Under the Microscope 2024 – August Woerner
The genetic component of forensic genetic genealogy (FGG) is an estimate of kinship, often conducted at genome scales between a great number of individuals. The promise of FGG is substantial: in concert with genealogical records, it can identify a person of interest without a direct reference sample to compare against. However, at present there are […]
Under the Microscope 2024 – Cristina Servidio
Almost fifty years ago, three young girls hitchhiked from downtown Indianapolis to the eastern part of the city trying to get to an amusement park. Unfortunately, they never reached their final destination that evening. A man in his early 40s pulled over on the side of the road and picked them up. They quickly realized […]
Under the Microscope 2024 – Ashley Hall
Imagine the scenario: your DNA is found on the handle of a knife at a crime scene. If there can be no reasonable dispute that it is your DNA, the critical question becomes – how did the DNA get there? The prosecution hypothesizes that you deposited your DNA on the handle when you used the […]
Under the Microscope 2024 – Brittney Svoboda
The purpose of this study is to investigate the probative value of collecting and testing samples outside traditional cavity swabs from the victim’s oral, vaginal (penile), and rectal areas in sexual assault collection kits. Swabs collected from various areas of the victim’s body, such as inner thighs and breasts, can yield quality DNA profiles that […]
Under the Microscope 2024 – Meng-Han Lin
There is an increasing utilisation of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) in modern society. In the field of forensic DNA profile analysis, the use of ANNs to aid in the classification of peak data within casework electropherograms (EPG) has recently been described. Prior to implementation, an ANN must be created, trained, and adjusted until an acceptable […]
Under the Microscope 2024 – Meradeth Snow
After the passage of the 13th Amendment in the United States outlawing slavery, many African American individuals were “convicted” of trumped-up charges and forced into convict leasing camps. Individuals suffering in these scenarios were viewed as entirely replaceable. As demonstrated by the individuals excavated in the Sugar Land 95 project, the first convict leasing labor […]
Under the Microscope 2024 – Ray Wickenheiser
On November 21, 2023, the National Technology Validation Collaborative Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy Collaborative (NTVIC) Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG) Policy and Procedure Committee published Guidelines for establishing FIGG programs in the Forensic Science International: Synergy journal [1]. This version was the second publication of FIGG draft policies and procedures, following feedback and revisions prompted […]
Under the Microscope 2024 – Anjali Ranadive
In September of 2020, Kendra Owen was murdered in her apartment in Watertown, SD. Her body would not be discovered for several days and when it would be noted that she had been decapitated. Jeremiah Peacemaker was arrested and charged with her murder. He remained in jail for 3 ½ years awaiting trial. That […]
Under the Microscope 2024 – Mandi Van Buren
In 2022, one laboratory’s journey from traditional forensic DNA testing methods to next generation sequencing (NGS) was explored. In 2023, that journey concluded with the first successful admissibility hearing of NGS data in the United States. Identity SNP, aSTR and Y-STR DNA profiles obtained from the evidence collected from the crime scene samples of the […]
