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!
First Successful IGG Case in New Orleans Reveals Victim’s Name after 22 Years (Forensic – 10/11/2024)
A cold case homicide victim has been identified with new technology utilized by the FBI for the first time in New Orleans.
Twenty-two years ago, an unidentified adult female was discovered deceased in a field in the 1200 block of Eliza Street in Algiers. It was Feb. 24, 2002 and the coroner ruled that she had been murdered. She was found with no identification, and all attempts to identify her turned cold.
About 6 months ago, the FBI contacted the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) and offered to use investigative genetic genealogy or (IGG) to try and identify the victim.
Last week, the hard work paid off and the victim was positively identified as 49-year-old Lelia Ann May Malley. Malley lived in Gulfport, Mississippi and New Orleans but was reportedly estranged from her family.
Malley’s daughter Kimberly Bergeron says she last saw her mom around 2000. After finally learning that her mother is deceased, she is asking for help in finding out what happened to her.
Collecting, Transporting and Processing DNA on Fired Cartridge Casings (Forensic – 10/11/2024)
DNA analysis of fired cartridge casings has become an increasingly valuable tool in forensic investigations. While in the past there have been challenges in the DNA processing, recent advances in collection, packaging and transport methods have demonstrated high potential for recovering usable DNA profiles from these pieces of evidence.
The technology for effective DNA processing of cartridge casings has made great advances. A comprehensive study1 published in 2022 showed that with a new recovery method, approximately 67% of fired casings recovered at crime scenes produced a usable DNA profile. Another older study2 done in 2015 by the San Diego Police Department, which used a less effective processing method, showed a success rate of 30%.
Traditionally, casings have been examined for fingerprints (rarely successful) and tool marks, which can link the casing to a particular firearm. However, DNA analysis offers another powerful avenue for identification that should not be overlooked. DNA has the potential to directly link a suspect to the crime scene. When a firearm is loaded, the person handling the ammunition may leave trace amounts of DNA on the cartridges through skin cells or other biological material. If this DNA can be recovered and profiled, it could place a suspect at the scene of the shooting and/or connect them to the weapon used.
In cases where there are no known suspects, DNA profiles obtained from cartridge casings could be run through DNA databases to potentially identify the shooter. Even partial profiles may provide investigative leads or connect multiple crime scenes involving the same unknown perpetrator. In a studyof Shotspotter activations, no suspects were located at the identified locations, but fired casings were found. In the San Diego study, the collection and DNA processing of those recovered casings led to the identification of a shooter.
‘It went horribly wrong’: DNA Analysis Sheds Light on Lost Arctic Expedition’s Grisly End KEYT – 10/11/2024)
Archaeologists have identified the cannibalized remains of a senior officer who perished during an ill-fated 19th century Arctic expedition, offering insight into its lost crew’s tragic and grisly final days.
By comparing DNA from the bones with a sample from a living relative, the new research revealed the skeletal remains belonged to James Fitzjames, captain of the HMS Erebus. The Royal Navy vessel and its sister ship, the HMS Terror, had been under the command of Sir John Franklin, who led the voyage to explore unnavigated areas of the Northwest Passage. The treacherous shortcut across the top of North America meanders through the islands of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
In April 1848, exactly three years after the vessels departed England, the expedition crew abandoned the ice-trapped ships following the death of Franklin and 23 other men. Fitzjames helped lead 105 survivors on a long retreat; the men pulled boats on sledges overland in the hope of finding safety. However, the men all lost their lives during the arduous journey although the exact circumstances of their deaths remain a mystery.
DNA Study Confirms Christopher Columbus’s Remains are Entombed in Seville (The Guardian – 10/11/2024)
Scientists in Spain claim to have solved the two lingering mysteries that cling to Christopher Columbus more than five centuries after the explorer died: are the much-travelled remains buried in a magnificent tomb in Seville Cathedral really his? And was the navigator who changed the course of world history really from Genoa – as history has long claimed – or was he actually Basque, Catalan, Galician, Greek, Portuguese and perhaps of Jewish descent?
The answer to the first question is yes. The answer to the second is … wait until Saturday.
The long-running and often competitive theorising has not been helped by his corpse’s posthumous voyages. Although Columbus died in the Spanish city of Valladolid in 1506, he wanted to be buried on the island of Hispaniola, which is today divided into Haiti and the Dominican Republic. His remains were taken there in 1542, moved to Cuba in 1795, and then brought to Seville in 1898 when Spain lost control of Cuba after the Spanish-American war.
