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!
Grundy County Sheriff’s Office & University of Tennessee Team with Othram to Identify a 1991 John Doe (DNASolves – 8/8/2024)
In August 1991, the skeletal remains of an unidentified individual were discovered off of US-41 in Monteagle, Tennessee. Monteagle is located in the Cumberland Plateau region in the southeastern part of the state. Investigators arrived at the scene and determined that the remains were of an adult white male between the ages of 51 and 60 years old who stood at 5’8” tall. It was also found that the time between the man’s death and the discovery of the remains was approximately 15 months.
At the time of the man’s discovery, he was wearing “Lee” branded jeans and black leather shoes. The man also wore a digital watch with the name “Ford” written on the face. No identifying characteristics for the man could be determined.
After the man’s remains were recovered, details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP1557. Despite investigators’ work to identify the man, his identity remains a mystery.
In 2024, the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office, in collaboration with the University of Tennessee, partnered with Othram to determine if advanced DNA testing can help to determine the identity of the man. Othram scientists will work to develop a suitable DNA extract that can be used with Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to develop a comprehensive DNA profile to be used in records research and forensic genetic genealogy.
Riverside Police Department Teams with Othram to Identify a 1987 Baby Jane Doe (DNASolves – 8/8/2024)
In October 1987, the body of a newborn baby was found in a plastic bag inside of a Riverside, California garbage dumpster. The dumpster was situated behind a business in the 5400 block of La Sierra Avenue in Riverside, which is located approximately 50 miles east of Los Angeles in California’s Inland Empire area. A man rummaging for recyclables found the baby girl, whose death was ruled a homicide by the Riverside County Coroner’s Office. At the time, Riverside Police Homicide Detectives worked diligently to solve the case, but all leads were exhausted, and a suspect was not identified.
In 2020, upon the formation of the Riverside Police Department’s Homicide Cold Case Unit, the investigation into the death of the Baby Jane Doe was reopened. Homicide Cold Case Detectives worked closely with partners on the Riverside County Regional Cold Case Team in their efforts to identify the infant. The Riverside Police Department also teamed with Othram in hopes that advanced DNA testing could help to generate new leads in the case, with a goal of finally identifying the unknown baby girl and the person responsible for her death.
Forensic evidence was submitted to Othram’s laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas in November 2021. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the provided evidence and used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown infant. After successfully building the DNA profile, it was delivered to the Riverside Police Department’s forensic genetic genealogy team who worked to generate new leads in the case using forensic genetic genealogy.
With these new leads, a follow-up investigation was conducted leading investigators to potential relatives of the baby girl. Othram assisted with investigators’ reference testing efforts using KinSNP® Rapid Familial Relationship Testing, which allows investigators to infer kinship in closely and distantly related individuals. These efforts led to the identification and arrest of the infant’s mother, 55-year-old Melissa Jean Allen Avila. Avila was 19-years-old at the time of the baby’s death. Detectives do not believe the infant’s father had any criminal culpability in the murder.
Riverside Police Department detectives worked with the Department’s METRO Team, which participates in the U.S. Marshals Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force. With assistance from the U.S. Marshals Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, Ms. Allen was located in Shelby, North Carolina. She was arrested for murder and extradited back to Riverside County, California to face prosecution. On August 5, 2024, Avila was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility, where she remains on $1,100,000 bail.
The casework costs associated with advanced DNA testing performed by Othram was provided by Season of Justice, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing funding for investigative agencies and families to help solve cold cases and bring resolution to those impacted by unsolved violent crimes.
DNA Snags Suspected Serial Killer in Brutal 1977 Slayings in Ventura County (Los Angeles Times – 8/9/2024)
Almost 50 years after three women were strangled in Ventura County, cold case investigators said Thursday that they’d identified a man suspected of the serial killings.
Through modern DNA technology and increasingly advanced data sharing across law enforcement agencies, homicide detectives were able to connect the dots on Warren Luther Alexander, 73, who was extradited this week from North Carolina — where he is awaiting prosecution in a cold case killing from 1992 — and is now being held in Ventura County Jail without bail.
These cold cases — three in Southern California, one in North Carolina — could be just the tip of the iceberg.
DNA Testing Led to Suspect in 1996 Murder of Montana Girl. He Died by Suicide a Day After Questioning. (NBC News – 8/9/2024)
For nearly three decades, the person behind the brutal murder of a 15-year-old girl found in a Montana river in 1996 remained a mystery. After a breakthrough using modern DNA testing, a suspect was identified and questioned — only to die by suicide the following day.
