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!
Spokane Medical Examiner’s Office Teams with Othram to Identify a 1999 John Doe (DNASolves – 9/05/2024)
In September 1999, an underwater diver was swimming in the Spokane River near Nine Mile Falls Dam in Spokane County, Washington and discovered what appeared to be the remains of a human foot in a black crew sock. The diver brought the foot ashore and called authorities, with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and Spokane County Coroner responding to the scene. The foot was determined to be human and additional searches of the river and shoreline were carried out. Unfortunately, these searches yielded no further remains, leaving only the foot to be examined and identified. At the time of discovery, the remains were thought to be female. However, further testing in 2015 confirmed the remains to be male. Based on the evidence recovered at the scene, no identifying characteristics or other information could be determined for the individual.
In November 2007, details of the case were uploaded to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP680. With few leads to follow, the case went cold. For 25 years, the person’s identity was a mystery.
In 2022, the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office once again teamed with Othram to use advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy to identify the unknown individual. Forensic evidence was sent to Othram’s laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas. Othram scientists developed a DNA extract that was used with Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown man. Othram forensic genetic genealogists worked together with Nicole Hamada, a Medicolegal Death Investigator with the SCMEO, to find possible relatives.
These leads along with a follow up investigation enabled the agency to locate the man’s family and confirm his identity. Out of respect for the family’s wishes, investigators have not released the man’s name to the public.
APD Identifies Women Whose Remains Were Found Decades Ago using Genealogy (New Mexico Sun – 9/05/2024)
Through the use of Investigative Genetic Genealogy, the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) in partnership with the FBI has identified two women whose remains were found in 1994 and 2013.
On January 24, 1994, the skeletal remains of a woman were discovered along Interstate 40 by crews cleaning up the roadside. In addition to a woman’s skull, an upper denture and other pieces of bone were collected. A distinctive piece of clothing, a sweater found near the remains, led to her being referred to as “Jane Doe Sweater.”
Through investigation, it was determined that the remains belonged to a Hispanic female between 30 to 40 years old. The autopsy indicated she had suffered blunt trauma to the face. At the time of locating “Jane Doe Sweater,” it was suspected that the remains had been there for about a year.
In 2006, DNA analysis was completed and the female’s DNA profile from the remains was entered into CODIS but no matches were ever found. Additionally, a clay reconstruction was made of the woman’s face along with artist renderings of the reconstruction. In 2022, a Crime Stoppers bulletin was issued in an attempt to get tips about the woman’s identity. Then, in August of 2022, grant funding was approved to conduct additional DNA testing to try and locate “Jane Doe Sweater’s” family.
In April 2023, after APD’s Cold Case Unit and FBI investigators built a family tree and located possible relatives living in Albuquerque, further investigation confirmed through DNA collected that the woman found near the sweater in 1994 was Carmela Vivian Duran.
Kenyan Police to Begin DNA Testing to Identify Victims of Boarding School Fire (The Guardian – 9/07/2024)
Kenyan police stepped up their investigation on Saturday into a fire at a boarding school that killed 17 boys, as the president announced three days of national mourning.
Detectives said DNA testing was due to begin to identify the remains of the children who died in the blaze.
Kenya’s vice-president, Rigathi Gachagua, said on Friday that 70 youngsters were still unaccounted for after the fire broke out at Hillside Endarasha academy in Nyeri county, central Kenya, at about midnight on Thursday.
The flames engulfed a dormitory at the primary school, where more than 150 boys were sleeping.
The cause of the blaze is not yet known, but homicide investigators and forensic experts were at the school on Saturday, while media were barred from the site.
The bodies of victims, which police had said were burnt beyond recognition, were still in the dormitory, now a blackened shell with its corrugated iron roof completely collapsed.
MBI Cold Case Unit & Mississippi State Medical Examiner Team with Othram to Identify a 2001 Homicide Victim (DNASolves – 9/09/2024)
In June 2001, the remains of an unidentified individual were discovered wrapped in a carpet remnant and a blanket along the side of the road in Jackson County, Mississippi. Investigators responded to the scene where they determined the remains were that of a white male. The man was estimated to be between 26 and 36 years old, standing approximately 5’5″ tall, and weighing around 237 pounds. He had dark brown hair, shaved close to the head with a small amount of gray, as well as brown eyes. The man bore several distinguishing scars, including an old scar on the center of his forehead, a possible old gunshot wound on his left wrist, and a scar on the left side of his nose. He also had several tattoos, including a large bird, possibly a peacock or phoenix, on his right shoulder, the name “John” on his right upper chest, and an old English script E or F on the inside of his left forearm.
At the time of his discovery, he was wearing XL running shorts, XL warm-up pants, and a T-shirt. DNA samples were collected from the carpet and blanket, leading to a breakthrough in August 2004, when 26-year-old Steven Leon Andrews was arrested and charged with capital murder in connection with the case. Investigators believe the motive behind the killing was robbery.
