This Week in Forensic Science

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February 16, 2024
8:00 am

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!

College Center IDs Arizona John Doe through Genetic Genealogy (Forensic – 2/7/2024)

- Students of the Ramapo College of New Jersey Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) Center have successfully uncovered the identity of “Beaver Creek John Doe,” now known to be Mr. David Emil Jacobsen, through DNA testing and investigative genetic genealogy.
  In 2011, the deceased body of a male subject was discovered near a hiking area in Beaver Creek, Yavapai County, Arizona. This decedent had no wallet or identification on his person to aid with his identification, which hampered the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office investigation. More than 12 years passed while hoping for a match through NamUs or the Cogent Automated Fingerprint Identification System, which both yielded unsuccessful results to help identify Beaver Creek John Doe.
  Ramapo IGG partnered with the YCSO to provide free case support. A blood blot card for John Doe was sent to Intermountain Forensics in Salt Lake City Utah for DNA extraction, whole genome sequencing, and bioinformatics. Intermountain successfully generated a SNP profile which was uploaded to the DNA databases GEDmatch and FamilyTreeDNA.
  Students in the Ramapo College Investigative Genetic Genealogy Certificate Program discovered the most likely candidate to be David Emil Jacobsen. The discovery of a candidate was brought about by the combination of family tree research and the presence of unique circumstantial details observed by the students.

Hayward Police Department & FBI Team with Othram to Identify Suspect in the Assault and Murder of Nellie Hicks and Theresa Pica (DNASolves – 2/8/2024)

In May 1972, 59-year-old Nellie Hicks, was sexually assaulted and murdered in her Newark, California home. The person responsible for Ms. Hicks’ murder and assault was not identified. Seven years later in May 1979, 48-year-old Theresa Pica was sexually assaulted and murdered in Hayward, California, a short twenty-minute drive from Newark. Evidence was collected at both crime scenes; however, DNA testing did not exist at the time. In 1979, evidence connected the two cases, but the person responsible remained a mystery.
The investigation began long before the establishment of CODIS and before more recent advancements in forensic DNA testing. Years later, when CODIS testing was available, an STR profile was developed for the suspect. However, this profile never produced a match to a known identity in CODIS. Both of the cases remained unsolved for decades, in spite of tremendous investigative effort.
In 2021, the Hayward Police Department submitted forensic evidence to Othram, in The Woodlands, Texas. Othram scientists successfully used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the unidentified suspect. After successfully building the profile, the profile was then delivered to investigators who worked with the FBI’s forensic genetic genealogy team to generate new leads in the case.
With these new investigative leads in hand, a follow-up investigation ensued. Investigators were eventually able to identify the suspect in these crimes as Fred Farnham, who died in 2007. At the time of his death, Farnham lived in Oregon. It is believed that Farnham could be responsible for other unsolved murders.

Placer County Sheriff’s Office & California DOJ Team with Othram to Identify a 1985 Jane Doe (DNASolves – 2/8/2024)

- In January 1985, the remains of an unidentified individual were discovered in Applegate, California. Applegate is an unincorporated community located in Placer County, which is part of the Greater Sacramento metropolitan area. Two local men were hunting near Boole Road in Applegate when, while chasing one of their dogs that had run off into the dense manzanita, they located skeletonized human remains. The men reported their discovery to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office. Placer County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene and collected the remains. Due to the condition of the remains, the cause of death and the identity of the person could not be determined. The remains were sent to the Chico State anthropology lab to assist with determining the identity of the person.
  The Chico State anthropology department determined that the remains were that of a female, and a facial reconstruction was created and released to the public. The woman’s remains were compared to missing persons cases throughout the state, but there was never a match. The remains were sent to the California Department of Justice Lab in Richmond in 2005 for DNA analysis and familial comparison. No familial DNA match was made. Despite the extensive work of law enforcement, the woman’s identity remained a mystery. Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP6298.
  In October 2022, using funding provided by the Roads to Justice (RTJ) program, the California Department of Justice submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas in hopes that advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy could help generate new leads and identify the woman. 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 woman. Othram’s in-house genealogy team used the DNA profile in a forensic genetic genealogy search to produce new investigative leads, which were returned to investigators.
  The forensic genetic genealogy research identified a living potential sibling of the unidentified woman who lived in Oregon. Placer County detectives worked with the Woodburn Police Department in Oregon to obtain a reference sample from the potential sibling. The reference sample was sent to the California Department of Justice in Richmond and compared to the DNA from the human remains. A sibling relationship was confirmed, and the unknown woman is now identified as Patricia Ann Rose.

