The Missing Piece Episode 10: Gordon Edwin Sanderson (Septic Tank Sam)
An unknown homicide victim had been tortured, mutilated, and shot twice before being dumped into an abandoned 6-foot-deep septic tank earning him the moniker “Septic Tank Sam”. Due to the condition of his remains, he went unidentified for over 40 years, but is now known to be Gordon Edwin Sanderson of Edmonton, Canada. […]
Webinar: Decoding the Laboratory Options for Genetic Genealogy
For over four decades, the Golden State Killer eluded capture–until 2018, when a revolutionary tool known as forensic genetic genealogy (FGG) unmasked him as 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo. Using genome-wide testing to generate a comprehensive DNA profile, FGG helps narrow down a pool of suspects by linking them to relatives who have submitted their own […]
Webinar: Closing the Genealogy Gap: From Extraction to Prosecution
For over four decades, the Golden State Killer eluded capture–until 2018, when a revolutionary tool known as forensic genetic genealogy (FGG) unmasked him as 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo. Using genome-wide testing to generate a comprehensive DNA profile, FGG helps narrow down a pool of suspects by linking them to relatives who have submitted their own […]
The Development of a University Educational Program in Forensic/Investigative Genetic Genealogy to Meet Industry Needs
Today’s blog is written by guest blogger Claire L. Glynn, Ph.D., Associate Professor & Founding Director of the Graduate Certificate in Forensic Genetic Genealogy, University of New Haven, Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, Department of Forensic Science, West Haven, Connecticut. Reposted from The ISHI Report with permission. The Need In the early […]
Forensic Genetic Genealogy Webinar Series
For over four decades, the Golden State Killer eluded capture–until 2018, when a revolutionary tool known as forensic genetic genealogy (FGG) unmasked him as 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo. Using genome-wide testing to generate a comprehensive DNA profile, FGG helps narrow down a pool of suspects by linking them to relatives who have submitted their own […]
The Missing Piece Episode 9: Clara Birdlong (Escatawpa Jane Doe)
Though investigators suspected she was a victim of prolific serial killer, Samuel Little, they didn’t know her name for over 40 years. In December 1977, hunters discovered skeletonized human remains near a highway undergoing construction in Mississippi. Investigators determined that the remains belonged to an African American woman, small in stature. […]
Using Investigative Genetic Genealogy in Infanticide Cases
Investigative genetic genealogy is becoming a popular topic in the forensic community for its use in solving previously “unsolvable” cold cases for law enforcement. The United States, unfortunately, has very high rates of infanticides–or the murder of a child younger than four years of age. Because these children are so young and have likely […]
The Missing Piece Episode 8: Stephanie Isaacson
Advanced DNA testing has revealed Darren Roy Marchand as the suspected perpetrator in the brutal murder of 14-year-old Stephanie Isaacson from Las Vegas. In June 1989, 14-year-old Stephanie Isaacson headed out on her morning walk to Eldorado High School. The Las Vegas teenager frequently took a shortcut through a vacant sandlot […]
Genetic Genealogy for Cold Case and Active Investigations: 2021 Update
Today’s blog is written by guest blogger, Ellen McRae Greytak, Director of Bioinformatics, Parabon Nanolabs. Reposted from The ISHI Report with permission. Investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) has taken the forensics and law enforcement worlds by storm, closing hundreds of cases that may never have been solved otherwise. In 2019, approximately one year after […]
