between 135 and160 pounds. The man had short curly hair that was dyed red. The man could not be identified and details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP12042.
A forensic composite depicting how the man may have looked during his life was developed and released to the public in hopes that it would assist with his identification. Using traditional DNA testing, a DNA profile was developed and uploaded to CODIS, but there was no match to a known individual. Despite the efforts of investigators, the man could not be identified and the case was cold for nearly five decades.
In January 2023, the Detroit Police Department teamed with Othram to determine if advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy could help generate new leads and assist with identifying the unknown man. Evidence was submitted to Othram’s laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas. Othram 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. Upon completion of the process, the DNA profile was transferred to the FBI’s forensic genetic genealogy team for the development of new leads about the man’s identity.
Using these new leads, a follow-up investigation was launched leading to potential family members of the unidentified man. This investigation led to the identification of the man as Jerry Tate, who was born in February of 1948.
Nearly Half a Century After Honolulu Teen’s Killing, Modern DNA Testing Leads to Arrest of a Former Schoolmate (CNN – 1/26/2025)
Susie Chun Oakland was a sophomore when she arrived at McKinley High School in Honolulu – a crime scene – that Monday morning nearly a half century ago.
One of her teachers had just found the body of another student on the second floor of the English building, Chun Oakland said. Dawn Momohara, 16, was partially clothed, with an orange cloth tightly wrapped around her neck, police said. She appeared to have been sexually assaulted and strangled.
In a close-knit community in Hawaii’s capital and most populous city, nerves were frayed long after the discovery of Dawn’s body on March 21, 1977.
“It was our first experience with a crime like that. It was very sad that someone actually died that way,” said Chun Oakland, program coordinator for an Oahu senior center that offers services to kupuna, the Hawaiian term for elders. “People were afraid. In our state, we take care of each other, you know. We grow up looking out for one another.”
Still, it would be decades before authorities would name a suspect in the teen’s killing.
On Tuesday, Gideon Castro, 66, a McKinley High School graduate who previously told police he knew the victim, was arrested at the Utah nursing home where he lived, Honolulu Police Department Lt. Deena Thoemmes told reporters.
Castro was charged with second-degree murder after DNA testing not available in the 1970s helped identify him nearly 50 years later, Thoemmes said. It’s not clear if he has an attorney.
Cold Case Task Force IDs 1985 Victim of Serial Killer Duo (Forensic – 1/27/2025)
In the mid-1980s, Leonard Lake and Charles Ng raped, tortured and murdered at least 11—possibly 25 or more—men, women and children at a remote cabin near Wilseyville, Calif. Now, thanks to genetic genealogy, investigators have identified one of the bodies found in June 1985 at a crime scene linked to the Wilseyville Serial Killings.
Identifinders International, working with Intermountain Forensics and the Calaveras Cold Case Task Force, used IGG to identify the body as Reginald “Reggie” Frisby. Frisby, who was born in 1956 in the state of New York, had never been reported missing and was previously not considered or suspected to be a potential victim of the Wilseyville Serial Killers.
SAKI Program Helps Solve 1996 Cold Case Murder of Elderly Woman (Forensic – 1/27/2025)
Using modern evidence testing, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Crime Laboratory Division has now identified the man investigators believe is responsible for the decades-old cold case murder of 86-year-old Mary Moore Searight in Paris, Texas. On Dec. 12, 2024, nearly 30 years after her death, David Paul Cady Jr., 54, was indicted by a Lamar Co. grand jury.
On the night of Aug. 18, 1996, Mary Moore Searight was found inside her home by her unofficial caretaker. She had been sexually assaulted, badly beaten and strangled. Still alive, Searight was air-lifted to a hospital in Dallas where she succumbed to her injuries three days later.
Searight owned and rented out several properties in the Paris community, including homes along the same street on which she lived. One of her tenants, David Paul Cady Jr., who was 25 at the time, was among the neighbors interviewed by the Paris Police Department on the evening of the crime. During interviews, Cady attempted to conceal an unexplained laceration on his right hand and had inconsistent explanations about the injury. Investigators obtained DNA swabs of Cady’s hand, but there were no major breakthroughs.
