Since DNA was first used in forensic science in the late 1980s, it has opened doors to solve cases that have been cold for decades. For the U.S. military, it's been essential in carrying out the age-old motto, "no one left behind."
Recent advances in DNA technology have allowed cold case investigators to come the closest they’ve ever been to identifying the only remaining unidentified victim of serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, known as the “Happy Face Killer.”
The success of a unique cold case unit in Cuyahoga County, Ohio continues with the identification of three rapists—impacting six victims—thanks to forensic genetic genealogy and familial searching.
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson is continuing to take strides in his office’s focus to help solve cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous people.
Advances in forensic technology have focused heavily on improving the tools available for forensic scientists to assemble high-quality analyses from degraded DNA, typically achieved through short-tandem repeat (STR) analysis via capillary electrophoresis (CE).