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]

Study: Crime Scene Virtual Reality Leads Jurors to Give More Consistent Verdicts
July 30, 2021
In a recent study, researchers at the University of South Australia have shown that not only is interactive technology in the courtroom possible, but it’s also preferable as it leads to fairer and more consistent verdicts. read more
Fracking Boom Raised Crime Rates in Rural America
July 28, 2021
Hydraulic fracturing has been linked to an increase in air and water pollution, earthquakes, traffic and more. Now, researchers have added another one to the list: violent crime. read more
Cold Case Arrest Leads to Change in Evidence Storage
July 21, 2021
The arrest of a man tied to at least two sexual assaults in the Orlando area 19 years ago has led the Orlando Police Department to change the policy on how long it storages evidence from sexual assault kits. read more
Watchdog Report Says Algorithms Strengthen Forensic Analysis
July 19, 2021
A new report from the Government Accountability Office, the audit institution of the U.S. federal government, has found that—despite internal and external challenges—algorithms strengthen forensic analysis, overall. read more
Study Suggests Digital Forensic Experts are Prone to Bias
July 14, 2021
In the first study designed to specifically explore reliability and biasability in digital forensics, renowned cognitive bias expert Itiel Dror and co-author Nina Sunde have illustrated that examiners’ observations are biased by contextual information, and consistency between the experts is low. read more
Study Reviews Current Sample Preparation Methods for Forensic Toxicology
July 12, 2021
Responding to advances in complementary technologies, researchers have authored a study review of current sample preparation techniques and considerations for different sample types that are typically encountered in forensic toxicology cases. 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
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
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
Bullet Found in Remains of Possible Tulsa Race Massacre Victim
June 28, 2021
The remains of a Black male with a bullet lodged in his left shoulder have been recovered by the team searching for, excavating and analyzing skeletal remains found in a mass grave of possible Tulsa Race Massacre victims. read more
New Synthetic Opioid is 20x More Potent than Fentanyl
June 21, 2021
A novel synthetic opioid that is ~20x more potent than fentanyl has been linked to 8 overdose deaths across 5 states in the last month, according to the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education (CFSRE). read more
28 Bodies Unearthed at Possible Tulsa Race Massacre Burial Site, Including Women, Infants
June 16, 2021
In the two weeks they have been back on site, forensic anthropologists and other researchers have more than doubled the number of graves and bodies found in the search for unidentified victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. read more
INTERPOL’s Global DNA Database Can ID Missing Persons through Kinship Matching
June 14, 2021
This month, INTERPOL debuted I-Familia, the first global database designed to use DNA of relatives to identify missing persons or unidentified human remains around the world. The move is significant at the international level. read more
48-Hour Case Highlights, Inspires the Use of DNA Databases
June 09, 2021
For years, Santos has led the effort to expand the DNA lab within Philippines National Police and establish a national DNA database. Serving as a Hit of the Year judge in 2017, Santos says the cases she reviewed are still an inspiration to her. read more
Experts Propose DNA Database to Reunify Migrant Families
June 07, 2021
An interdisciplinary team of scientists, physicians and human rights advocates propose a DNA-led framework for safely and ethically reunifying the more than 70,000 families separated at the U.S. border as a result of the now-repealed Trump Administration’s Zero Tolerance policy. read more
After Scathing Letter and Retirement, HFSC Picks New Director
June 04, 2021
Five months after former and present CSU investigators at the Houston Forensic Science Center wrote a scathing letter about director Jerry Pena’s “toxic leadership,” the center has announced a new director. read more
Take vs Touch: 3 Mass Spec Imaging Techniques Detect Cocaine Differences in Fingerprints
May 26, 2021
Expanding on years of mass spectrometry-based fingerprint detection technology and research, Melanie Bailey and her team have now proven a single fingerprint left at a crime scene can be used to determine whether someone has ingested cocaine or simply touched it. read more
Back to the Beginning: First Forensic DNA Technology Solves Cold Case Rape
May 19, 2021
In a unique solution that would make Doc Brown proud, a team of forensic scientists solved a 1988 rape case by going back to the beginning—leveraging the equipment and techniques that were considered the gold standard over three decades ago. read more
How DNA Databases Solve Cold Case Rapes
May 17, 2021
This year, a panel of previous Hit of the Year judges, crime lab experts and police personnel all come together—virtually—to discuss how DNA databases changed the course of four special cases, getting them back on the path toward justice. read more
Grant Helps Forensic Chemist Commercialize Novel Laser-based Technology
May 12, 2021
Igor Lednev, a professor at University at Albany, has been pioneering the use of Raman spectroscopy for forensic analyses for more than a decade. In 2019, after 11 years of NIJ funding valued at $3 million, more than 60 published articles and three U.S. patents, Lednev founded SupraMEtric LLC, a spin-off company based on his novel technology. read more