In 2021, Searight’s case was identified by the Texas Rangers as being eligible for the Texas Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) program which is funded by the Department of Justice/Bureau of Justice Assistance (DOJ/BJA). DOJ/BJA provides investigative funding for agencies across the United States to further unsolved sexual assaults and sexually related homicides with the hope of bringing justice to victims and their families.
Two years later, in 2023, while reviewing Searight’s case information, investigators determined the swabs taken from Cady’s injured hand were also eligible to be submitted for further analysis under the SAKI Program at DPS’ crime laboratory in Garland. That testing led to the discovery of Searight’s DNA on the swabs taken from Cady’s hand.
In February 2024, the Texas Rangers and the Paris Police Department arrested Cady—who was already in the Hopkins County Jail for another crime. He remains in custody at this time.
University’s Forensic Lecture Series Begins This Week (Forensic – 1/27/2025)
The University of Rhode Island’s Forensic Science Partnership lecture series is back for the spring semester. One of the more unique lecture series in Rhode Island celebrated a milestone last year when the series celebrated its 25th year.
The seminar has brought local, regional, national and international authorities to talk about everything from the Boston Marathon bombing to September 11. The seminars feature experts on crime, evidence-gathering, crime prevention and investigations that rely on scientific processes.
The series has hosted guest speakers such as Kirk Yeager, the FBI’s chief explosives scientist; Robert Leuci, who exposed corruption in the New York City Police Department; Mary Jane Behrends Clark ’76, best-selling suspense novelist; and Anthony Amore ’89, chief of security at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Visiting speakers have discussed everything from explosive devices and national security to forensic odontology and arson, coming to URI from the Department of Homeland Security, R.I. State Fire Marshal Office, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and U.S. Secret Service.
DNA Match Yields Murder Arrest in 2005 Utah Cold Case (The New York Times – 1/27/2025)
The case had stumped investigators for almost two decades: Jason Royter, a father of two, had been found stabbed to death in his Salt Lake City-area home.
There were no signs of forced entry and no apparent motive. Little for detectives and Mr. Royter’s relatives, including his now-adult children, to go on in the unsolved homicide.
But a DNA hit finally provided a breakthrough in the cold case, leading to the arrest last week of Mark Munoz, 53, a homeless man, in Mr. Royter’s killing, the authorities said during a news conference on Friday.
DNA Evidence Leads Dallas Police to Arrest in 40-year-old Cold Case (CBS News – 1/27/2025)
Dallas police arrested an 83-year-old man in an over-40-year murder investigation.
Willie Jones was arrested on Jan. 16 for a parole violation related to a sexual assault.
While in custody, a DNA sample was taken and has since been confirmed related to the murder of 81-year-old Virginia White on Dec. 15, 1981. White was found murdered in her home in the 4100 block of Furey Street.
Cold Case Task Force IDs 1985 Victim of Serial Killer Duo (Forensic – 1/27/2025)
In the mid-1980s, Leonard Lake and Charles Ng raped, tortured and murdered at least 11—possibly 25 or more—men, women and children at a remote cabin near Wilseyville, Calif. Now, thanks to genetic genealogy, investigators have identified one of the bodies found in June 1985 at a crime scene linked to the Wilseyville Serial Killings.
Identifinders International, working with Intermountain Forensics and the Calaveras Cold Case Task Force, used IGG to identify the body as Reginald “Reggie” Frisby. Frisby, who was born in 1956 in the state of New York, had never been reported missing and was previously not considered or suspected to be a potential victim of the Wilseyville Serial Killers.
What is a ‘Crime Scene’, Really? An Expert Explains how it’s More than Just Blue Police Tape (The Conversation – 1/28/2025)
When you watch the news, one phrase usually comes up as soon as crime is mentioned: “police have established a crime scene”.
If you’re a fan of the forensics crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, it will conjure up images of police waving a blue, fluorescent UV light in a darkened room looking for blood, saliva, fingerprints, footprints or tooth impressions.
CSI has influenced an entire generation – this year, the franchise will celebrate its 25th anniversary. But the reality of crime scene investigation is far more complex.
As a criminology lecturer and ex-police officer, I know a thing or two about crime scenes, having managed hundreds of them. I have even been a crime scene myself. Here’s what they really entail.
