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Snohomish County, Othram to ID Man Discovered Last Year in Shallow Grave
The unidentified man stood between 5'3" and 5'9" and was likely between the ages of 20-40. Investigators suspect that he was possibly Native American, Asian, Hispanic or mixed race. read more
State Forensic Lab Says New Methodology Reduces Sample Needs by 97%
Building on funds invested in the Department from the California Legislature, the new process— based on validated methodology— uses state-of-the-art equipment to combine five drug analytical methods into one and dramatically reduces sample needs by as much as 97%. read more
Next-generation Sequencing Approved to Identify 9/11 Remains
Thousands of human remains from Sept. 11 have yet to be identified because they’re too damaged and degraded to be analyzed by conventional methods. read more
New Branch of Cyber Forensics to Advance National Security
Researchers are working to develop a new branch of cyber forensics called AI Psychiatry that seeks to keep data more secure in a constantly evolving technological landscape. read more
Study Shows Use of Prescription Opioid Spiked 72% in Early Pandemic
A team of researchers from Kentucky is shedding light on increased drug consumption in the early days of the pandemic through wastewater epidemiology analysis. read more
NIST Expert Team to Investigate the Surfside Condo Collapse
The Champlain Towers South investigation will be the fifth investigation NIST has conducted using authorities granted by the 2002 National Construction Safety Team (NCST) Act. read more
DNA Match Leads to Arrest of Suspect in 1981 Murder of Single Mom
Police discovered there were several pieces of evidence in the case file that could likely be tested using modern DNA technology. read more
Michigan Inmate Charged in Florida Teen’s 1985 Death
DNA evidence helped investigators match the 1985 kidnapping, sexual assault and death of a 17-year-old Florida girl to a man already serving two life sentences in Michigan on sexual assault charges. read more
Genome from Ancient Teen Reveals Previously Unknown Group of Humans
The oldest genome of a modern human from the Wallacea region– the islands between western Indonesia and Papua New Guinea– indicates a previously undescribed ancient human relationship. read more
Study Defines New Method to Detect, Visualize Sperm Cells
The new method is based on the development of aptamers, single-stranded DNA molecules capable of selectively binding to a given target. read more
AG's DNA Project IDs 635 Registered Sex Offenders Owing DNA
The DNA project identified 635 registered sex offenders who illegally failed to provide DNA samples after their criminal conviction. Ferguson’s office is working with local law enforcement to collect DNA samples from these offenders. read more
Cold Case Team Exhumes Remains from Charles Ng, Leonard Lake Serial Murders
The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Team is working directly with criminalists from the California Department of Justice and two expert forensic anthropologists to respectfully catalog and analyze the remains to determine their viability for DNA analysis. read more
Police Close Utah's Oldest Missing Persons Cold Case
The Salt Lake City Police Department announced the closure of, a missing persons cold case after DNA testing confirmed the human remains located in Millard County, Utah belonged to Sandra Matott—who disappeared in July of 1979. read more
DNA in Missing Woman's Car Matches Sexual Assault Cases in Other States
Male DNA that corresponds with partial profiles found in three unsolved sexual assault cases was found in the car of a missing Colorado woman whose husband is charged with killing her. read more
Despite Widespread Belief, Fentanyl Can’t Cause Overdose by Contact
Earlier this month, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department released body camera footage of an officer overdosing after coming into contact with fentanyl. They called it a “public safety video.” A group of 400+ doctors and experts called it misinformation. read more