Wrongfully Convicted, Rightfully Exonerated: Jeffrey Deskovic’s Journey to Advocacy
In 1990, Jeffrey Deskovic was just 17 years old when his life was forever changed. Convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, Jeffrey spent 16 years behind bars despite DNA evidence proving his innocence. His wrongful conviction was the result of a coerced, false confession, prosecutorial misconduct, fraudulent testimony from a medical examiner, and an […]
Breaking Barriers in Forensics: Anna Barbaro on Empowering Women and Demystifying True Crime
How do we empower women in forensic science while bridging the gap between true crime media and reality? At #ISHI35, Dr. Anna Barbaro, President of the Worldwide Association of Women Forensic Experts (WAWFE), shared her mission to support women in forensics globally, especially in developing countries. In this inspiring interview, Dr. Barbaro discusses: 🌍 The […]
The Intersection of Podcasting, True Crime, and Forensic DNA: A Conversation with Ashley Flowers
What happens when one of the most recognized voices in true crime connects with the world of forensic DNA? At ISHI 35, Ashley Flowers, host of Crime Junkie and founder of audiochuck, sat down with us to discuss her journey from genetics research to becoming a leading voice in true crime storytelling. Ashley shares how […]
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 […]
