This year certainly didn’t go as we had hoped at the end of 2020. 2021 was still headlined by an unprecedented pandemic, but life has gone on for many as we try to establish a new normal amid the chaos. Despite the hardships, individuals rose to the occasion to do what they could. For forensic scientists and law enforcement professionals, that means continuing to do what you are best at—uncovering the truth and preserving justice. Before Forensic takes a holiday break before the new year, let’s take a look back at the top 10 most popular articles of 2021.
1. Infrastructure Bill Would Require Breathalyzers for All New Cars
Published August 11. The Senate voted to approve a historic $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that will have an effect on American transportation for decades to come. The bill mandates all new passenger cars be designed with advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology after a certain date determined by the secretary of transportation.
2. Use of ‘Zombie Drug’ Increasing, Now Linked to 1 in 3 Overdoses in Philly
Published February 3. Philadelphia has a “zombie drug” problem, and experts are concerned it is going to start rapidly spreading to other parts of the U.S.—just as the drug infiltrated the City of Brotherly Love from Puerto Rico about 5 years ago. Xylazine is a non-opioid sedative, painkiller and muscle relaxant that is used in veterinary medicine. It can dangerously lower blood pressure, heart rate and breathing. It has also been linked to open skin ulcers.
3. Advanced DNA Testing Reveals Suspect in 1995 Murder of Teacher
Published May 7. The Texas Rangers Unsolved Crimes Investigation Program, working with Beaumont PD, lead the investigative effort leveraging family trees and public records to identify the unknown male from the crime scene. Eventually, the unknown man was identified as Clayton Foreman. Although he was not a person of interest in the original investigation, he knew the victim from high school.
4. Genealogist Ties Chameleon Killer’s Biological Child Victim to Southern Mississippi Roots
Published January 27. The New Hampshire State Police partnered with genetic genealogist Barbara Rae-Venter to find any further clues as to the identity of the child Jane Doe. Rae-Venter’s research suggests the mother of the child—who is a suspected victim of Rasmussen’s, but whose remains have not yet been found—has relatives in Pearl River County, Mississippi.
5. 2021’s Best Master’s in Forensic Science Programs
Published April 23. Based on an assessment of the top 171 accredited colleges and universities in the nation, Intelligent.com has released a ranking of the top 38 master’s in forensic science degree programs for 2021. Stevenson University in Maryland leads the pack.
6. New Synthetic Opioid is 20x More Potent than Fentanyl
Published June 21. A novel synthetic opioid that is ~20x more potent than fentanyl has been linked to 8 overdose deaths across 5 states in the last month, according to the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education (CFSRE). The drug—N-pyrrolidino etonitazene (also referred to as etonitazepyne)—is the latest synthetic drug to emerge in the midst of the opioid epidemic and COVID-19 pandemic.
7. Othram Working to ID Victim of Suspected Serial Killer Wayne Nance
Published January 4. The female victim is known in the area as “Jane Doe 3UFMT” and “Christy Crystal Creek” and is one of the three Jane Doe victims of suspected serial killer, Wayne Nance. Nance was killed in 1986 during one of his home invasions so he was never arrested, tried, or convicted of these crimes, but investigators suspect that he is responsible for the homicide.
*In May, four months after Othram began investigating, the DNA company announced they identified Christy Crystal Creek as Janet L. Lucas.
8. The Forensic Sciences' Toxic Entanglement with the Myth of Objectivity
Published February 22. “Scientific objectivity.” It’s a concept as old as the Enlightenment and a mainstay of mid-20th-century approaches to science, thought to be a core tenet of forensic scientific analysis and testimony. It’s also a myth—and it’s dangerous.
9. New Fingerprint Tech Leads to Suspect’s Arrest in 1983 Murder
Published December 3. In less than one year, the sole detective in the newly launched Delray Beach Police Department’s Cold Case Unit has solved the 1983 murder of Carla Lowe by utilizing fingerprint technology not available 38 years ago. Though he could not elaborate on which item the fingerprint was retrieved from, Cold Case Detective Todd Clancy did say the lab used foster+freeman’s RECOVER latent fingerprint technology.
10. EXCLUSIVE: NamUs Announces New Contractor, Sub-Contractor
Published April 2. A new contract to manage the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) was awarded on March 31, 2021 to North Carolina-based Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International. This will allow the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to evaluate program strengths and provide direct federal oversight.