Author Profile

Stay Granted, but Melissa Lucio Faces Tough Fight to Get New Trial
April 27, 2022
With Melissa Lucio’s execution put on indefinite hold by a Texas appeals court, her attorneys will now be focused on trying to convince a judge to recommend she get a new trial. read more
Tattoos Help ID Body Found in Alabama River 22 Years Ago
April 27, 2022
DNA identified the body as Daniel Muniz Jr. after his stepdaughter, Amanda Galleher of Tennessee, found photos of the tattoos in a national database of missing and unidentified people. read more
Student Spotlight: FBI Intern Driven to Solve Cold Cases
April 27, 2022
When Kendall Gehring was in eighth grade, she went on a school field trip to Historic Jamestowne, where she was fascinated to learn about the remains of Jane, a 14-year-old girl who died between 1609 and 1610 and whose bones held evidence of cannibalism. read more
Iowa Treatment Program Shown to Improve Domestic Assault Recidivism
April 27, 2022
It’s a cognitive-behavioral approach based on a unified model of human development, behavior change and psychological growth. read more
Richmond Police Crack 1999 Murder with Familial DNA Search
April 25, 2022
Investigators solved the 1999 murder of a 28-year-old woman through use of California’s familial DNA search program, authorities announced at a news conference punctuated by pushback from the woman’s family. read more
A Non-traditional Forensic Chemistry Job: Army Civilians Help ID Chemical Warfare Material
April 25, 2022
Army civilian chemists deploy around the world to detect a wide range of chemical warfare agents, CWA precursors, CWA breakdown products, toxic industrial chemicals and materials, illicit substances and explosives. read more
Study: Firearms Now Number 1 Cause of Death for Children
April 25, 2022
In the U.S., gun violence now kills more children under 19 than any other cause. According to the study data, gun-related deaths in children surpassed deaths caused by motor vehicle collisions beginning in 2019. read more
Genealogist, Philanthropist Carla Davis Teams With Othram to ID Two Bodies
April 25, 2022
Working with philanthropist and genealogist Carla Davis, Othram has identified two sets of unrelated human remains found in 2018 and 2020. read more
DDP Links Jawbone Found in 2014 to Missing Fisherman
April 25, 2022
The DNA Doe Project, working with the Michigan State Police have determined that a jaw bone washed up on a beach in July 2014 belonged to Ronald Wayne Jager, a fisherman who disappeared in August 2000. read more
Tracking Opioid Distribution Networks Through Modeling and Citizen Intelligence
April 22, 2022
New research highlights the power of computer modeling and community-based intelligence to reveal network connections. read more
Lessons Learned from Preventing Human Trafficking at the Super Bowl
April 22, 2022
Blom’s decades of experience in law enforcement prepared him to oversee a team of investigators who played a critical role in executing Super Bowl LVI security operations. read more
Genealogy Leads to Suspect Who Posed as Radio DJ to Lure, Rape Teenage Girl
April 22, 2022
The incident was reported the same day, and forensic evidence was collected. Over the past 35 years, detectives eliminated more than 70 possible suspects. read more
Illinois Terrorism Center Named Center of the Year
April 22, 2022
Operated by the Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation, the STIC serves as the designated state fusion center and is a one-stop resource for law enforcement officers to obtain information related to criminal activity and terrorism. read more
Conn. Senator Announces Grant for State, Local Police Forensics Training
April 22, 2022
Richard Blumenthal announced $120,000 in federal funding for the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science at the University of New Haven to provide local police with the latest hands-on training for investigating hate crimes and shootings. read more
The Fifth Victim of the Happy Face Killer Finally Gets Her Name Back
April 20, 2022
On April 13, 2022—29 years after her murder— the DNA Doe Project (DDP) and cold case detectives at the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department identified the once-unknown woman as Patricia Skiple. read more
DA's New Innocence Commission Gets its First Exoneration in 32-Year-Old Case
April 20, 2022
Following an extensive review and investigation by the San Francisco District Attorney’s Innocence Commission, Joaquin Ciria has been exonerated of being wrongly convicted of killing Felix Bastarrica. read more
Empowering Bomb Squads with DIY Innovations
April 20, 2022
Bomb technicians’ ability to expect the unexpected and adjust accordingly has created a consistent pipeline of do-it-yourself (DIY) inventions to solve everyday issues they face. read more
State High Court Won’t Hear Inmate Appeal as Execution Looms
April 20, 2022
The Tennessee Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear the appeal of an inmate facing execution this week who sought to have his case reopened after an unknown person’s DNA was found on one of the murder weapons. read more
Ancestry's New Tool Separates DNA into Parental Sides
April 20, 2022
Ancestry's SideView technology is a first-of-its-kind scientific innovation that separates DNA into parental sides, giving AncestryDNA customers new insights into which side of the family they inherited their genetics from. read more
Study: Muscled Bodies Do Not Bias Eyewitness Identification
April 18, 2022
There has been story after story of how DNA found on a murder weapon or at the scene of the crime proves the innocence of an incarcerated person. Those stories typically have a common thread: the guilty verdict hinged on an eyewitness account. read more