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Iowa has Tested 1,606 Rape Kits in a 6-Year Initiative
December 01, 2021
The Iowa Attorney General’s Office has wrapped up a six-year effort to address untested sexual assault evidence kits throughout the state. read more
1999 Cold Case Murder: First Time Familial DNA Leads to Arrest in New York City
December 01, 2021
A Westchester man has been indicted on murder charges in the 1999 killing of a Bronx teen after investigators used familial DNA, the first time the technology has been used in New York City to solve a case. read more
Las Vegas Police, Othram ID 1979 Murderer of Kim Bryant
December 01, 2021
Advanced DNA testing has revealed Johnny Peterson as the suspected perpetrator in the brutal murder of a 16-year-old Las Vegas girl. read more
Study of Child Versus Adult Facial Features Advances Possibility of AI for Indecent Images
December 01, 2021
Identifying specific facial features that can be used to distinguish a child’s face from an adult’s may offer a useful tool for determining whether children are depicted in indecent images of children, according to research. read more
Forensic Lab Confirms First Case of Fentanyl-laced Marijuana in the U.S.
November 29, 2021
Scientists at the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory confirmed the first case of marijuana laced with fentanyl within the state, possibility within the entire United States. read more
Conviction Overturned in 1981 Rape of Author Alice Sebold
November 29, 2021
A rape conviction at the center of a memoir by award-winning author Alice Sebold has been overturned because of what authorities determined were serious flaws with the 1982 prosecution and concerns the wrong man had been sent to jail. read more
Familial DNA Gives Australian Police Lead on Man Suspected of at Least 4 Cold Case Sexual Assaults
November 29, 2021
In March 2004, the NSW Police Force established Strike Force McCoy to investigate 13 separate sexual assaults between Aug. 23, 2003 and Nov. 2, 2004 across the Sydney Metropolitan area. read more
1974 Rape Conviction Vacated After Evidence Lost, Compromised
November 29, 2021
The decision issued by Suffolk Superior Court Judge Christine Roach notes that there is no indication from the record that the critical evidence in question – biological material on an item of the victim’s clothing – was preserved by investigators in 1973. read more
Pervis Payne Removed From Death Row After 3 Decades
November 29, 2021
On Nov. 23, just two days ahead of the holiday, Payne was formally removed from death row, where he has been imprisoned for a crime he’s always said he didn’t commit. read more
How Forensic Science is Unlocking the Mysteries of Fatal Lightning Strikes
November 24, 2021
Scientists have found the smoking gun in forensic lightning pathology that will help develop life-saving knowledge to address the lethal effects of the increasing number and severity of thunderstorms and lightning strikes due to global climate change. read more
‘Tiger Lady’ Identified as Pennsylvania Teen 30 Years Later
November 24, 2021
Authorities used DNA to finally identify the body of a 1991 homicide victim in New Jersey known by her tattoo as “Tiger Lady.” However, her death and killer remain unknown. read more
DOJ Gives Nearly $1 M to NamUs to Support American Indians, Alaska Natives Cases
November 24, 2021
The Department of Justice today announced a commitment of $800,000 to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System specifically to increase the program’s capacity to provide outreach, investigative support and forensic services to cases involving American Indians and Alaska Natives. read more
Apple Suing Israeli Hacker-for-hire Company NSO Group
November 24, 2021
Tech giant Apple announced Tuesday it is suing Israel’s NSO Group, seeking to block the world’s most infamous hacker-for-hire company from breaking into Apple’s products, like the iPhone. read more
Indiana Launches 10 High Tech Crime Units Throughout the State
November 24, 2021
The Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council (IPAC) is announcing the host locations of the 10 High Tech Crime Units that will be established and available to assist all of Indiana’s prosecutors with the processing of digital evidence. read more
Study Shows Roma DNA Used Inappropriately, Reveals Broader DNA Database Concerns
November 22, 2021
Building off five years of research, analysis of 100s of publications and examination of five databases, researchers at the University of Freiburg have recently authored an article in Nature detailing how Europe’s Roma people are vulnerable to poor practice in genetics. read more
Florida Clears Groveland Four of 1949 Rape of White Woman
November 22, 2021
A judge on Monday officially exonerated four young African American men of the false accusation that they raped a white woman seven decades ago, making partial and belated amends for one of the greatest miscarriages of justice of Florida’s Jim Crow era. read more
Texas Police Clear 1986 Homicide Cold Case
November 22, 2021
With the help of modern DNA technology, Bedford Detectives were able to solve the 1986 homicide of Janet Elaine Love. read more
A Decade After New Zealand Mine Explosion, Bodies are Found
November 22, 2021
More than a decade after a methane explosion killed 29 workers at a New Zealand coal mine, police said they have finally found at least two of the bodies thanks to new camera images. read more
Phenotyping, Genetic Genealogy Help ID Jane Doe Found at Yosemite in 1983
November 22, 2021
A forensic anthropology exam and a CT scan of the victim’s skull helped forensic artists create a digital facial reconstruction of what she may have looked like. read more
Image Database Gives Research Unexpected Boost During COVID-19
November 19, 2021
Researchers then used the information to build the New Mexico Decedent Image Database (NMDID), a first of its kind database that went public on Feb. 17, 2020. Not only was the database launch impressive, it had impeccable timing. read more