No one has hours to scour the papers to keep up with the latest news, so we’ve curated the top news stories in the field of Forensic Science for this week. Here’s what you need to know to get out the door!
Forensic Science Expert John M. Collins Announces Pre-Orders for New Book (Norfolk Daily News – 4/24/2026)
John M. Collins, leadership coach and nationally recognized expert in forensic laboratory administration, today announced that his forthcoming book, “Valid Comparisons: The Forensic and Judicial Examination of Stochastic Patterns,” is now available for pre-order and will be officially released on June 9, 2026. The book can be found at www.validcomparisons.com.
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement Team Leverage Othram’s Technology to Identify a 1988 John Doe (DNASolves – 4/24/2026)
On May 4, 1988, human remains were found off County Road 905 in north Key Largo, Florida. The man had been wrapped in three sheets and covered with trash. The man’s remains were partially skeletonized. The man could not be identified and details of the case were entered into NamUs as UP6212. His identity was a mystery for nearly four decades.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) working with local law enforcement worked to submit forensic evidence to Othram in hopes that the man could be identified using identity inference, a process that enables investigators to identify individuals from DNA evidence, even when there is no known reference sample to initially compare against.
In May 2025, forensic evidence arrived at Othram’s laboratory headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas. At Othram, scientists successfully extracted DNA from the provided evidence which was used in Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive SNP profile for the man. This SNP profile powered a forensic search led by FDLE’s forensic genetic genealogy team.
A follow-up investigation led investigators to identify the John Doe as Alfonso James Spikes of Miami. Investigators believe that Spikes was last seen in April 1988 in Miami after leaving his residence to meet an unknown individual. The circumstances surrounding how Spikes ultimately ended up in Monroe County are not known.
Michigan State Police Teams with Othram to Identify the Suspect in the 2003 Murder & Assault of Jeanette Wilton (DNASolves – 4/24/2026)
In February of 2003, 57-year-old Jeanette Wilton, a resident of Saginaw, Michigan, was brutally murdered. On February 22, Wilton was found dead in the Flint River near her home. An autopsy concluded Wilton died of strangulation and multiple stab wounds to the neck. Wilton also sustained blunt force trauma to the head and face, contusions, and postmortem abrasions.
The Michigan State Police (MSP) Third District Cold Case Team reopened the case in 2021, nearly 20 years after Wilton’s death. MSP investigators worked to submit forensic evidence to Othram in hopes that Wilton’s killer could be identified using identity inference, a process that enables investigators to identify individuals from DNA evidence, even when there is no known reference sample to initially compare against.
In June of 2022, forensic evidence arrived at Othram’s laboratory headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas. At Othram, scientists successfully extracted DNA from the provided evidence which was used in Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive SNP profile for the unknown suspect. This SNP profile powered a forensic search led by Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team.
A follow-up investigation led investigators to identify the suspect as 48-year-old Saginaw resident, Jason Robert Cabello. Cabello had previously been in a relationship with a relative of Wilton, but was not otherwise known to be associated with her.
Cabello was arrested in late 2024, and on April 20, 2026 he pleaded no contest to one count of Second-Degree Murder and one count of First-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct. He will be sentenced on June 1, 2026.
DNA Ties Deceased Suspect to 2 Cold Case Rapes, Murder (Forensic – 4/27/2026)
A now-deceased suspect has been linked to two cold case rapes and a homicide over a period of two years in the 1990s. Although justice was delayed in this case, Plymouth (Mass.) County District Attorney Tim Cruz stressed the importance of providing answers to victims’ families whenever possible.
“It is what it is. That [suspect] is dead—there’s nothing we can do about that. But what we can do is bring answers to the family, some closure. The fact that someone may be deceased does not mean we should stop,” said Cruz.
After Genealogy Identification, Police Seek Public’s Assistance (Forensic – 4/27/2026)
The New Jersey State Police are seeking the public’s assistance with a cold case homicide investigation from 1979.
On June 2, 1979, the body of an unidentified white male was discovered in a shallow grave off a dirt road in a wooded area near Jericho Road in Quinton Township, Salem County. The victim suffered a gunshot wound to the head, and the estimated time of death was during the winter of 1978/1979.
The victim was found dressed in white painter’s pants, black Pro‑Keds sneakers, and a plaid cotton shirt. He was also wearing a heavy black‑and‑white pullover sweater and a dark blue, waist‑length Lee wool jacket. The jacket featured a gold‑plated initial “R” on the right pocket flap and a small gold‑plated cross on the left pocket flap.
In March 2023, the NJSP Cold Case Unit reopened the investigation and employed investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) in partnership with the Ramapo College of New Jersey Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center. Through this collaborative work, the victim was identified as Robert Dean Irelan, who had most recently lived in Pleasantville, New Jersey, and was known to have spent time in Atlantic City.
DNA, Facial Recognition Track Down Suspect in 1991 Kidnapping, Murder (Forensic – 4/29/2026)
Advanced DNA testing—funded by the community—and facial recognition technology have combined to identify a suspect in the 1991 kidnapping and murder of a mother of two. After years of searching, James Lawhead Jr., was finally arrested on Friday, April 24, 2026 for the kidnapping and murder of Cindy Wanner.
On Nov. 25, 1991, Wanner was feeding her 11-month-old baby at her sister’s home in the quaint neighborhood of Granite Bay, California, when she suddenly vanished. The baby was found crying in the highchair hours later, while Wanner’s shoes, coat and car were all left behind. Her disappearance in broad daylight sparked a massive investigation and shook the normally safe community.
Three weeks later, Wanner was found strangled to death in a remote area approximately 40 miles from where she was kidnapped. Pathologists believe she was kept alive for some time after she was kidnapped. There was no attempt to hide the body in the wooded area.
Investigators took samples from the body and collected numerous evidence, but no hits or leads were uncovered in the immediate aftermath of the crime.
Forensic Canines Examine Ancestral Burial Sites (Forensic – 4/29/2026)
Two forensic canines recently led Fort Drum archaeologists on a trail of centuries-old scents during a first-of-its-kind initiative for the Cultural Resources Program.
Ronda Bowser and Colette Falco, from the Institute for Canine Forensics, and their historical human remains detection (HHRD) dogs, Badger and Kaze, assisted the Cultural Resources team in examining ancestral burial sites on post, April 20-24.
Their work resulted in positive alerts at all but one site. Notable locations included an area in Range 14 where ground-penetrating radar had previously suggested a community cemetery, and a suspected burial site dating back roughly 2,000 years.
The Cultural Resources Section had made those areas off-limits years ago, and this new testing helped validate their previous archaeological surveys. Dr. Laurie Rush, Fort Drum Cultural Resources program manager, said the weeklong testing provided the highest level of certainty possible without shovel testing.
J. Craig Venter, Scientist Who Decoded the Human Genome, Dies at 79 (New York Times – 4/30/2026)
J. Craig Venter, a scientist and entrepreneur who raced to decode the human genome, died on Wednesday in San Diego. He was 79.
His death was announced by the J. Craig Venter Institute, a nonprofit research organization founded by Dr. Venter and based in San Diego and Rockville, Md. The institute said in a statement that Dr. Venter had been hospitalized recently for side effects from cancer treatment.
In the 1990s, Dr. Venter, a risk taker and intense competitor, made a bold move when he decided that the Human Genome Project, a $3 billion government program for decoding the human genome, was moving slowly enough that he could enter the race late and beat it with a much faster method.
His gamble paid off. In 2000, his company, Celera, made a joint announcement with a rival group saying that they had assembled the first human genomes, a landmark step toward uncovering the genetic basis of human disease and origins.