Michelle Taylor

Editor-in-Chief

Forensic

Michelle Taylor has worked on the Forensic brand since 2016. Well established in the industry, Michelle has attended dozens of scientific conferences and conducted interviews with key opinion leaders, including multiple Nobel Prize winners and award-winning forensic scientists. Michelle enjoys writing about investigative forensic genetic genealogy, novel psychoactive substances, next-generation sequencing, sexual assault kits and more. Michelle received her BA in journalism from Elon University in North Carolina. Michelle can be reached at [email protected] Michelle can be reached at [email protected]

Police Apologize for Use of DNA Phenotyping in 2019 Cold Case
October 10, 2022
Forty-eight hours after release, amid accusations of racism, the image was removed from the media release as well as social media sites, and the officer in charge of the sexual assault section apologized. read more
CDC Sees Increase in Fentanyl Analog Use in Overdose Deaths
October 05, 2022
As the overdose epidemic rages on, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released information on the increased detection of para-fluorofentanyl, a schedule I illicit fentanyl analog. read more
Study: Forensic STRs May Reveal Medical Information
October 03, 2022
In the new study, published last week in PNAS, researchers investigated whether genotypes at the CODIS loci could directly reveal information about the expression levels of neighboring genes. read more
Tennessee Funds Additional Forensic Jobs after Fletcher Murder
September 30, 2022
Would Eliza Fletcher, a mother of two and kindergarten teacher, still be alive today if a rape kit containing the DNA of her accused killer—Cleotha Henderson—was processed when it was received in September 2021, rather than a year later? read more
Study Links BMI to Decomposition Condition
September 26, 2022
Multiple researchers began noticing that bodies donated and placed in the soil at the same time were not decomposing in the same way. read more
National Forensic Science Week Roundup
September 21, 2022
Many universities, organizations, police departments and others are celebrating and acknowledging the hard work forensic professionals put into their jobs, especially given the mental toll working with crime investigations can have on an individual. read more
New Method Speeds Forensic Genetic Genealogy Process 10-fold
September 19, 2022
The authors conclude their method can solve a case with a 7,500-person family tree around 94% of the time. The standard method’s success rate in those cases is about 4%. read more
Despite Privacy Concerns, Many are Submitting DNA to Tulsa Race Massacre Investigation
September 14, 2022
101 years after the Tulsa Race Massacre that saw Black people receive little lawful protection, forensic scientists are asking descendants to submit their DNA to a database that can be accessed by law enforcement officials. read more
Coroner Releases Facial Reconstruction Amid Plan to Profile All Local Unidentified Cases
September 12, 2022
National Missing and Unidentified Persons Day may not be for another 5 months, but that isn’t stopping the Richland County Coroner’s Office (S.C.) and Columbia Police Department from getting a head start. read more
Study: Forensic Science is Not Diverse, and the Data is Not Transparent
September 09, 2022
A new study concludes Black or Hispanic individuals are underrepresented in scientific fields closely related to forensic science, even though demographic data is hard to come by or even non-existent. read more
Genetic Genealogy ID’s Both Killer and Victim in Same Case
September 07, 2022
Genetic genealogy has been used to identify both the victim and the killer in the same case. read more
An Electronic Nose to Complement Cadaver Dogs
August 31, 2022
Researchers in Sweden are developing a portable gas sensor system that can be trained through machine learning to identify human remains—kind of like cadaver dogs. read more
Study Shows Doppelgängers Share DNA
August 29, 2022
In perhaps one of the more unique datasets in science, a team of researchers from Spain has shown that unrelated people who have look-alikes share not only strong facial similarity but genetic variants as well. read more
Police Tie Recently Arrested Suspect to a Second Cold Case
August 24, 2022
On Monday, just over a month later, Ivy found himself in an eerily similar position. While the survivor standing next to him was a different woman, the suspect was the same—Frederick Fitzgerald Gandy. read more
The Democratization of Forensic Genetic Genealogy
August 22, 2022
Verogen CEO Brett Williams discusses the implications of the recently announced Verogen-Gene by Gene partnership and what users can expect to see going forward. read more
Study: Better Interviews Could Yield More Convictions for Rape, Murder
August 17, 2022
A 7-year research project involving multiple UK police forces has shown significant failings in the role of Interview Manager, which researchers say is absolutely critical to the success of high-stake crime investigations—especially rape and murder. read more
Bristol Cold Case Unit Expands to Include Missing Persons
August 15, 2022
The already-effective Cold Case Unit out of the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office is hoping to continue their success as they now expand their scope to include all missing persons in the last 50 years. read more
DNA, Genealogy Match 1985 New Mexico Remains to Kansas Teen
August 12, 2022
DNA extracted from the femur bone of human remains found in 1985 has given 16-year-old Dorothy Harrison back her name, and became the first—of what police hope is many—genetic genealogy-enabled identification for the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office in New Mexico. read more
Familial DNA Links Suspect to Two Cold Case Homicides
August 10, 2022
Evidence preservation, familial DNA, covert collection and incredibly persistent investigators has led to the arrest of Robert Edwards for the rape and murder of a young woman in Ohio 31 years ago. read more
ICYMI: Nanotech Method Can Extract More DNA from Rape Kit Swabs
July 27, 2022
Researchers have developed a new method that is up to six times more efficient at extracting male sperm fraction DNA profiles from sexual assault kits—particularly when analyzing low level sperm samples. read more