On Thursday, after two decades of DNA testing and research, the forensic medical expert José Antonio Lorente said the incomplete set of remains in Seville Cathedral were indeed those of Columbus.
AI Used to Upgrade DNA Forensics (Flinders University – 10/12/2024)
Promising new inroads into critical DNA testing has been forecast by Flinders University experts who have applied machine learning to DNA profiling.
From medical diagnostics to forensic tests and national security, PCR (polymerase chain reaction) DNA profiling has revolutionised high-throughput sampling this century – but little has changed since it was developed in the 1980s.
“Even a small improvement in PCR performance could have a huge impact on the hundreds of thousands of forensic and intelligence DNA samples amplified every year – notably when samples are degraded,” say experts, including Flinders University academic Dr Duncan Taylor, from Forensic Science SA.
The new research discovered significant improvements both in the quality of DNA profiling and more efficient PCR cycling conditions with the use of artificial intelligence methods, says College of Science and Engineering PhD candidate Ms Caitlin McDonald, who led the study.
“Our system has the potential to overcome challenges that have hindered forensic scientists for decades, especially with trace, inhibited, and degraded samples,” says McDonald, who recently presented on the study at the International Society of Forensic Genetics conference.
“By intelligently optimising PCR for a wide variety of sample types, it can dramatically enhance amplification success, delivering more reliable results in even the most complex cases.
INTERPOL Expands Identify Me Campaign to 46 Cold Cases (Forensic – 10/14/2024)
In May 2023, relatives of Rita Roberts were taking in the news when they saw something they hadn’t seen since Roberts left her home 31 years earlier: her tattoo. The news was covering INTERPOL’s “Identify Me” campaign, which began just two days earlier in an effort to identify 22 unidentified female murder victims from Belgian, Germany and the Netherlands.
Roberts’ family called the hotline to report the sighting, and Identify Me had its first successful identification after only 48 hours.
INTERPOL is hoping to build on that success with the launch of the second phase of “Identify Me.” This phase highlights 46 cold cases involving unidentified women whose remains were found in France, Italy, and Spain, in addition to Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. Most of the women were either murdered or died in suspicious or unexplained circumstances.
“Our goal in the Identify Me campaign is simple. We want to identify the deceased women, bring answers to families, and deliver justice to the victims. But we can’t do it alone. That is why we are appealing to the public to join us in this effort. Their help could make the difference,” said INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock.
This is only the second time INTERPOL has made public extracts from a Black Notice—an alert normally issued to police worldwide seeking information about unidentified bodies.
University Team Helps Document Skeletal Remains Found on ‘Poor Farm’ (Forensic – 10/07/2024)
On a bright autumn afternoon, a plain wooden box crafted by a local cabinet shop containing skeletal remains was returned to its final resting place during a simple reburial ceremony in Brentwood. Researchers and students from the University of New Hampshire’s Forensic Anthropology Identification and Recovery (F.A.I.R.) Lab worked for two years with town officials and the New Hampshire state archaeologist to investigate and document the remains, which were uncovered more than 20 years ago during construction and were identified as being from a farm for paupers during the mid-1800’s, commonly known as a poor farm.
“We analyzed the skeletal remains to determine their age and condition and help solve the mystery of why they were buried in the remote area in an unmarked grave,” said Alex Garcia-Putnam, co-director of UNH’s F.A.I.R. Lab. “After several years of documenting the skeletal remains, we were honored to not only provide valuable information about their lives but to also have the rare opportunity to be present at the reburial— to put these individuals at peace and offer all interested parties some sense of closure.”
The remains of the farm workers were mistakenly uncovered during excavation on private property in 1999. The New Hampshire state archaeologist was called to the site and determined that the remains were historic due to their age and condition and they were transferred to the New Hampshire medical examiner’s office for storage, where they remained for 23 years. In 2022, the remains were transferred to UNH where researchers went to work on skeletal analysis.
UNH’s F.A.I.R. Lab works with law enforcement and the state’s medical examiner’s office to help identify remains. In this case, the work was more historical in nature and the team evaluated the bones to date them and determine the health of the individuals as well as sift through town records and maps to learn more about the historical significance of the area where the remains were found.
According to their research, which is chronicled in a paper in the journal of American Antiquity, the remains showed signs of hardship, such as poverty and hard labor and left signs of several health issues like osteoarthritis, dental disease and other signs of physiological stress. The remains were originally found in a grave without any markers—another indication of poverty—on land that was thought to formerly be the Brentwood Poor Farm from 1841 to 1868.
