Author Profile

FBI: New Autopsy Says Death of Alonzo Brooks was a Homicide
April 07, 2021
The case of a Black man who died following a party in rural Kansas more than 16 years ago has been ruled a homicide after his body was exhumed as federal authorities investigate his death as a possible hate crime. read more
Remains in Missouri Identified as Missing Chinese Woman
April 07, 2021
Decomposed remains found in a Missouri park have been positively identified as those of a Chinese woman who had been missing from Columbia, Missouri, since 2019, authorities said Tuesday. read more
Update: ANAB Suspends DC Crime Lab’s Accreditation
April 05, 2021
After an audit last week recommended the Firearms Examination Unit at the D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences immediately cease casework, the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) temporarily suspended the lab’s accreditation as of April 2, 2021. read more
Houston Forensic Science Center Finds Fentanyl in XTC for First Time
April 05, 2021
The Houston Forensic Science Center has—for the first time—identified fentanyl in XTC tablets, a significant, potentially deadly, health risk, especially to youth purchasing what they believe to be a “party” drug but instead a toxic opioid. read more
Accidental Drowning or Murder? DNA Testing of Remains May Lead to Answer
April 05, 2021
Although this accidental drowning has been a focus of the investigation, investigators have not ruled out the possibility that the skeletal remains belonging to victims of a crime. read more
Police Turn to Public to Help ID Victim of Green River Killer
April 05, 2021
She is currently known only as Bones-17. Detectives with the King County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit, and forensic anthropologist Katherine Taylor, need help to determine her true identity. read more
Ancient Coins May Solve Mystery of Murderous 1600s Pirate
April 05, 2021
The villain in this tale: a murderous English pirate who became the world’s most-wanted criminal after plundering a ship carrying Muslim pilgrims home to India from Mecca, then eluded capture by posing as a slave trader. read more
EXCLUSIVE: NamUs Announces New Contractor, Sub-Contractor
April 02, 2021
A new contract to manage the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) was awarded on March 31, 2021 to North Carolina-based Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International. read more
ID Nimbus Presto with PrepFiler BTA
April 01, 2021
With rapid, hands-free processing and high-quality yields of even the most challenging samples, forensic labs can enjoy faster turnaround times with lasting confidence in results. The compact ID NIMBUS Presto System combines the Thermo Scientific KingFisher Presto Purification System on the Hamilton Microlab NIMBUS liquid handling workstation. The system is specifically scripted for use with the Applied Biosystems PrepFiler Automated Forensic DNA Extraction Kit. read more
DC Forensic Lab Under Investigation Regarding Ballistics Casework
March 31, 2021
The Firearms Examination Unit at the D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences should immediately cease casework and a comprehensive evaluation of the competence of all current examiners should be performed, according to an audit. read more
Child Abuse or Accident? Bringing Science to Forensic Investigations
March 31, 2021
A pediatrician and the bioengineer have been working together to develop a system for detecting tell-tale bruising in infants. read more
Study Provides First Evidence of DNA Collection from Air
March 31, 2021
The research team showed that airDNA sampling could successfully detect mole-rat DNA within the animal’s housing and from the room itself. The scientists also found human DNA in the air samples. read more
Grace Doe ID'ed After 30 Years
March 31, 2021
In December 1990, a couple walking on a rural road in Southwest Missouri discovered the decomposed remains of a young woman. She had been hog-tied and dumped next to an abandoned farmhouse. read more
Facial Reconstruction of 1907 Mummy
March 31, 2021
Scientists have spent the last few months creating a novel facial reconstruction of a mysterious mummy, now skeletonized, from tomb KV 55 in the Valley of the Kings. read more
COVID-19-related Cyber Attacks Leveraged Government Announcements
March 31, 2021
By using the UK as a case study, the paper reveals the explicit connection between governmental policy announcements and cyber-crime campaigns. read more
First-in-the-nation Bill Targets Forensic Genetic Genealogy
March 29, 2021
In the 2+ years since the first bill proposal, Sydnor and Shetty worked with stakeholders in the forensic genetic genealogy industry to re-author a version that would allow law enforcement to do its job while also protecting the public’s constitutional privacy. read more
The Five Women Who Lead UT's Forensic Anthropology Center
March 29, 2021
Every day, the red phone rings at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Forensic Anthropology Center. On the other end, a funeral home director, a police officer, or a family member shares some version of the same message: there’s a body here for you. read more
Analyst With SF Medical Examiner's Office Charged with Stealing Drugs
March 29, 2021
A former coroner’s analyst in San Francisco has been charged with stealing methamphetamine collected at death scene investigations, authorities said last week. read more
80 Years after Pearl Harbor, DNA IDs Veteran’s Remains
March 29, 2021
The remains of William Eugene Blanchard, who was killed at Pearl Harbor while serving on the U.S.S. Oklahoma, were identified through DNA testing conducted by an agency within the U.S. Department of Defense. read more
Naloxone Saves Lives, But Newly Abstinent Opioid Users Resist
March 29, 2021
Researchers found that opioid users who participate in a 12-step abstinence program and recently stopped using drugs refused to take home naloxone, even if having it on hand might save lives. read more