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FBI Approves Rapid DNA Solution for Use in Booking Stations
July 12, 2021
The FBI has approved Thermo Fisher Scientific's Applied Biosystems RapidHIT ID DNA Booking System for use by law enforcement booking stations to automatically process, upload and search DNA reference samples from qualifying arrestees against the U.S. National DNA Index System (NDIS) CODIS database. read more
Forensic Intelligence Analysts Drive Gun Crime Investigations
July 09, 2021
The expansion of ShotSpotter was the perfect opportunity for us to bring a forensic intelligence analyst on-board to translate all of the firearm-related testing results and create actionable intelligence reports for our detectives. read more
Genetic Genealogy Leads to Arrest of Mother 15 Years after Baby Found in Dumpster
July 09, 2021
The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office and the Lancaster City Bureau of Police announce the arrest of a suspect in the 2007 murder of Baby Mary Ann, a newborn who was discarded in a dumpster behind the YMCA. read more
Forensic Anthropologists Travel to Site of 1944 Crash of World War II Airplane
July 09, 2021
Students and professors from Indiana University of Pennsylvania are conducting a field study in Germany at the site of a 1944 crash of a World War II airplane in collaboration with the Department of Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency. read more
Bodies of All Plane Crash Victims Recovered in Russia
July 09, 2021
Rescuers have recovered the bodies of all 28 people who were on a plane that crashed in a remote area in Russia’s Far East this week, local officials said Friday. One of the plane’s black boxes was also recovered along with fragments of another. read more
FBI Report Finds Rising Internet Crime in These States
July 09, 2021
Illinois emerged as a new hotbed for internet crime in 2020, though California continued to lead the nation with the largest online fraud victim losses and number of victims. read more
Accurate, Precise Soil Analysis Methods Could Place Suspects at Crime Scenes
July 07, 2021
Researchers have taken another step toward developing a method to match soil remnants found on personal items to regional soil samples to either implicate or eliminate a person’s presence at a crime scene. read more
Backlog Testing Hits to Suspect in 1993 Sexual Assault of a Minor
July 07, 2021
On Jan. 24, 1993, the Ketchikan Police Department responded to a report of a 14-year-old female who was sexually assaulted near Ketchikan High School. The perpetrator was a stranger to the victim. read more
Parabon Adds Identifying Details to Child Remains Found in Oregon in 2020
July 07, 2021
The Oregon State Police is seeking public assistance with information that may help investigators with identifying the female child remains found in Lincoln County. read more
Forensic Team Heads to Canadian Town Destroyed by Wildfire
July 07, 2021
A forensic team arrived Saturday in a Canadian town destroyed by wildfire to confirm reports that two people were killed during the blazes which forced residents to abandon their homes with just a few minutes notice several days ago. read more
U.S. Damage Appears Minimal in Kaseya Ransomware Attack
July 07, 2021
The company whose software was exploited said fewer than 1,500 businesses worldwide appeared compromised but cybersecurity experts caution that the incident isn’t over. read more
Q&A: Data Extraction Methods for Today and Tomorrow
July 02, 2021
Long before we had literal computers in our pockets, digital forensic investigators were working to clone vital information from servers and hard drives. read more
Genetic Genealogy Helps ID 2-Year-Old Found in 1963
July 02, 2021
The unidentified 2-year-old boy was wrapped in multiple layers of blankets, bound with wire, and weighted down with iron molds to keep his body hidden. read more
'Septic Tank Sam,' Found in 1977, Identified
July 02, 2021
Investigators determined that the man, nicknamed Septic Tank Sam due to the circumstances of discovery, had been brutally tortured before his murder. read more
California Crime Lab Gets DNA Grant for New Equipment, Personnel
July 02, 2021
The Forensic Services Division of the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff was awarded $376,101 in grant funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction Program. read more
SAFE-T Center Awarded Grant to Expand Training, Establish Workforce Advancement
July 02, 2021
A $1.5 million, 3-year grant will allow SAFE-T to identify and partner with six new rural or underserved community hospital sites in Pennsylvania using innovative telehealth technology. read more
Maryland, Montana Become First States to Restrict Genetic Genealogy Searches
June 30, 2021
Maryland and Montana have become the first U.S. states to pass laws that make it tougher for law enforcement to access and search consumer DNA databases for forensic genetic genealogy, or investigative genetic genealogy, purposes. read more
University's Law Center has New Home for Forensic, Courtroom Training
June 30, 2021
The Children’s Law Center finally has a permanent home, complete with mock courtroom and crime-scene apartment for forensic training purposes. read more
Connecticut to Use COVID-19 Money for Crime Prevention, Rapid DNA, Ballistics
June 30, 2021
The money from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act will be used to help pay for community outreach programs, regional law enforcement task forces and specialized police positions and fund real-time access to data from rapid-DNA and ballistics testing. read more
Forensic Economist: $2.5B to Abate Opioid Crisis in West Virginia Community
June 30, 2021
A 15-year plan to abate the opioid crisis in a West Virginia community will cost local officials $2.5 billion, a forensic economist has testified. read more