Army CID’s Cold Case Unit Asks Vidocq Society for Help with Missing Soldier (Forensic – 10/14/2024)
Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Cold Case Unit recently delivered a presentation to a group of forensic experts and investigators who volunteer their time and expertise to assist law enforcement in solving difficult cold cases. Army CID’s Cold Case Unit focuses on unsolved cases that have exhausted all investigative leads.
“Collaboration with partner agencies and investigators acts as a force multiplier to solve cold cases,” said Army CID’s Deputy Assistant Director Death and Violence Crimes Todd M. Howell “Combining the latest technology and laboratory techniques continues to be highly relevant in solving cases worldwide.”
Army CID’s Cold Case Unit shared information on Sgt. Jeff A. Coonradt, a member of the U.S. Army who was last seen on December 20, 1987, in Marina, California, while riding as a passenger in the car of a fellow unit member. According to that individual, Sgt. Coonradt jumped from the vehicle while it was stopped at an intersection. Sgt. Coonradt has not been seen since, and his disappearance is considered suspicious. Army CID’s Cold Case Unit uses forums to expand partnerships and share insights on investigative techniques with skilled professionals.
UK Seeks State-of-the-Art Forensic Science (Forensic – 10/14/2024)
Advances in digital forensics using artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and better data science have not been matched by those adopted in “wet” forensics. There is a hypothesis that using digital approaches can further techniques used and explored for wet.
The Accelerated Capability Environment (ACE) was asked to help build a better understanding of what the state of the art is in current science research and how that could impact and drive increased analytic insight on scene samples.
Mississippi Office of the State Medical Examiner and Harrison County Sheriff’s Office Team with Othram to Identify 1993 Baby Doe (DNASolves – 10/15/2024)
In December 1993, the remains of a female infant were discovered by a motorist on the side of Interstate 10 in Gulfport, Mississippi, near the Lorraine Road exit. Located on the Gulf coast, Gulfport is the county seat of Harrison County, a title that the city shares with nearby Biloxi. When the infant was discovered, her umbilical cord was still attached. It was estimated that the baby was born the day prior to her discovery and that she had been born alive. The baby’s manner of death was ruled a homicide.
Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP15277. Authorities appealed to the public in hopes that someone with knowledge of the case would help to identify the baby or the person responsible for leaving her on the side of the highway. With no identity, the infant became known as “Mary Josephine” and was buried at Floral Hills Memorial Garden in Gulfport.
In 2023, in an effort to finally resolve the mystery around the baby’s death and identity, a court order was secured to exhume Mary Jospehine’s remains. Evidence was collected in hopes that advanced DNA testing could assist in the infant’s identification. The Harrison County Sheriff’s Office in collaboration with the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office submitted the evidence to Othram’s laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the evidence and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a DNA profile for the unidentified infant. Using this profile, Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team worked to develop new leads in the case.
These new leads were provided to officials with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office and a follow-up investigation was launched. This investigation led Harrison County investigators to a woman who is now believed to be the mother of “Mary Josephine”. This ends a nearly thrity-one year mystery as to the identity of Baby “Mary Josephine”.
Minnesota WWII Veteran ID’d by Forensics, will be Buried with Honors (FOX9 – 10/15/2024)
More than eight decades after U.S. Army Air Force Pvt. Robert W. Cash died in World War II, the mission to “leave no soldier behind” remains a driving force bringing closure to family members.
New Admissible Evidence Introduced to Indiana Courtrooms by IU Indianapolis Forensic Scientist (Indiana University – 10/16/2024)
A Michigan City, Indiana, man was sentenced over the summer to 65 years in prison for killing his roommate. A peculiar scent helped nail his conviction and introduced a new kind of evidence to Indiana courtrooms, thanks to Indiana University Indianapolis’ forensic science expertise.
It’s called the scent of death, and it’s composed of various chemical compounds emitted when a body decomposes. At high concentrations, its smell is akin to the aroma of cabbage, garlic, overripe cheese and decaying fish.
In 2017, John Hallett murdered his roommate, dismembered the body, left it to decompose in his basement and then disposed of the remains in a garbage can. Five years later, he called the Michigan City Police Department confessing to the crime.
It’s difficult for investigators to charge a murder suspect without a body. In the Hallett case, it’s likely that the victim’s remains ended up in a landfill. With no body, investigators had to determine whether there was once a decomposing body in Hallett’s basement. A corporal with the Michigan City Police Department called IU School of Science professor John Goodpaster to find out.