In January 2009, details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP4735. A forensic sketch depicting the man’s likeness was developed and released to the public in hopes that it would generate new leads in the case. 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 December 2023, the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’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 provided 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. The work was funded by philanthropist and Mississippi native Carla Davis.
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 relative and compared to the DNA profile of the unidentified man. This investigation led to the positive identification of the man, who is now known to be John “Johnnie” Allen Gallegos, born April 12, 1966.
Metropolitan Nashville Police Department Teams with Othram to Identify a 1993 John Doe (DNASolves – 9/10/2024)
On August 7th, 1993, a man fell from a 20-foot-high wall near the downtown library in Nashville, Tennessee. He was taken to Vanderbilt Hospital with a severe head injury, where he died. Medical examiners determined that the man was between the ages of 45 and 60 years old, stood approximately 5’10” tall, and weighed 188 pounds. The man could not be identified and his death was ruled an accident.
In April 2008, details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP1551. 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. The man became known as Nashville John Doe.
In 2023, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department 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 forensic evidence, and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive genealogical profile for the unknown man. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team then used this profile to conduct genetic genealogy research, ultimately providing new investigative leads 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 the potential relatives 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 Donald Elden Verhalen, born June 12, 1937. Verhalen was from Wisconsin and moved to Florida. He was last known to be living in Murfreesboro, TN in the late 1980’s when his family lost contact with him.
The identification of Donald Elden Verhalen represents the fifteenth case in the State of Tennessee where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram. Most recently in Knoxville, Tennessee, Brian Aleric Sanderson, whose remains were discovered by a passerby on I-275, was identified after 21 years.
MSU College of Law Opens Public Defender Clinic (Forensic – 9/11/2024)
When Bradley Hall opens the doors to MSU College of Law’s new Public Defender Clinic this academic year, he will begin training the next generation of lawyers in a highly specialized area of law: preconviction appeals.
In doing so, he hopes to inspire future lawyers to take their expertise to all corners of Michigan, including urban and rural areas, helping to bolster the capabilities of local public defenders.
“Clinic students will work hand in hand with trial attorneys and travel to meet with clients all over the state,” said Hall, who will serve as interim director of the clinic. “They will file appellate briefs and present oral arguments. They’ll get a real sense of what this work is like.
How Forensic Breakthroughs Are Still Helping Identify 9/11 Victims Today (Scientific American – 9/11/2024)
Forensic scientists are still working to identify victims of the 9/11 attacks using advancements in technology and techniques developed over the past two decades.
Kansas Police Use Genetic Genealogy to Solve 2007 Rape Case (Forensic – 9/11/2024)
A Kansas man has been sentenced to 310 months in prison for rape prosecutors solved using genetic genealogy.
Ted Foy, 54, was sentenced to nearly 26 years in prison from the November 13, 2007 rape of in the Harry and Greenwich section of southeast Wichita. Foy pled guilty to the crimes in March.
Foy, of Augustus, Kansas, was originally arrested in May 2023 and charged with rape, aggravated criminal sodomy, aggravated sexual battery and attempted rape. Foy allegedly wore black clothing and a black mask and broke into the victim’s apartment through the downstairs window. The victim’s husband was not home at the time due to military service.
However, police were unable at the time to piece together a suspect for the crime.
$1.2 Million National Science Foundation Grant Awarded to ASU (Alabama State University – 9/12/2024)
A $1.2 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant has been awarded to a team of educators led by Alabama State University’s Dr. Gulnaz Javan, who serves as a professor of Forensic Science and coordinator of Forensic Biology in ASU’s Department of Physical and Forensic Science. The grant, which covers research conducted over a five-year period between 2024 and 2029, is part of NSF’s Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program.
Javan explained that the title of the funded project is “The Building of Alabama STEM Educators with M.S./M.Ed.”
“This program’s ultimate goal is to produce more highly qualified and competent minority STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) teachers who are competent in content knowledge and possess a strong commitment and disposition to teaching biology, forensic science, and mathematics in our school systems,” Javan stated. “This significant grant is the first NSF grant to be secured by ASU’s Department of Physical and Forensic Sciences.”
Leading the team as its principal investigator is Dr. Javan, who is an internationally acclaimed expert on forensic science. Also serving on the team are co-principal investigators Dr. Anthony Broughton, an associate dean in ASU’s College of Education, and Dr. Roberto Reed, an assistant professor in ASU’s College of Education.
How Microbes can Help Pinpoint Time of Death for Forensic Investigations in the Cold (Discover – 9/12/2024)
What happens to a dead body in an extremely cold environment? Does it decompose? How do these conditions affect how forensic scientists understand when the person died?
Estimating time of death, also called the post-mortem interval, is a complex task. It plays an important role in forensic investigations, as it can provide critical insights into the timeline of events leading up to a person’s death. This information can narrow down potential scenarios and suspects, aiding in the resolution of criminal cases.
A multitude of factors are at play at a death scene, ranging from environmental conditions to the individual’s health status prior to death. Historically, scientists have estimated time of death by observing post-mortem physical and biological changes in the body, such as stiffening, fluid collection and cooling.
