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Florida Bill Seeks to Add Privacy Protections for Genealogy Customers
April 10, 2023
A new bill in Florida that seeks to add privacy protections for people who share their DNA with third-parties unanimously passed the Senate committee late last week. read more
Genealogy Identifies Jane Doe 43 Years to the Day Her Body was Found
April 10, 2023
Exactly 43 years to the day after a woman’s body was found on the shores of Lake Erie, in Sandusky, Ohio, police have verified her identity as that of Patricia Eleanor Greenwood, born 1948. read more
Grant to Alabama Forensic Lab Funds New Equipment Purchases for Opioid, Gun Cases
April 10, 2023
Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded $276,803 in grant funds to help the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences purchase equipment and supplies to increase its capacity to assist with criminal investigations statewide. read more
Colorado Pilots First-of-its-kind Legal Competency Program for People with Brain Injuries
April 10, 2023
Colorado's Office of Civil and Forensic Mental Health is piloting a first-of-its-kind program to identify and treat individuals with brain injuries who are either already receiving or are on the waitlist for competency services. read more
Illegal Trade and Poor Regulation Threaten Pangolins in China
April 10, 2023
Pangolins, unique scale-covered mammals, are drastically declining in numbers across Asia and Africa, largely due to illegal trade. read more
Ohio Finally Makes Strangulation a Felony
April 05, 2023
On Tuesday, a new law took effect in Ohio that makes strangulation a felony offense. Up until that time, Ohio was the only state in the U.S. that failed to recognize the potentially deadly crime as a felony. read more
Study: Household Dust Can be an Investigative Tool
April 05, 2023
A North Carolina State University-led study found it is possible to retrieve forensically relevant information from human DNA in household dust. read more
Hemp or Marijuana? Forensic Chemist Receives Funding for Rapid Test
April 05, 2023
While many states have relaxed regulations on growing and possessing marijuana, it remains illegal at the federal level. Federal legalization of hemp, however, happened in the United States several years ago. read more
DNA Shows a Woman was Aboard Doomed 17th Century Swedish Warship
April 05, 2023
A U.S. military laboratory has helped Swedes confirm what was suspected for years: A woman was among those who died on a 17th-century warship that sank on its maiden voyage. read more
Cal State LA, California Forensic Science Institute Project Fights for Wrongfully Convicted
April 05, 2023
After serving 38 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, Maurice Hastings was declared innocent on March 1, 2023—a decision that followed an October 2022 court order overturning his conviction. The victory was won through the advocacy efforts of the Los Angeles Innocence Project. read more
Zombie Drug Spreads to 48 States, Proposed Bill Seeks Crack Down
April 03, 2023
The DEA says they have seized xylazine and fentanyl mixtures in 48 of 50 states. In fact, 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA in 2022 contained xylazine. read more
Othram, Spokane Investigators ID Remains from 1982
April 03, 2023
In the years that followed, the case grew cold, and due to a far less extensive records keeping process by the Sheriff's Office and the Coroner's Office at the time, it is unclear the extent of the work that investigators may have done. read more
Dartmouth Working with Anthropologists After Discovery of Native American Ancestral Remains
April 03, 2023
A visiting team of forensic anthropologists and archaeologists is working with Dartmouth to re-inventory human skeletal remains in Dartmouth’s possession. read more
22 Practitioners Complete Nuclear Forensics Training Course
April 03, 2023
During the training course at PNNL, 22 nuclear forensics practitioners were granted access to a technical and hands-on learning environment that covered multiple analytical methods. read more
Autopsies Show 30 People Died from Gunfire in Peru Protests
April 03, 2023
In autopsy after autopsy, Peruvian anti-government protesters share the same cause of death: “firearm projectile.” read more
Marijuana-derived Compounds Could be Naloxone Alternative
March 31, 2023
As novel psychoactive substances get more potent, it’s becoming more and more common to administer multiple doses of naloxone. read more
Genealogy ID's Dismembered Woman Found in 1984, Killer Still Unknown
March 31, 2023
Two fisherman discovered a nude female body along the south shore of the Spokane River, her hands and feet were dismembered and her head was decapitated. read more
DNA Identifies Skeletonized Human Remains of Real Estate Agent Found in 1984
March 31, 2023
The cause of death was a gunshot wound, and the manner of death was determined to be homicide. It was estimated that he had been deceased for approximately 6 months. read more
Professor Wins Fulbright Award to Study Sexual Assault Prevention
March 31, 2023
The work will focus on ways to reduce sexual assaults involving alcohol through education and perpetrator prevention efforts. read more
First Forensic Sprint at Europol Speeds Up Human Trafficking Investigations
March 31, 2023
This sprint was set-up in the framework of Operational Task Force Lotus following an important hit on a human trafficking network within its focus. read more