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]

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
Commission Calls for Overhaul of Law Regulating DNA Use by Police in New Zealand
December 02, 2020
Detailing significant “gaps” in current law, including lack of human rights values, the New Zealand Law Commission has released a 572-page report that recommends a completely new framework for police use of DNA in criminal investigations. read more
Method to Estimate Body Mass of Human Remains Yields More Accurate Profile
November 30, 2020
Researchers will use high-resolution computed tomography scanning to examine joint size, trabecular bone structure, bone shaft cross-sectional properties and whole bone shape to see if there are any visible differences that can be attributed to obesity and its effect on weight-bearing bones of the skeleton. read more
2,500 Cases, Forensic Lab Called into Question After Arrest of Analyst
November 23, 2020
San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin released a spreadsheet of 822 criminal cases that may be impacted by the recent arrest of a veteran forensic analyst with the Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME). However, the DA’s office estimates that is only a third of the cases. read more
Texas: Arrestee DNA Collection Solved Over 250 Cases in One Year
November 20, 2020
What do a 17-year-old cold case strangulation, a 25-year-old murder and a 4-day crime spree have in common? These cases, in addition to about 250 others, were all solved by Texas investigators this year thanks to the enactment of the Krystal Jean Baker Act in September 2019. read more
Professor Develops First-ever Forensic Genetic Genealogy Certificate, Sets Sights on Future Center
November 13, 2020
Claire Glynn had been working with forensic DNA for 15 years but when she spit in a tube in 2016 to get a better idea of her ancestry, even she couldn’t envision the impact genealogy was about to make around the world. More specifically, in her world—in forensics. read more
Genetic Genealogy Confirms Story of Alex Kurzem, the Nazi’s Little Jewish ‘Mascot’
November 13, 2020
After 11 long years, genetic genealogist Colleen Fitzpatrick has provided DNA evidence that Alex is in fact Jewish, from Koidanov, Latvia as he said, and is very closely related to a Jewish family currently living in Canada. read more
Who is Better at Face Recognition- Algorithms or People?
November 11, 2020
Since 2018, NIST researcher Jonathan Phillips and his multi-institutional team have been delving into the accuracy of super recognizers, forensic examiners and facial recognition algorithms. read more
Drug Screening: Targeted GC-MS Method Shows 135% Increase in Retention Time
November 09, 2020
In collaboration with the Maryland State Police, NIST is developing a novel, targeted GC-MS method for drug screening that shows enhanced separation of isomers and increased sensitivity compared with traditional methods. read more
More Problems at DC Forensic Lab—Ballistics Falsely Linked Two Killings
November 02, 2020
The hits keep coming for the D.C. forensic laboratory—this time in the firearms division. Today, WTOP News in D.C. published partial results from an audit begun in January 2020. read more
Poachers Beware: New Gel Electrophoresis Method Can Accurately ID Degraded DNA from Aged Ivory
October 30, 2020
The miniscule amount of DNA contained in elephant husks already makes detection difficult—add in analysis of small pieces and the task becomes monumental. But that didn’t stop a team of international researchers from developing a new test to give customs agents a leg up. read more
12 Bodies Found in Search for 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Victims
October 22, 2020
At least 12 bodies have been found in a large hole as a team of anthropologists and archeologists completed their fourth and final day of excavations at Oaklawn Cemetery in search of possible victims of the 1921 Tulsa Rase Massacre. read more
Contamination, Capacity Issues Have Coroner Calling for New Facility
October 21, 2020
Lycoming County Coroner Charles Kiessling said in a Facebook post that his facility cannot meet the needs of the community anymore, instead proposing a Coroner's Office/Regional Forensic Center. read more
Police Get DNA Match in 2010 Murder of Sherry Black
October 19, 2020
Sherry Black may have been the mother-in-law of one of the richest men in Utah, but she spent a majority of her time at her independent bookstore. It was there, on Nov. 30, 2010, where the 64-year-old Black was found stabbed to death. read more