She was last seen leaving her home around 11 a.m. but when she didn’t return, her family reported her missing. Houchins’ truck was discovered by her mother at the Cameron Bridge Fishing Access in Bozeman on the Gallatin River. Later that night, Houchins’ body was found face down in shallow water in the river, according to the sheriff’s office.
15-year-old Danielle “Danni” Houchins from Belgrade, Mont., was killed in 1996. During the investigation, numerous suspects were interviewed and DNA evidence was collected from Houchins. But as the years went on, the case went cold.
That is, until a significant breakthrough in the case last month: DNA evidence collected at the time of her death was matched to 55-year-old Paul Hutchinson of Dillon, Montana — a married man with two adult children, and no criminal or traffic history, officials said in a news release Thursday.
NC Woman Arrested for Allegedly Dumping her Newborn’s Remains 37 Years Ago in California (ABC7 News – 8/10/2024)
Cold case detectives arrested a 55-year-old woman this week for allegedly throwing her newborn’s body into a Riverside dumpster nearly four decades ago.
The Riverside Police Department booked Melissa Jean Allen Avila into jail for murder after North Carolina law enforcement extradited her to Southern California. She remains in custody at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in lieu of a $1.1 million bail.
Detectives discovered the baby girl’s body on Oct. 13, 1987, after a man searching for recyclables found the remains inside a dumpster behind a business in the 5400 block of La Sierra Avenue. The Riverside County Corner’s office ruled the girl’s death as a homicide.
Investigators struggled to catch a break in the case. It fell to the wayside after they could not identify a suspect.
For decades, baby’s homicide remained unsolved. However, in 2020, the department’s newly formed Homicide Cold Case Unit reopened the case and turned to DNA samples recovered at the scene to reignite the investigation.
Detectives teamed up with their partners at the Riverside County Regional Cold Case Team and the nonprofit Season of Justice to identify Avila – who would have been 19 at the time – as the baby’s mother.
AI Tracker: This New Tool Can Decode DNA Sequences (Mint – 8/11/2024)
Scientists have created a new AI model that can decode human DNA as a form of text and draw out contextual information. GROVER is a new large language model trained on human DNA that can extract important information out of DNA sequences, such as identifying gene promoters or protein binding sites. To train GROVER, the team at the Biotechnology Center (BIOTEC) of Dresden University of Technology in Germany, first created a ‘DNA dictionary’. The researchers believe tools like GROVER could help transform genomics and personalized medicine. The findings on this new tool were published recently in the journal Nature Machine Intelligence.
Families of Brazilian Plane Crash Victims Gather in Sao Paulo as French Experts Join Investigation (ABC News – 8/11/2024)
More than 40 families of victims of an airliner crash in Brazil gathered Sunday at a morgue and hotels in Sao Paulo as three French government investigators arrived in the country. Forensics experts worked to identify the remains of the 62 people killed.
Sao Paulo state government said the two engines of the plane were removed from the crash site Sunday evening, more than two days after the accident. The rest of the wreckage had already been removed.
The remains of all 34 male and 28 female victims were recovered on Saturday.
How Genetic Genealogy Helped Police Identify Human Remains Found Near Sault Ste. Marie (CBC – 8/12/2024)
In July 2017, the Ontario Provincial Police found the human remains of an unidentified man near the Montreal River Harbour, situated between Wawa and Sault Ste. Marie. Recent advancements in investigative genetic genealogy have now led to the identification of the man.
The suspected remains were initially found by a hiker on July 30, 2017 just off of Little Canoe Bay Road. During the subsequent search, police also recovered clothing, a firearm, coins, and a cardboard box. Authorities were able to confirm the remains were those of a man and they believe the man may have arrived at the location by bus, on foot, or by hitchhiking.
In April 2022, detectives submitted the man’s DNA to the DNA Doe Project, a non-profit organization specializing in using investigative genetic genealogy to identify unidentified individuals. By last September, the project had made a presumptive identification of the man. The police have since contacted the family to confirm his identity. Police confirmed the remains to be those of a 71-year-old from Oshawa. The family has requested that the man’s name not be released.
District Attorney’s Office Switches to AI Software Platform (Forensic – 8/12/2024)
The Florida’s State Attorney’s Office for the Eighth Judicial Circuit has upgraded its forensic software that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) in an effort to streamline efficiency for digital evidence management.
Last month, the office said they will now use a software platform called NICE Justice to allow officials to spend more time and energy prosecuting cases with automated digital evidence management.
The Department will specifically use NICE’s Evidencentral cloud-based platform with built-in AI and automation capabilities to manage digital evidence.
The goal of the software will be to digitally transform how the prosecutors’ offices manage various aspects of evidence including discovery, and digital evidence, while allowing officials to create work products and trial exhibits.