After 44 Years on Death Row, Kentucky Man says DNA Shows He’s Innocent (Louisville Public Media – 10/16/2024)
Brian Keith Moore has spent most of his life in prison, serving a death sentence for the 1979 murder of Virgil Harris.
From the beginning, Moore said he was framed by an old friend. He’s spent decades filing appeals and fighting to get out of prison.
Over the years, judges acknowledged the delicate balance between his guilt and innocence — that the evidence he killed Harris is equal to the evidence he didn’t — and that DNA testing could tip the scales.
Now, Moore and his defense attorneys from the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy say they have DNA test results that show Moore did not wear the jacket prosecutors said the killer wore — a claim pinned on Moore during his initial trial in 1980 and again in a 1984 retrial.
University Launches Flexible Bachelor of Science in Chemistry Degree (Forensic – 10/16/2024)
When Dr. Esosa Iriowen talks about chemistry, his face lights up. It is his calling and his passion, which he’s happy to share with students in Wilmington University’s new Bachelor of Science in Chemistry program, with classes starting in January 2025.
“I’m excited about this program because it represents a significant step forward for Wilmington University in the STEM fields,” says Iriowen, who grew up in Nigeria and earned degrees on three continents. “Chemistry is central to many scientific and industrial innovations, and this program is designed to give students the skills and knowledge to be at the forefront of those advancements.”
With courses available in person, online or in a combined hybrid format, the flexible, affordable B.S. in Chemistry program will emphasize real-world applications and hands-on experiences — either in WilmU’s state-of-the-art labs or through innovative at-home lab kits.
TBI Reduces Rape Kit Turnaround Time from 45 Weeks to 10 Weeks (Forensic – 10/16/2024)
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has made progress in shortening monthslong delays in laboratory testing of sexual assault evidence, according to a new audit by the state’s comptroller.
Two years ago, the bureau reported turnaround times of up to 45 weeks, delays that hindered criminal prosecutions and deferred justice for survivors.
That processing time has now dropped to 10 weeks, according to a comptroller report released Monday.
TBI Director David Rausch told a committee of lawmakers reviewing the report that the agency had hired 49 additional scientists—with another in the hiring process—to help speed up its forensic testing.
To help reduce the rape kit backlog, TBI officials also outsourced 908 kits to a private lab in Florida last year. This year, the bureau has contracted with the lab to test another 192 kits.
UK Forensics Database Now Counts 28.3 Million Fingerprints (Biometric Update – 10/16/2024)
The UK government DNA database has produced over 820,000 matches to unsolved crimes since 2001, new data on the use of biometrics by law enforcement has shown.
As of March this year, the UK National DNA Database (NDNAD) holds more than 6 million records, while the country’s fingerprint database IDENT1 counts over 28.3 million fingerprint forms from 8.7 million individuals.
The statistics were reported this week in the Forensic Information Databases Service (FINDS) annual report for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. The data reveals how UK law enforcement agencies are leveraging biometric data collections to crack crime cases.
During the past year, the chance that a DNA profile collected at a crime scene would produce a match was almost 65 percent. The NDNAD database produced over 20,800 DNA profile matches from routine crime scenes, including 440 homicides and more than 500 rapes.
The service also includes a Missing Persons DNA Database (MPDD) and a Vulnerable Persons DNA Database (VPDD).
When it comes to fingerprint biometrics, this year saw over 417,000 searches through the National Fingerprint Database and National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS), collectively referred to as IDENT1. The examinations resulted in more than 12,800 matches.
RI Delegation Announces $600,000 to Reduce Forensic DNA Backlog, Deliver Justice to Victims of Crimes Statewide (Sheldon Whitehouse – 10/17/2024)
U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed and Representatives Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo today announced that the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs has awarded $600,000 in funding to the Rhode Island Department of Health’s Center for Forensic Sciences to reduce the backlog of DNA casework and ensure justice can be served for victims of both violent and non-violent crimes. With this funding, the state’s crime lab expects to typically process cases within 30 days for violent crimes and 90 days for non-violent crimes.
Who is Dr Ann Burgess? The Forensic Nurse who Inspired ‘Mindhunter’ FBI Technique (The US Sun – 10/17/2024)
Dr Ann Wolbert Burgess was born in Newton, Massachusetts, on October 2, 1936.
She is a pioneering forensic nurse and researcher who has made significant contributions to the fields of victimology, criminal profiling, and forensic nursing.
Dr Burgess works as a professor at the William F. Connell School of Nursing at Boston College.