Delaware Division of Forensic Science Teams with Othram to Identify a 1997 Homicide Victim (DNASolves – 1/28/2025)
In July 1997, the skeletal remains of an unidentified individual were discovered in Camden Wyoming, a neighborhood in Kent County, Delaware. The discovery was made by a hiker who was walking in a wooded area off Route 10 and Mahans Corner Road. It was determined that the remains were that of an adult female, estimated to be between 40 and 60 years old at her time of death. The woman’s height was estimated to be 5’6”. She had brown hair and wore a blue hair clip and a black watch. The woman became known as Kent County Jane Doe and her death was ruled as a homicide.
A forensic composite depicting how the woman may have looked during her life was developed and released to the public in hopes that it would generate leads about her identity. Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP2262. Despite investigators’ efforts, the woman could not be identified and her identity was a mystery for more than two decades.
In 2022, the Delaware Division of Forensic Science submitted forensic evidence to Othram’s laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas where scientists worked to extract DNA from the provided evidence. A comprehensive DNA profile was developed using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to enable forensic genetic genealogy research. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team worked to develop new leads in the case, which were returned to law enforcement for a follow-up investigation.
The follow-up investigation led investigators to potential relatives of the woman. A reference DNA sample was collected from a possible relative and compared to the DNA profile of the unknown woman using KinSNP® rapid relationship testing. This investigation led to the positive identification of the woman, who is now known to be Yvonne Hollister.
Boulder Police Unveil Blue Envelope Program, First of its Kind in State (Forensic – 1/29/2025)
The Boulder Police Department is honored to introduce the Blue Envelope Program as a new tool to help police interact and communicate more effectively with those needing additional accommodations or awareness.
The goal is to increase understanding and reduce the potential for miscommunication with individuals who have an invisible disability.
Those choosing to participate can fill out the blue envelope with whatever information might be helpful for an officer to know. The envelope will give the officer key information without burdening the community member to explain their needs. Officers have been trained this month in common needs and best practices to support a positive interaction with such community members.
The Boulder Police Department is the first agency in Colorado to start this program.
Study Shows Where to Sample Drug Bags for Max DNA Recovery (Forensic – 1/29/2025)
Illicit substances are frequently distributed in zip lock bags. When these are seized by investigators, forensic examiners look for fingerprints and DNA that could link the drugs to an individual.
Now, a new study from researchers at Flinders University aims to guide investigators on which area of the plastic bag may be most informative when sampling for DNA.
The study showed that the contact made during the construction of drug capsules yielded enough DNA for complete DNA profiles from all the samples tested, while simultaneously allowing for secondary transfer of DNA. This secondary transfer was observed on the inside surface of storage containers and inside packaging materials. The exterior surface of the zip lock bags often yielded mixtures, with the individual making direct contact not always the major contributor to DNA profiles generated. However, the researchers found that the act of packing capsules into bags—despite direct contact with the bags and capsules—can provide little to no DNA from the person responsible.
Going Behind the Scenes With ‘Forensic Science on Trial’ (Smithsonian Magazine – 1/29/2025)
This year, the museum opened “Forensic Science on Trial,” a temporary exhibition that explores how people influence the way forensic science is used in the pursuit of justice. The exhibition’s curator, Kristen Frederick-Frost, recently gave us a behind-the-scenes look into its creation. The transcript below is an edited version of our interview, led by Jordan Grant
Gilgo Beach Serial Killing Suspect Contests DNA Evidence and Requests Separate Trials in 7 Deaths (NBC News – 1/29/2025)
The New York architect facing murder charges in a string of deaths known as the Gilgo Beach killings is challenging the DNA evidence against him and seeking separate trials in the sprawling case.
Rex Heuermann’s lawyers argue DNA analysis relied on by prosecutors is not widely accepted in the scientific community and should be excluded from the trial. The Long Island resident’s defense team also wants to break out the case against him into multiple trials.
Since late 2010, police have been investigating the deaths of at least 10 people — mostly female sex workers — whose remains were discovered along an isolated highway not far from Gilgo Beach on Long Island’s south shore. Heuermann was arrested in 2023 and charged in the deaths of three of the victims between 2009 and 2010: Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Lynn Costello and Megan Waterman.
While in custody, he was subsequently charged in the deaths of Valerie Mack in 2000, Jessica Taylor in 2003, Maureen Brainard-Barnes in 2007 and Sandra Costilla in 1993.
