Author Profile

Florida County's Sheriff's Office, Othram to Use Forensic Genealogy to ID Hiker Remains
July 27, 2020
Nearly two years ago, July 23rd, 2018, two hikers found a deceased male hiker in a tent at the Big Cypress National Preserve in Collier County, Florida. read more
No Honor Among Cyber Thieves
July 27, 2020
A backstabbing crime boss and thousands of people looking for free tutorials on hacking and identity theft were two findings of a study examining user activity on two online "carding forums," illegal sites that specialize in stolen credit card information. read more
Study: Legal Marijuana May be Slowing Reductions in Teen Marijuana Use
July 27, 2020
The longitudinal study of more than 230 teens and young adults finds that teens may be more likely to use marijuana following legalization than they otherwise would have been. read more
Bill Questions Proprietary Algorithms Used in Probabilistic Genotyping Software
July 27, 2020
A new bill brought forward by Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., is making the legality of using proprietary forensic software to unravel complex DNA mixtures just that—complex. read more
Forensic Grad Student's Unique Internship with Police Department
July 24, 2020
Her internship enables her to follow cases from start to finish, accompanying crime scene technicians and exploring topics such as ballistics, evidence processing, and computer crimes. read more
Study: Publicizing Police Killings of Unarmed Black People Causes Emotional Trauma
July 24, 2020
A majority of college students of color show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder after watching social media videos of unarmed Black men being killed by police, a Rutgers study finds. read more
Study of U.S Mass Shootings, Firearms Homicides Suggests Two-pronged Policy Approach
July 24, 2020
The study found mass shootings occur disproportionately in states with higher levels of gun ownership, while rates of firearms homicides are higher in states with permissive concealed carry policies. read more
DNA Analysis Fails to ID 1944 Circus Fire Victims
July 24, 2020
Due to the condition of the remains, there was a high bacterial content that interfered with testing. Samples will be retained in the event that future techniques are developed that would be successful. read more
Two Security Breaches at GEDmatch Open All Users’ Profiles to Law Enforcement
July 23, 2020
On Sunday, July 19, GEDmatch experienced a security breach on one of the servers through an existing user account. The breach reset all user permissions, making all profiles visible to others for approximately 3 hours. read more
Forensic Pathologists in a Pandemic: Operational, Occupational and Legal Challenges
July 22, 2020
This paper discusses how the work of forensic pathologists dealing with deceased bodies has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic so far. read more
33-Year-Old Latent Prints, Cigarette Butts Key to Solving Cold Case Murder
July 22, 2020
At the time of the murder, agents collected cigarette butts from the crime scene, along with latent prints. A DNA profile was developed from one of the cigarette butts, however the case eventually went cold. read more
Students Present at INTERPOL Digital Forensics Expert Conference
July 22, 2020
The students presented their research recently as part of the virtual INTERPOL Digital Forensics Expert Group (DFEG) conference, sharing their findings with hundreds of industry professionals from around the globe. read more
Maryland University Launches Master of Science in Forensic Pattern Analysis Program
July 22, 2020
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there will be more than 2,400 positions in forensic science by 2028, an increase of 14% compared to the number of positions today. read more
Study: White Police Officers Use Force More Often Than Non-White Colleagues
July 22, 2020
Data from more than 2 million 911 calls show that race is a key determinant of force, researchers say, especially in majority-Black neighborhoods. read more
Missouri Bill Streamlines Rape Kit Testing, Adds Survivor Resources
July 20, 2020
Missouri’s governor has signed into law a sweeping bill that addresses sexual assault crimes, including an electronic tracking system for rape kits and a telehealth network for forensic examinations of victims. read more
New Forensic Method Helps Improve Police Lineups
July 20, 2020
A new forensic approach attempts to gauge the strength of witness memory while minimizing the influence of unwitting bias in an attempt to solve why so many innocent people get convicted of crimes. read more
String of Firsts in Forensic Proteomics for Ricin Detection
July 20, 2020
With this method, forensic scientists can detect ricin and better account for the clumsy methods would-be terrorists use to concentrate the toxin. read more
UN Regulations on Cybersecurity Pave Way for Connected Vehicles
July 20, 2020
Two new UN Regulations on Cybersecurity and Software Updates will help tackle these cybersecurity risks by establishing clear performance and audit requirements for car manufacturers. read more
Domestic Violence Increased During Great Recession
July 20, 2020
Emergency room visits for domestic violence incidents in California more than tripled during the Great Recession, signaling a need to prepare for similar effects during COVID-19. read more
Florida First to Protect Consumer DNA from All Insurance Companies
July 17, 2020
House Bill 1189 prohibits life, disability and long-term care insurance companies from requiring or soliciting genetic information from applicants and forbids DNA testing companies from providing consumer genetic information to insurers without permission. read more