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]

Zombie Drug Hits the UK as Ketamine Skyrockets in the U.S.
June 02, 2023
In May 2022, a 43-year-old UK man known to be an illicit drug user died of an overdose associated with xylazine. The death is the first due to xylazine in the UK. read more
Ancient DNA Reveals Presence of 4,000-Year-Old Plague, Oldest in UK
June 02, 2023
The team extracted ancient DNA from the teeth of 34 individuals across the two sites, screening for the presence of Y. pestis. read more
DNA Hit of the Year: Lessons in Terrorism and Criminal Law
May 25, 2023
Dr. Noora Al Snan was finally able to link the detonation of 34 IEDs to one man—who was not in the DNA database. This was thanks to a creative application of familial searching and the common in-breeding seen in some populations in Bahrain. read more
Genealogy IDs Birth Mother of Now-healthy 4-Year-Old Abandoned in the Woods
May 22, 2023
On the night of June 6, 2019, two teenage girls went outside to empty out their car before a significant thunderstorm was expected to hit the area. Once outside, they heard the unexpected—what sounded like a baby crying. read more
2023 DNA Hit of the Year Finalists: Thieves, Terrorists and Serial Killers
May 22, 2023
On Tuesday, at the 2023 Human Identification Solutions (HIDS) conference, GTH-DNA will unveil the “DNA Hit of the Year.” read more
Genetic Genealogy IDs 1977 Victim of Samuel Little, U.S.’s Most Prolific Serial Killer
May 19, 2023
Forty-six years after her remains were found in Macon, Georgia, genetic genealogy has helped identified Yvonne Pless as one of the 93 victims of the U.S.’s most prolific serial killer, Samuel Little. read more
How Turtle DNA Raised Serious Human DNA Privacy, Ethical Concerns
May 17, 2023
The team expected some human eDNA to end up in their sea turtle samples, but the quantity was significantly more than anticipated. That gave the researchers an ethical pause. read more
INTERPOL Makes Black Notice Public for First Time to ID 22 Female Murder Victims
May 15, 2023
The woman in the well. The woman with the flower tattoo. The burned body in the forest. The body in the carpet. The woman by the motorway. These are just a few of the 22 unidentified woman. read more
Mississippi Accelerates Rape Kit Timeline While Tennessee Fails Backlog Bill
May 08, 2023
The best way to get these numbers down is by taking these rapists off the streets. In order to do that, their DNA has to be linked to a rape kit. And in order to show that, rape kits need to be processed—quickly, not years after the crime. read more
Board Releases Draft IGG Standards, Accreditation Requirements
May 03, 2023
After almost a year, IGGAB has published a draft of the proposed standards for investigative genetic genealogy (IGG). The draft is available for public comment until May 30, 2023. read more
Biographers: Draft News Article Shows Rosalind Franklin was Part of DNA Team
May 01, 2023
“Together, these documents suggest a different account of the discovery of the double helix. Franklin did not fail to grasp the structure of DNA. She was an equal contributor to solving it.” read more
Report Details the Forensic NGS Landscape and How to Make it Grow
April 26, 2023
Despite the success of the technique, a new report says NGS is still in an early adoption phase—and adoption has been slow. read more
Simulation Reveals Dangerous Levels of Tear Gas Used During Summer 2020 Protests
April 24, 2023
Researchers used computer fluid dynamics to reconstruct and simulate the spread of the toxic chemicals in tear gas. They found levels 2,000 times higher than the acceptable level, set by OSHA. read more
Genealogy Links Man to Two Rapes in 10 Months in Michigan, Pennsylvania
April 19, 2023
Despite the 400+ miles separating the crime scenes, investigators have linked a now-51-year-old man to both of the crimes through DNA and investigative genetic genealogy. read more
Mexico Finally Publishes Guidelines for National Forensic Data Bank
April 17, 2023
Mexico has finally published guidelines for the long-awaited National Forensic Data Bank, a database officials hope can help find and identify the more than 100,000 people registered as missing in the country. read more
Genealogy Links Possible Tulsa Race Massacre Remains to Surnames, Locations
April 12, 2023
In the most promising breakthrough yet, forensic scientists and researchers have generated investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) profiles for 6 unidentified individuals excavated from Oaklawn Cemetery during the 1921Graves investigation to identify victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre. read more
Florida Bill Seeks to Add Privacy Protections for Genealogy Customers
April 10, 2023
A new bill in Florida that seeks to add privacy protections for people who share their DNA with third-parties unanimously passed the Senate committee late last week. read more
Ohio Finally Makes Strangulation a Felony
April 05, 2023
On Tuesday, a new law took effect in Ohio that makes strangulation a felony offense. Up until that time, Ohio was the only state in the U.S. that failed to recognize the potentially deadly crime as a felony. read more
Zombie Drug Spreads to 48 States, Proposed Bill Seeks Crack Down
April 03, 2023
The DEA says they have seized xylazine and fentanyl mixtures in 48 of 50 states. In fact, 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA in 2022 contained xylazine. read more
Marijuana-derived Compounds Could be Naloxone Alternative
March 31, 2023
As novel psychoactive substances get more potent, it’s becoming more and more common to administer multiple doses of naloxone. read more