Huermann has maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Teams with Othram to Identify a 1984 Homicide Victim (DNASolves – 1/29/2025)
In April 1984, the remains of an unidentified individual were located in Altoona, Florida. The discovery was made near a dirt road in the Ocala National Forest’s Lake Dorr Recreation Area. It was determined that the remains were that of a female between 17 and 20 years old, who stood 5’0” to 5’1” tall and weighed approximately 100 pounds. Upon investigation, it was estimated that the young woman had died several weeks prior to the discovery of her remains and her death was likely due to homicide. With no leads about her identity, the woman could not be identified and she became known as “Judy Doe.”
A facial reconstruction was completed and released to the public in hopes that it would generate leads about Judy Doe’s true identity. Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP6037. Multiple efforts were made to identify Judy Doe based off of skeletal recreations, dental records, and DNA testing. Despite investigator’s efforts, Judy Doe’s case has been listed as a cold case by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and has been reviewed and investigated by numerous detectives for 40 years.
In 2023 the Lake County Sheriff’s Office teamed with Othram to determine if advanced DNA testing could help to provide new leads in the case. Forensic evidence was sent to Othram’s laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas where Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract and built a comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown woman using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing®. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the profile to conduct genealogy research, providing new investigative leads to law enforcement.
A follow-up investigation was launched, leading detectives to potential relatives of Judy Doe. The DNA profile of a potential relative was compared to Judy Doe’s DNA profile using KinSNP® Rapid Relationship Testing. This investigation led to the identification of the woman as Rebecca Sue Hill. In the course of the investigation, detectives established that Rebecca has been missing from Arkansas since 1981, which would make her 16 or 17 years old at the time of her disappearance. In 1981 or 1982, the remains of an unidentified individual were found in Little Rock, Arkansas. At that time, Rebecca’s family misidentified those remains as belonging to Rebecca, and therefore Rebecca was not listed in any missing persons database.
Detroit Police Department Teams with Othram to Identify a 2001 John Doe (DNASolves – 1/29/2025)
In October 2001, the remains of an unidentified individual were discovered in Detroit, Michigan. The partially-skeletonized remains were found by workers who were removing debris from a vacant dwelling. It was determined that the remains were that of a Black male who was between the ages of 35 and 50 years. The man was estimated to be 5’10” tall and had black hair with kinky curls. It was estimated that the man had died months prior to the discovery of his remains. The man could not be identified and details of the cases were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP8239.
In April 2023, the Detroit Police Department teamed with Othram to determine if advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy could help generate new leads and assist with identifying the unknown man. Forensic evidence was submitted to Othram’s laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas where Othram 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 these new leads, a follow-up investigation was launched leading to potential family members of the unidentified man. The follow-up investigation led to a potential relative of the man, who provided a reference DNA sample. The potential relative’s DNA profile was compared to the DNA profile developed for the unknown man using KinsSNP® Rapid Relationship Testing. This investigation led to the identification of the man as Viktor Dickson, who was born in December of 1956.
Human Remains Identified in Chemung River (New York State Police – 1/30/2025)
The New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation in Horseheads has identified human remains discovered along the Chemung River in September 2024 as belonging to Matthew A. Barber of Elmira, NY.
On September 28, 2024, the New York State Police at SP Horseheads responded to a report of human remains found along the Chemung River near Interstate 86, Exit 59. The remains were located by two kayakers that were kayaking and fishing in the area. They discovered what appeared to be a human skull and immediately contacted authorities.
New York State Police personnel, with assistance from the Chemung and Wellsburg Fire Departments, K9 units, New York State Police Forensic Investigators, and New York State Police Underwater recovery team, and the Elmira Police Department conducted a thorough search of the area. A cadaver K9 search led to the discovery of an additional skeletal element, later identified as a left hip bone. Both the skull and hip bone were transported to forensic specialists for further analysis.
The Binghamton University Forensic Anthropology Lab and the New York State Police Forensic Investigation Center (FIC) conducted DNA analysis and forensic examinations. The DNA extracted from the remains confirmed a match to Matthew A. Barber, a missing person case previously investigated by the Elmira Police Department and is considered suspicious in nature.