DNA Solves 1994 Cold Case Murder in Austin, Leading Police to Suspect Who Died by Suicide (CBS News – 2/9/2024)

Texas investigators made a breakthrough in a decades-old murder case — only for the suspect to die by suicide before he could be arrested, authorties said Thursday.
Cold case detectives from the Austin Police Department said in a news release that they were investigating the 1994 death of Bert Allen Mann, who was fatally stabbed to death on his kitchen floor after someone forced entry through a sliding glass door. Mann and the suspect appeared to fight, causing the suspect to bleed inside the home, officials said.
In 2005, detectives tested a blood stain from the scene for DNA and made a profile of an unidentified male. That profile was entered into the Combined DNA Index System, a national database, but no match was found. In March 2023, the profile was sent to Bode Technology, a company that does forensic genetic genealogy, which helps law enforcement identify potential suspects based on familial DNA evidence.
In June 2023, Bode Technology identified a possible suspect. On Sept. 8, Austin detectives executed a search warrant for that suspect’s DNA to compare it to the DNA found inside the Mann home.
However, on Sept. 13, the suspect, Kenneth Robbins, was found dead inside his work truck. Autopsy results concluded that he died by suicide, the Austin Police Department said in a news release.

Michigan State Police & St. Clair Sheriff’s Department Team with Othram to Identify an Additional Suspect in the 1980 Murder of Karen Umphrey (DNASolves – 2/9/2024)

In November 1980, 21-year-old Karen Umphrey was found murdered in the State Game Area of Beards Hills, Michigan near Port Huron. Port Huron is the county seat of St. Clair County. The identity of the person responsible for Karen’s death was not known and despite investigators attempts to identify the killer, the case went cold. For more than four decades, investigators continued their pursuit to identify the person responsible for Karen’s death.
In 2022, the Michigan State Police submitted forensic DNA evidence from the crime scene to Othram. A comprehensive DNA profile belonging to an unknown contributor was developed by Othram and forensic genetic genealogy was used to develop new investigative leads in the case. Using these new leads, the Michigan State Police who worked with St. Clair County Sheriff Department investigators to identify 70-year-old Douglas Laming of Fort Gratiot, Michigan as a suspect in Umprhey’s murder. Laming was arrested on December 15, 2023 and was charged with first-degree murder. At the time, it was not publicly announced that DNA belonging to another contributor was discovered at the crime scene.
In 2023, the Michigan State Police submitted the additional forensic DNA evidence from the 1980 crime scene to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas. A second DNA profile belonging to the second unknown suspect was developed using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing®. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the genealogical profile to produce new investigative leads. The leads were returned to the Michigan State Police who continued their investigative work with St. Clair County Sheriff Department officials to identify the second suspect in the murder of Karen Umphrey. This follow up investigation led to the identification of 63-year-old Anthony Harris.
Harris was arrested on February 6, 2024 . On February 7, 2024, Harris was arraigned and charged with open murder in Port Huron’s 72nd District Court for his alleged involvement in the death of Karen Umphrey. Harris’ bond was set at $2,000,000.

Utah Lawmaker Wants More Privacy Protections for DNA Database Users (KSL Newsradio – 2/9/2024)

A Utah lawmaker is considering adding more protections for consumers to the state’s laws that protect the privacy of people who submit DNA samples to genetic genealogy databases.
Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, sponsored the bill signed by Gov. Spencer Cox into law last year that gives users of those sites more of a say over what happens to their data. It’s an attempt to balance the needs of police, who see investigative genetic genealogy as a possible tool in identifying DNA from crime scenes, and the privacy concerns of the public, who may not realize their DNA is used in that way.

New States Adopt Idaho’s Sexual Assault Kit Evidence Tracking System (KREM2 – 2/9/2024)

Multiple states across the country are adopting Idaho’s sexual assault kit evidence tracking system, according to Idaho State Police’s annual report on the number of evidence kits processed in 2023.

Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma and Puerto Rico all are now using versions of the evidence-tracking software. The statewide collection kit tracking system has been in place in Idaho since 2017.

