Claire Glynn (right) is an internationally recognized forensic investigative genetic genealogy expert. She is currently the Assistant Director of the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science at the University of New Haven in Connecticut. Credit: UNH
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan has announced that internationally recognized forensic science specialist Claire Glynn will join the office as a consultant. In this newly created role, Glynn will work with the District Attorney, prosecutors, and police partners to employ the latest technology and expand the use of state-of-the-art investigatory tools.
Glynn, the Assistant Director of the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science at the University of New Haven in Connecticut, will be working closely with investigators to examine and identify cases that would be strong candidates for utilizing FIGG to generate new leads and solve crimes. Glynn previously worked as a forensic scientist for one of the United Kingdom’s leading forensic science providers for UK law enforcement, Eurofins Forensic Services, which investigates some of the UK’s most challenging crimes.
“In Middlesex County we strive every day to be the most dedicated, effective, and most innovative prosecutor’s office in the United States. We recognize that technology is constantly evolving and, while we have already been able to use FIGG in some investigations, with the help of Dr. Glynn, we will be able to accomplish even more,” said Ryan.
The multi-pronged partnership also includes, for the first time in Massachusetts, enlisting the public’s help to enhance existing DNA databases that law enforcement can use in FIGG investigations.
On Saturday, June 17, Ryan, Glynn and Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller will host a DNA Drive Day at Newton City Hall. Members of the public, and particularly family members of missing persons, are encouraged to attend the event. Participants will have the opportunity to voluntarily provide a DNA sample, collected using a mouth cheek swab, and in return will be provided a free genetic ancestry analysis from Family Tree DNA. The DNA information will also be added to GEDmatch. The Family Tree DNA and GEDmatch databases are currently used by investigators across the nation and internationally to assist with resolving unidentified persons investigations, some of which have been unsolved for decades. Other consumer DNA testing companies, e.g., AncestryDNA, 23andMe, MyHeritageDNA, etc., are not accessible for law enforcement investigations, as their terms of use prohibit this.
“DNA has had one of the most profound investigatory impacts on our work,” said Ryan. “It is important for the public to remember that we are not just using FIGG to identify suspects but also to help identify victims, missing persons and human remains. We are looking at these cases so that families who have been waiting for answers will finally know what happened to their loved ones. It is my hope that this program can serve as a model across the Commonwealth.”
In Middlesex County, the use of FIGG is already having a tangible impact on cases. In February, the office announced that nine years after a young woman was sexually assaulted at knifepoint at a commuter rail station in Acton, an investigative breakthrough using FIGG resulted in the identification and arrest of Christopher Aldrich.
Ryan is focused on utilizing every possible tool including re-examining existing evidence and employing the latest investigative techniques and technology to resolve cases. Having creating the Office’s Cold Case Unit in 2019, Ryan says the new initiative is “a natural outgrowth of my unwavering commitment to Middlesex County’s oldest unsolved cases.” Glynn’s work will include working with various units, including the Cold Case Unit to examine unsolved homicides, suspicious deaths where foul play is suspected, and missing persons cases.
Republished courtesy of Middlesex DA.