As we prepare for the holiday season and rapidly approaching new year, let’s take a look back at Forensic’s most read news of 2024 while reflecting on how far forensic science has come in the last 12 months.
1. Remains Found in 1979, 2 Years after Death, have Been Identified
In November 1979, the remains of an unidentified individual were discovered in the unincorporated area of Ojai, a small city in the northeast portion of Ventura County, California. It was determined that the remains were that of a male, estimated to between thirty-five and sixty years old at his time of death. The man was estimated to be 5’3” tall. Due to the condition of his remains, other identifying characteristics could not be determined.
Originally published on March 29, 2024
2. Police Identify Prison Escapee’s Remains 40 Years Later
In April 1980, William Pennell was convicted of robbery. Two months later, on June 13, 1980, he escaped from prison. To date, no detailed records related to the escape have been found. Pennell told a friend he intended to flee to South America in what is believed to be his last contact before his death. A month following his escape, Pennell’s remains were found in Markham on July 16, 1980. The cause of death was undetermined; however, investigators believe foul play was involved.
Originally published on Nov. 8, 2024
3. Calls for New Trial for Death Row Inmate After Learning Sole Eyewitness was Paid
Toforest Johnson has spent more than 25 years on death row in Alabama and is at risk of being executed for a crime he did not commit. Johnson, who has consistently maintained his innocence, was sentenced to death in 1998 and has been on death row for more than a quarter-century, despite no physical evidence or eyewitness testimony connecting him to the crime scene. The key evidence the State presented was the “earwitness” testimony of a woman named Violet Ellison, who claimed she overheard a man named Toforest confess to the crime in a snippet of an eavesdropped phone call.
Originally published on April 1, 2024
Update: As of publication time, Johnson is still imprisoned, with his attorney’s recently seeking a second post-conviction appeal, saying the court “never considered the evidence in its entirety.” The November 2024 filing on Johnson’s behalf argues that the case is riddled by contradictory physical evidence and undermined by alibi witness testimony and Ellison’s award.
4. Injectable Liquid Fentanyl is the Newest Opioid Threat
A new wrinkle in the ongoing opioid crisis has recently been discovered and labeled an “emerging threat”—injectable liquid fentanyl. Typically, fentanyl misuse or abuse involves the injection or smoking of illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF). Illicit fentanyl is most commonly sold on the street as counterfeit tablets or as powders in folded glassine papers. Recently, however, injectable solutions of fentanyl have been reported in countries where IMF has not yet become established, such as Nigeria, Colombia and El Salvador, in addition to Argentina, Brazil and Costa Rica.
Originally published on Jan. 17, 2024
5. Identified: RV'er Who Made Friends with the Wrong Felon
In March 2008, the remains of an unidentified individual were discovered in Churchill County, Nevada. A passerby discovered skeletal fragments partially covered with dirt and gravel in a remote area. It was determined that the remains were that of an adult female. The woman’s cause of death was determined to be multiple gunshot wounds, and the manner of death was homicide. Despite investigators attempts to identify the woman, her identity remained a mystery.
Originally published on Feb. 26, 2024
6. Divers Find Man, Vehicle Submerged in New Jersey Waterway Since 1982
Officials have confirmed the remains of a New Jersey man and his vehicle missing for more than four decades in a local creek. The United States Search Corps (USC) have located the car and the remains of Charles "Chip" Murphy, who has been missing since 1982, in a creek in New Jersey. Investigators used new forensic techniques, as well as professional divers from a private, non-profit dive company to locate the vehicle. Murphy's body was found with submerged artifacts that led investigators to conclude it was him. However, investigators could not confirm the vehicle found was the Camaro Murphy was driving.
Originally published on June 18, 2024
7. Police Reviewing Recommendations in JonBenet Ramsey Murder Case
The Colorado Cold Case Review Team has spent the last year reviewing the JonBenet Ramsey homicide investigation to generate investigative recommendations, which the Boulder Police Department and the Boulder District Attorney are getting ready to act on, according to a case update published almost 27 years to the day of Ramsey’s murder, and more than a year since the last statement from the Boulder Police Department (BPD). However, the case update does not elaborate on what the specific recommendations are.
Originally published on Jan. 3, 2024
Update: At the end of November 2024, the BPD released a statement refuted the idea that there is viable evidence or leads in the JonBenet Ramsey case that they are not pursing. This statement again referred to the Cold Case Review Panel’s recommendations, but Police Chief Stephen Redfearn did not elaborate on what the specific recommendations are, provide a timeline, or speak about next steps. Read more about this recent update here.
8. Three Charged with Drug Distribution in Prison Following the Death of Prison Staff Member
An investigation into the death of a correctional officer led to the arrests of three defendants who are charged by criminal complaint with conspiring to distribute controlled substances and introducing narcotic drugs to an inmate at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atwater, California.
Originally published on Aug. 21, 2024
9. DNA Matches Fingernail Scrapings Taken from 1988 Murder Victim
A DNA sample from saliva collected off the ground outside a suspect’s home has matched the profile found underneath the fingernails of a young mother brutally murdered 36 years ago. Police arrested James Holloman, 65, in Suffolk County, Massachusettes for the murder of 25-year-old Karen Taylor on May 27, 1988.
Date originally published: Sept. 23, 2024
10. Report Shows Huge Increase in Use of ‘Gas Station Heroin’
Both the CDC and the Center for Forensic Science Research & Education (CFSRE) have released warnings about a sudden increase in the use of tianeptine, also known as “gas station heroin.” As an antidepressant, tianeptine is prescribed to treat depression and anxiety in some European, Asian, and South American countries, but it is not approved for medical use in the United States. Still, it can be found marketed as ZaZa, Tiana Red, Neptune’s Fix and more across many U.S. gas stations and convenience stores, especially in the southeast. However, tianeptine has the potential to cause adverse opioid-like effects and has been linked to intoxication, overdoses and death.
Originally published on Feb. 14, 2024