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]

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
DOJ Awards $192 Million for the Advancement of Forensic Science
October 16, 2020
This week, the Department of Justice awarded a total of $192 million to U.S. states to advance forensic science. The funding package breaks down to 13 specific grants, with an obvious focus on increasing DNA analysis throughout the nation. read more
Her Name was Emma: Delaware Police ID 3-Year-Old Victim a Year Later
October 14, 2020
More than a year after her remains were found on a softball field in Delaware, police have two persons of interest in custody regarding the death of 3-year-old Emma Cole—her mother, Kristie Haas, and stepfather Brandon Haas. read more
Second Search for 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Victims to Begin Next Week
October 12, 2020
Forensic anthropologists will commence a second search for the remains of victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre on Monday, Oct. 19, after a previous attempt to recover remains was unsuccessful this past summer. read more
Neural Network for Bruise Dating is Twice as Accurate Than Current Methods
October 07, 2020
Researchers in Peru are proposing a model based on deep convolutional neural networks as an alternative for bruise dating—one that is almost twice as accurate as current methods. read more
Operation UNITED Exhumes Buried Remains for DNA Identification
October 05, 2020
The FBI and Detroit police exhumed more bodies last week in the continuing effort to identify unknown homicide victims buried in "paupers' graves." read more
Study: Forensic Examiners are Stressed
October 02, 2020
While appreciation levels were high last week during National Forensic Science week, forensic examiners report it is not always like that, according to one of the first studies to address workplace stress from various forensic science fields. read more
Should Medical Biobanks be Used in Criminal Investigations?
September 30, 2020
While it was critically important to get the BTK killer off the streets, was it ethical to do so by seizing his daughter’s biological material, kept in a university clinic she visited for cervical cancer screening? 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