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]

Family History Helps ID Second ‘New’ Victim of Tulsa Race Massacre
June 23, 2025
The City of Tulsa’s 1921 Graves Investigation has identified James Goings as the second “new” victim of the Tulsa Race Massacre through veterans’ records and family history. read more
Nonprofit Steps in to Fund Cold Case Investigations as Federal Grant Ends
June 18, 2025
This work was funded by a $535,000 federal grant. Now, with more than 600 unsolved homicides in the county still, the grant money has been exhausted. read more
Genealogy IDs Suspect in 1980 Murder Case Popularized by Movie
June 16, 2025
Now, police are certain they have identified the man actually responsible for Brow’s murder after modern-day analysis of blood left at the crime scene and subsequent genetic genealogy. read more
Data Reveals Fentanyl-related Precursors, Byproducts, Intermediates in 2024, 2025 Drug Supply
June 11, 2025
In June 2024, befuddled forensic scientists started detecting the presence of BTMPS—a light stabilizer evaluated for use in plastic materials—in the recreational drug supply, specifically as an adulterant alongside fentanyl. read more
Field Device Can Detect Low Concentrations of Drugs in Real-time
May 28, 2025
At the scene, the tablets were found to contain a nitazene, allowing authorities to put out a drug warning within 36 hours of the initial death—possibly saving others from a similar fate. read more
Audit: 36 Police-custody Deaths Should have been Ruled Homicides
May 21, 2025
An independent audit found that 36 deaths in police custody over a two-decade span in Maryland should have been ruled homicides by the state’s top medical examiner Dr. David Fowler. read more
IGG Identifies Another Likely Victim of ‘Scorecard Killer’ 45 Years Later
May 14, 2025
Given the location of the body and the evidence, Parks is believed to be another victim of serial killer Randy Kraft, also called the Scorecard Killer and the Freeway Killer. read more
Study Opens Door to Stronger Forensic Evidence in Bombing Cases
May 07, 2025
Scientists have taken a first step toward understanding how a range of contextual factors influence how bomb residue transfers to the hands of suspects. read more
Study Seeks Reform by Holding Perpetrators of Sex Crimes ‘Accountable’
May 05, 2025
A criminal justice professor is committed to reforming how sex crimes are handled by seeking to better understand the behavior, patterns and criminal histories of offenders identified as suspects. read more
Identified: Another Victim of Alleged Serial Killer Herb Baumeister
April 30, 2025
Another victim of alleged serial killer Herb Baumeister has been identified as Daniel Thomas Halloran, a man who was not reported missing or previously suspected as a victim. read more
Genealogy IDs ‘Peaches’ and ‘Baby Doe’ as Questions Surround Gilgo Beach Connection
April 28, 2025
Long suspected to be victims of the Gilgo Beach serial killer, law enforcement has successfully identified the remains of a mother and her child murdered in Nassau County, New York in 1997. read more
Confusing, Understudied Drug on the Rise in the U.S.
April 23, 2025
A new drug concoction that poses unique risks and has been heavily under-researched has made its way from Latin America and Europe to the U.S. recently. read more
Caught Green-handed: New Light-emitting Method for Gunshot Residue Detection
April 21, 2025
Researchers in Amsterdam have adapted a commercial lead testing kit into a method that can detect gunshot residue faster and more sensitively than current analysis. read more
Cold Case Team Identifies Remains as Known Victim of Serial Killer Duo
April 14, 2025
The Calaveras Cold Case Task Force team confirmed the remains of Brenda Sue O’Connor from those remaining in the crypt. read more
Report Records Nearly 150 Exonerations in 2024
April 09, 2025
In 2024, 147 people in the United States were exonerated after losing an average of 13.5 years of their lives to wrongful imprisonment. read more
CFSRE: Commercial Kratom Products Contain Unnaturally High Levels of Metabolite
April 02, 2025
In recent years, legal smoke shops have seen a surge in the sale of Kratom products. Marketed as “7-Hydroxymitragynine” products, these include chewable tablets, concentrates, extracts, edible materials and even beverages. read more
Math Model Shows Naloxone Kits at Transit Stops Could Save Lives
March 31, 2025
“Naloxone kits are somewhat analogous to AEDs in that they can reverse the effects of an opioid poisoning event, but only if they are available quickly, which means they need to be in the right locations.” read more
Remains Identified as 1 of 2 Roommates Missing Since 2020
March 24, 2025
Familial reference standards have confirmed that remains found in August 2024 in Howell County are those of Ira Briscoe, a 25-year-old man who went missing in December 2020 under suspicious circumstances. read more
Unit Identifies 7 Cold Case Rapists in 5 Months
March 17, 2025
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office’s G.O.L.D. Unit has identified seven cold case sexual assault offenders through familial DNA searching and forensic genetic genealogy since November 2024. read more
Despite Hurdles Like Adoption and Anti-trans Sentiment, DDP IDs Julie Doe After 36 Years
March 12, 2025
After 36 years—and five years of working the case—the DNA Doe Project has identified “Transgender Julie Doe” as Pamela Leigh Walton. read more