The platform includes several features such as automated case building, object detection, video and audio transcription and translation, optical character recognition (OCR), analytics, and finding evidence and case connections.
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Teams with Othram to Identify a 1988 Homicide Victim (DNASolves – 8/12/2024)
In January 1988, the skeletal remains of an unidentified individual were discovered in a wooded area north of the Jupiter Interchange on I-95 in Jupiter, Florida. Jupiter is located on the southeastern coast of Florida, just north of West Palm Beach. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene where they determined the remains were that of a white male. The man had distinctive physical characteristics, including brown, curly, medium-length hair that was tied back with a rubber band. The man’s remains were transported by the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office. It was determined that the man was likely between the ages of 46 and 60 years old, stood about 5’6” tall, and weighed about 150 pounds. It was determined that the man died due to homicide.
At the time of his discovery, Palm Beach County John Doe was wearing a light-colored T-shirt with the words “Bottle Club and Liquor of Key West” printed on the front, cutoff blue Levi’s jeans, a brown leather belt, and size 7 black Converse sneakers. The man showed signs of chronic inflammation as he had a knot on his right shoulder blade, possibly from carrying heavy loads or engaging in strenuous work during his life. It was noted that the man was muscular and in excellent physical condition.
In April 2008, details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP1210. Forensic composite sketches depicting how the man may have appeared during life were developed and released to the public in hopes that it would generate new leads about the man’s identity. 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 2024, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas to determine if advanced DNA testing could help identify the man. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the evidence and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the man. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the profile in a genetic genealogy search to develop new investigative leads that were returned 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 a potential relative 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 John Lee Peppard of Alaska, born October 10, 1946. Peppard was a U.S. Army Vietnam Veteran and worked in the flooring repair and installation trade. He was known to travel between the Florida Keys, Texas, California, Alaska and Idaho where lived a lifestyle that was described as being somewhat transient.
Ancient DNA Solves 400-Year-Old Inheritance Court Case in Jamestown, Virginia (Technology Networks – 8/14/2024)
DNA increasingly shows up in our public and private lives. Researchers use DNA to advance medical treatments. Ancient DNA (aDNA) studies trace human migrations and interactions in the distant past. Families use Direct-to-Consumer genetic testing to trace DNA origins and find biological relatives, while law enforcement us DNA to solve cases. Only lately, however, has aDNA played a role in investigating our more recent past.
New research on human remains discovered at the early colonial site of Jamestown, Virginia, uses ancient DNA as an identification tool in a multi-faceted study combining genetics with archaeological and osteological evidence, and a 400-year-old court case over inheritance. As complex as any modern forensic case, the study establishes the identity and relationship of two men buried in unmarked graves of the colony’s 1608-1616 church. The location of the two graves with matching coffin styles indicate cultural and social prominence within the community. Bone chemistry reveals that both were raised in England, and they had elevated levels of lead in their bones – a marker of high-status – resulting from use of pewter and lead-glazed table wares that contaminated their food and drink. Evidence of age and status match with two men who died at Jamestown within weeks of one another – Sir Ferdinando Wenman (AD 1576–1610) and Captain William West (about AD 1586–1610). Both were thought to be members of a prominent English household with strong ties to the colonial settlement. They came to Jamestown with family member and first governor of the colony, Thomas West, Third Baron De La Warr, but died within a year of arrival. Missing from the written record, however, was the specific nature of Capt. West’s relatedness, which might help to explain why he came to the colony.
Genetic Genealogy Helps Identify Killer in 1985 Murder of UTA Student: Cold Case Breakthrough (CBS News – 8/14/2024)
Forty years after the brutal murder of UTA student Terri McAdams, investigators credit advanced technology and investigative genetic genealogy – which combines crime scene DNA with genealogical research – for the breakthrough that identified her killer.
Forensic Experts Still Working to Identify Human Remains from Stone Canyon Fire (The Colorado Sun – 8/15/2024)
Forensic experts in Boulder County are still working to identify a person whose remains were found in the rubble of the Stone Canyon fire, but the condition of the remains is posing a challenge for investigators.
The remains were discovered in the aftermath of the Stone Canyon fire, which ignited July 30 north of Lyons, before it burned more than 1,500 acres. Five homes were destroyed and one person was killed.
The fire caused extreme changes in the skeletal remains, including dehydration, fragmentation, color alteration and loss of material, that make extracting DNA more complicated, the Boulder County coroner’s office said in a news release Wednesday.
DNA samples are often the only reliable method for identification in such cases, the coroner’s office said.