St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office and Florida’s District 19 Medical Examiner’s Office Team with Othram to Identify 2014 Baby Doe (DNASolves – 2/9/2024)

In October 2014, the remains of a full-term infant were discovered in the L-20 Canal near Fort Pierce, Florida. A fisherman discovered a blue canvas backpack floating in the canal. In addition to the infant’s remains, investigators found a bed sheet, gum wrapper, a towel, baby wipes, and underwear described as being oversized for the infant’s remains. The University of Florida C.A. Pound Human Identification Lab determined that the remains were that of a full-term child.
Initially, no identifying characteristics, including the infant’s sex and likely ancestry, could be determined. Later, DNA testing determined that the child was female. Unfortunately, no other characteristics or clues could be derived from the remains. However, with few leads to go on, the identity of the child is unknown. Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as #UP13173.
In 2024, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit and the District 19 Medical Examiner’s Office teamed with Othram to leverage advanced DNA testing and genetic genealogy to develop investigative leads in hopes of identifying the infant. Anyone with information that could aid in this investigation is encouraged to contact the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office at 772-462-3386 and reference case number 14-12041.

Man Charged in 1972 Murder Found Dead in Suburban Chicago Jail Cell (CBS News – 2/11/2024)

Four days after the Fourth of July in 1972, the 15-year-old Hanson borrowed her brother’s bike from their home on Wehrli Drive – never to return.
Her body was found later the same day in what was then a cornfield near 87th Street and Modaff Road in Naperville. Alongside her body was the bicycle, which she had been riding to her brother’s baseball game. Police said she had been stabbed 36 times and sexually assaulted.
For almost 50 years, the case sat cold – while small amounts of evidence, degraded and contaminated, just sat.
That changed in 2021, when Naperville police detectives mentioned the case to forensics experts at a police convention in Las Vegas. With the help of new technology, they found a hit.
DNA from clothing found on the scene was a crucial piece of evidence that last summer took police to the home of Whelpley, a Minnesota welder.

First Arrests Under Florida’s New DNA Law, Pennsylvania Considers Post-Arrest Testing (Forensic – 2/6/2024)

DNA databases can be a controversial subject. There’s no doubt they lead to case resolution and justice, but questions abound as to “how far is too far?” when it comes to DNA privacy.
In the U.S., different states legislate DNA collection in different ways. While some states have no DNA arrestee laws, the majority do—but the type of qualifying arrest differs from state-to-state. For example, Alabama collects DNA from arrestees for all felonies and all sexual offenses. Alaska, meanwhile, applies this to all crimes against a person, regardless of whether they are felonies or misdemeanors. Still other states focus on specific crimes. In addition to murder, sex crimes and burglary, Arizona applies DNA collection laws to specific misdemeanors, such as indecent exposure, public sexual indecency and prostitution. South Carolina does the same to eavesdropping, peeping and stalking, in addition to all felonies.
In July 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that changed the law in the Sunshine State—at least for one portion of the population. Senate Bill 1617 requires Florida law enforcement agencies to collect DNA samples from anyone in custody who is subject to a federal immigration retainer. The samples are submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and stored in a statewide DNA database.
In Pennsylvania last week, representatives announced proposed legislation to expand the collection of DNA samples in the state.
In addition to requiring post-arrest testing of anyone charged with a felony or certain misdemeanors, Senate Bill 1078 would also require the collection of DNA samples for those offenders convicted of criminal homicide.

New Study on Decomposing Microbes Could Help Transform Forensic Science (Phys Org – 2/12/2024)

For the first time, researchers have identified what appears to be a network of approximately 20 microbes that universally drive the decomposition of animal flesh. The findings have significant implications for the future of forensic science, including the potential to provide crime scene investigators with a more precise way to determine a body’s time of death.
Decomposition of dead biological material is one of Earth’s most fundamental processes. Organic plant waste accounts for the vast majority of matter that is decomposed, a process that is relatively well understood. Comparatively little, however, is known about the ecology of vertebrate decomposition, including humans, and better understanding how humans decompose has the potential to advance forensic science.
This new study, a multi-year undertaking, involved decomposing 36 cadavers at three different forensic anthropological facilities—the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Sam Houston State University; and Colorado Mesa University. The bodies were decomposed in different climates and during all four seasons. The research team then collected skin and soil samples during the first 21 days for each decomposing body.

New Scientific Technique Helps Catch Wildlife Criminals (University of Leicester – 2/12/2024)

DNA tests co-developed by scientists from the University of Leicester and Scotland’s wildlife forensic lab are helping to catch criminals involved in the illegal sale of protected bird species.
It follows the sentencing of two men on Monday, 12 February after pleading guilty to a series of wildlife crime related offences involving peregrine falcons in the south of Scotland.
Timothy Hall, 48 was given 220 hours, and Lewis Hall, 23, 150 hours community payback orders at Selkirk Sheriff Court. Both have been banned from keeping birds of prey for 5 years.
They admitted charges relating to 22 peregrine falcons, including being involved in the illegal sale of the protected species at Selkirk Sheriff Court on Monday, 11 December, last year.
The ground breaking investigation led by Police Scotland was launched in 2021 and during a search of a property in Lamberton, Berwick-upon-Tweed, seven chicks were discovered as well as a number of other birds of prey.

