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]

Australian Police Debut Familial DNA Collection Pilot Program
February 10, 2021
This week, the New South Wales Police Force launched a DNA collection pilot program in the hopes of finding answers to the 769 long-term missing persons cases plaguing the region. According to the agency, NSW has approximately 330 unidentified bodies or human remains cases. read more
Kansas Bill Would Require All Sexual Assault Kits to be Submitted for Testing
February 08, 2021
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has taken their commitment to testing to the next level, introducing legislation that will require Kansas law enforcement agencies submit all sexual assault kits for forensic analysis. read more
Austin Officially Separates Forensic Lab from Police Department
February 05, 2021
In a move long anticipated, the Austin City Council voted Thursday to officially transfer the forensic laboratory out from under police control, turning it into an independent entity. read more
Use of ‘Zombie Drug’ Increasing, Now Linked to 1 in 3 Overdoses in Philly
February 03, 2021
Philadelphia has a “zombie drug” problem, and experts are concerned it is going to start rapidly spreading to other parts of the U.S.—just as the drug infiltrated the City of Brotherly Love from Puerto Rico about 5 years ago. read more
California Bill Seeks to Reform Expert Witness Testimony
February 01, 2021
A California senator introduced a bill last week that seeks to change the legal standard for expert witness testimony, specifically in relation to forensic evidence. read more
DNA-targeting Malware Can Trick Scientists into Making Toxins, Researchers Say
January 29, 2021
In a letter to Nature Biotechnology, cyber-researchers at Ben-Gurion University (Israel) have expressed their concern with the seemingly “easy” way biologists can be tricked into producing dangerous toxins in their labs through the use of malware. read more
Genealogist Ties Chameleon Killer’s Biological Child Victim to Southern Mississippi Roots
January 27, 2021
Genealogical testing has gotten investigators one step closer to naming the unidentified remains of the biological child of Terry Rasmussen, also known as The Chameleon Killer. Suspected of murdering her and at least 4 others—including two other children—this Jane Doe is the only unidentified victim among the four found in 55-gallon drums in the New Hampshire wilderness. read more
Coercive Collection of DNA is Damaging to Future Genomic R&D
January 25, 2021
The potential of genetics is perhaps unprecedented, but members of the European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG) warn in a new article that the technology may never get that far if we don’t take action now against the compulsory collection of DNA performed by multiple countries, including the United States. read more
Pervis Payne Still on Death Row Despite Unknown Male DNA on Murder Weapon
January 22, 2021
A crime lab in California has found unknown male DNA on the knife Pervis Payne is accused of using to murder Charisse Christopher and her 2-year-old daughter, and non-fatally stab her 4-year-old son. read more
Encryption Battle Rages on as the ACLU Sues FBI
January 20, 2021
After a partially unanswered Freedom of Information Act request, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing the FBI to learn more about the federal agency’s Electronic Device Analysis Unit. read more
Police to Use New DNA Tech on Cold Case That Inspired AMBER Alerts
January 19, 2021
Amber Hagerman’s murderer is still at large, but the Arlington Police Department (Texas) announced last week, on the 25th anniversary of her kidnapping, that they intend to submit multiple pieces of evidence for testing in hopes that new technologies can produce a DNA profile. read more
Public, Social Media, Genealogy Crucial in Identification of Deceased Hiker
January 13, 2021
The “friendly but reserved” man dozens of hikers spent time with while on the Appalachian Trial has been identified more than two years after his body was found on that same trail. read more
New Law Provides Funds, Resources for Forensic ID of Migrants Along the Border
January 06, 2021
On January 1, 2021, President Donald Trump signed into law the bipartisan Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains Act, which seeks to help local jurisdictions improve the recording and reporting of missing persons and unidentified remains found along the U.S.-Mexico border—a tragedy that is increasing by the day. read more
Ohio Police Solve 1992 Murder of ‘Baby April’
January 04, 2021
In November 2019, Moline Police Chief Darren Gault submitted a budget request for expanded funding for cold case investigations, which was unanimously approved. The extra funding allowed investigators to submit a genetic DNA profile for the Baby April case to Parabon Nanolabs. read more
Forensic’s Top 10 News Articles of 2020
December 23, 2020
This year brought unprecedented challenges that sometimes felt more like a movie than real life. Despite the hardships, individuals rose to the occasion to do what they could. For forensic scientists and law enforcement professionals, that meant continuing to do what they are best at—uncovering the truth and preserving justice. read more
Missouri Bill Aims to Get Forensic Investigators to Crime Scenes Faster
December 16, 2020
A Missouri state representative has filed a bill designed to help forensic investigators arrive at the scene of a crime more quickly—something that feels like it should be common sense, but is actually a problem for forensic personnel. read more
Forensic Approach IDs Illegal Medicine, Simplifies Data Sharing Between Labs, Police
December 14, 2020
Two forensic experts from Italy and the UK have collaborated to develop a first-of-its-kind technique that enables quick and accurate characterization of illegal pharmaceuticals and other products. At the same time, they have developed an approach to better share this information across forensic laboratories at a global level. read more
NamUs is Back: UNT Accepts Award to Manage Program Days After Announcing its Withdrawal
December 09, 2020
After initially announcing on Friday they would cease to manage NamUs, the UNT Health Science Center's UNT Center for Human Identification (UNTCHI) has backtracked. On the evening of Tuesday, Dec. 8, UNTCHI accepted the $4.2 million award to continue to manage the missing persons program. read more
A Mother’s Kindness, Technology and Persistence Give Delta Dawn Her Name Back
December 07, 2020
Nearly 40 years later, forensic specialists at Othram contributed forensic analysis that confirmed the identity of so-called Delta Dawn, also referred to as Baby Jane Doe, as 18-month-old Alisha Ann Heinrich. read more
2020 Holiday Gift Guide for Forensic Professionals
December 04, 2020
With Thanksgiving now firmly in our rearview, the gift-giving holiday season is upon us! If you have a scientist, forensic-lover or even budding scientist on your list this year, check out the top 10 gifts on Forensic’s Holiday Gift Guide. read more