Category
Interesting Cases
The Wrongful Conviction of Lydell Grant for Murder in Texas: A Cautionary Tale of Faulty Eyewitness Identification and the Perils of “Inconclusive” DNA Mixture Statements
Today’s blog is written by guest blogger, Angie Ambers, MA, MS, PhD (Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science) and Mike Ware, JD (Innocence Project of Texas). Reposted fro...
Forensic Genetic Investigation of Two Adult Male Skeletons Recovered from the 17th Century La Belle Shipwreck using Massively Parallel Sequencing
Today’s blog is written by Angie Ambers, Ph.D., Assistant Director at Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science. Read the full version in the November 2020 issue of The ISH...
Exploring the Genomes of the Medieval Royal House of Aragon
Today’s blog is written by Rachel Kieser1, PhD. Co-authors on the project include Magdalena M. Buś,1 Begoña Martínez-Jarreta,2 Bruce Budowle1 1Center for Human Identific...
Toilet Paper: The Newest Tool in the Fight Against Crime
In July of 2009, the bodies of 43-year-old Alan Grna and his 85-year-old mother Julianna were discovered in their Ohio home—both victims of a violent assault. The lead detec...
Clearing the Sexual Assault Backlog in Murdertown, USA
Clearing the sexual assault backlog in the US has become a top priority over the past couple of years, because each rape kit that sits on a shelf untested represents a victim ...
Exploring the Value of Biogeographic Ancestry in the Absence of a DNA Database
There are many scenarios encountered in forensic casework in which bone may be the only viable sample type for DNA testing, including fires, terrorist attacks, natural disaste...
Re-identification of the Titanic’s Unknown Child
On April 15, 1912, the Royal Mail Ship Titanic sank after striking an iceberg. Only 712 of the 2209 passengers survived. Within days of the disaster, the Mackay-Bennett wa...
Ancient DNA is a Powerful Tool for Studying the Past – When Archaeologists and Geneticists Work Together
Written by: Elizabeth Sawchuk, Stony Brook University (The State University of New York) and Mary Prendergast, Saint Louis University – Madrid DNA has moved beyon...
The Monster of Durrës
On October 11, 2012, an 18 year-old girl was found murdered and decapitated in the Durrës District of Albania. The victim, Ajshe Vata, was a good and honest girl who had a re...