Cowlitz County Sherif’s Office Partners with Othram to Identify a 2022 John Doe (DNASolves – 2/13/2024)

On July 2022, the partial remains of an unidentified individual were discovered in Kalama, Washington. Kalama is located in Cowlitz County, Washington and is only a short drive away from the Oregon state line. The partial skeletal remains were found on the beach of the Columbia River near the 300 block of Tidewater Drive. It was determined that the remains were that of a male. No other information could be determined about the individual.
Details of the cases were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP95242. The Cowlitz County Coroner’s Office listed details of the case on their website, referring to the case as “Kalama Tide Water Skeletal Remains”.
In October 2022, the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office once again partnered with Othram in hopes that advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy could help to identify the man. Skeletal remains were sent to Othram’s laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas. Othram scientists developed a suitable DNA extract from the forensic evidence and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile. The profile was used by Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team to produce investigative leads, which were returned to law enforcement.
Using these leads, a potential identity of the man was determined. In a follow-up investigation, investigators used dental records to identify the man as Barry Michael Rezansoff of the Portland, Oregon area. Barry was born March 13, 1967 in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Barry was reported missing in January 2022 following an undiagnosed illness and the May 2020 death of his wife. While Barry’s partial remains were located in Columbia County, Oregon in June 2022, the remains found in July 2022 in the Columbia River of Kalama, Washington were also determined to belong to Barry.

DNA Doe Project identifies Sonoma County Jane Doe as Robin Fay Hedrick (DNA Doe Project – 2/14/2024)

The DNA Doe Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to identifying Jane and John Doe unidentified remains using investigative genetic genealogy, is pleased to announce the successful identification of Robin Fay Hedrick, formerly known as Pine Flat Jane Doe 1993.
On August 8, 1993, two men were hiking along a creek bed in a remote area off of Pine Flat Road in Healdsburg, California, when they discovered the skeletonized remains of a woman. The case went cold when investigators were unable to match the remains to missing persons reports, and it would remain cold until the Sonoma County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office brought it to the DNA Doe Project in 2022.
Born on September 15, 1953, Robin Fay Hedrick’s identity remained a mystery until recent breakthroughs in investigative genetic genealogy provided the missing pieces to this puzzling case.

Ventura County Medical Examiner’s & Sheriff’s Office Team with Othram to Identify 2000 Jane Doe (DNASolves – 2/15/2024)

In January 2000, the remains of an unidentified individual were discovered in Fillmore, California. Fillmore is a city in Ventura County located in California’s Santa Clara River Valley. A surveyor who was working on Grimes Canyon Road between the cities of Fillmore and Moorpark discovered the partially buried skeletal remains. It was determined that the remains were that of a middle-aged adult female. The woman was estimated to be between 5’3” to 5’6” tall and approximately 120 to 130 pounds during her life. Along with the woman’s remains, investigators found several articles of clothing and a backpack.
Traditional forensic DNA testing was performed and the profile was entered into CODIS. No familial DNA match was made. Despite the extensive work of law enforcement, the woman’s identity remained a mystery. Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP559.
In June 2023, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office-Cold Case Unit and the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office partnered with Othram to use advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy to identify the woman. Skeletal remains were sent to Othram’s laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas. Othram scientists developed a suitable DNA extract from the skeletal remains and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile. The profile was used by Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team to produce investigative leads, which were returned to law enforcement.
Using this new information, a follow-up investigation was conducted leading investigators to potential relatives of the woman. Reference DNA samples were collected for comparison analysis. The identity of Ventura County Jane Doe is now known to be Linda Laverne Orndorff Charlesworth Burka. Linda was born September 25, 1947. Linda’s last known residence was in the Long Beach, California area. Details surrounding Linda’s death are under investigation and updates will be shared as they become available.

Pregnant Woman Found Dead in Indiana in 1992 Identified through Forensic Genealogy (U.S. News – 2/15/2024)

A pregnant woman who was found dead in 1992 in a northeastern Indiana basement has been identified through forensic genetic genealogy and DNA provided by her father, authorities said Thursday.

The woman was identified as Tabetha Ann Murlin of Fort Wayne, who was about 26 weeks pregnant at the time of her death, said Allen County Coroner Dr. E. Jon Brandenberger.