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!
Michigan State Police Teams with Othram to Identify a 1986 Sexual Assault Suspect (DNASolves – 8/01/2025)
In August 1986, a woman on a bike trip was abducted after using a public restroom at the boat launch at the Big Fishdam River near Nahma, Michigan. The woman was traveling on a 366-mile journey from her home in Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. After using the restroom, a man confronted her and forced the woman into his car at gunpoint. He drove her around in his car, repeatedly sexually assaulting her.
After she was released, the woman reported the crime to local enforcement who began to investigate. That investigation included performing a sexual assault exam, resulting in the collection of male DNA. Several possible suspects were eliminated from consideration after they provided reference DNA samples. Despite an exhaustive investigation, no suspect was identified and the case went cold.
In 2024, the Michigan State Police submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas to determine if advanced DNA testing could help identify the suspect. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the provided evidence and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the suspect. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the profile in a genetic genealogy search to develop new investigative leads that were returned to law enforcement.
Using these leads, a follow-up investigation was conducted leading investigators to a potential suspect. At the time of the crime, this person had been a resident of Harris, Michigan, which is an approximately 45-minute drive from the crime scene. The suspect had subsequently moved to Wisconsin shortly after the incident. Earlier this year, a Michigan judge and a Wisconsin judge each signed search warrants for law enforcement to obtain a reference DNA sample from the potential suspect. This reference sample was a match confirming the identification of the man whose DNA was recovered from crime scene evidence.
When the man provided a DNA sample for comparison testing, he was interviewed by investigators and was subsequently charged with Kidnapping and First Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct by the Delta County Prosecutors Office. Investigators planned to travel to Wisconsin to arrest him on Juy 29, 2025. However, he died two days before law enforcement arrived. He was 78. The female victim waited 39 years for an answer and was notified that her attacker is now identified. The Forest County Sheriff’s Office in Wisconsin is investigating the man’s death. This case is believed to be the oldest sexual assault case in Michigan to be solved utilizing forensic investigative genetic genealogy.
A Camera Built for Forensics Aims to Make Exams for Sexual Assault Survivors Easier (NPR – 8/01/2025)
When survivors of sexual assault arrive at a hospital, medical personnel provide care, and typically conduct a forensic exam using what is commonly called a rape kit in order to preserve evidence. The technology used can vary. In Ohio, some advocates hope a new type of camera will help survivors. The Ohio Newsroom’s Kendall Crawford reports.
DNA Casts Doubt Over Theory on What Killed Napoleon’s Forces (Science Alert – 8/05/2025)
When Napoleon and his legion of multinational soldiers retreated from Russia in 1812 in the face of dwindling supplies and fierce Russian resistance, little did they know how much worse was yet to come.
While withdrawing from Russia, at least half of the 600,000-strong force were ravaged by the extremes of winter, starvation, and disease. A new study that has yet to be peer reviewed has now identified which pathogens helped decimate the weakened forces.
Physicians at the time documented typhus, with symptoms that include fevers, headaches, and rashes. But Paris Cité University microbiologist Rémi Barbieri and colleagues found no traces of the bacterium Rickettsia prowazekii, which would have been responsible for the disease.
A 4-Year-Old Boy Killed in 1972 Finally has Been Identified. But What Happened to His Baby Brother is Still a Mystery. (ABC News – 8/05/2025)
A 4-year-old boy who was killed more than 50 years ago has finally been identified thanks to genetic genealogy — but mysteries surrounding his murder, and what happened to his baby brother, remain.
On June 13, 1972, the little boy’s body was found under a bridge in Lorton, Virginia, according to Fairfax County police. He died from blunt force trauma and the case was ruled a homicide, police said.
For over 50 years, police worked to find his name and what caused his tragic murder.
Now, he’s been identified as Carl Matthew Bryant, who died weeks after his 4th birthday, Fairfax County police announced on Monday.
M-Vac to be Used on Evidence from West Memphis Three Murders (Forensic – 8/06/2025)
A court order issued Friday begins a new chapter in the infamous West Memphis Three murders—this one marked by the major advancements in DNA analysis the forensic industry has seen since the murders took place in 1993.
The order, from Crittenden County (Arkansas) court, allows DNA testing of evidence from the original crime scene. The order specifically calls for the use of the M-Vac system.
The M-Vac utilizes wet vacuum principles to release and capture cells. It aggressively sprays a sterile solution onto a surface and simultaneously applies vacuum pressure to collect the solution and whatever DNA material is present on the surface. The solution and DNA material are then run through a filter or a microcentrifuge.
Crimes Against Animals Rising, This Forensic Vet Seeks Justice (Forensic – 8/06/2025)
Dogs in cardiac arrest. Cats with collapsed lungs. The chaos of the emergency room shaped Dr. Shane Bateman’s early veterinary medicine career. Then, the University of Guelph professor realized that not all stories could be taken at face value.
He remembers the conference clearly. Veterinarian Dr. Melinda Merck was speaking on animal victims of abuse and neglect, and how they rarely see justice in the current system. Too few veterinarians, she explained, are trained to recognize, document and provide support in investigations and prosecutions.
“We’re very behind,” Bateman recalls Merck saying. “I realized she was right.”
That conference on “The Violence Link” — the well-established connection between animal abuse and human violence — radically changed Bateman’s perspective.
Trace Evidence Covered in Proposed Standard (Forensic – 8/06/2025)
A new standard being developed by ASTM International’s forensic sciences committee (E30) aims to provide comprehensive guidance for the collection and preservation of trace evidence in laboratory settings.
The proposed standard (WK89493) is being developed by the committee’s trace subcommittee (E30.15). It offers best practices for forensic science practitioners (FSPs) to detect, collect, and store trace evidence while minimizing contamination, loss, or damage.
“The proposed standard will provide guidance to FSPs on how to detect, collect, and preserve trace evidence in the laboratory,” says ASTM member Katherine Igowsky, president and forensic expert at Trace and Impression Forensic Services. “It will help protect the integrity of the evidence by outlining techniques that minimize contamination, prevent loss or damage, and ensure proper storage.”
The forensic sciences committee, established in 1970, currently includes 333 members and has jurisdiction over 75 published standards, available in Volume 14.02 of the Annual Book of ASTM Standards. The committee is organized into five technical subcommittees, each responsible for standards development in specific areas of forensic science.
ASTM welcomes participation in the development of its standards. Become a member at www.astm.org/JOIN.
Three More 9/11 Victims Identified through DNA Analysis (PIX11 – 8/07/2025)
Nearly 24 years later, three more victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center have been identified, including a Long Island man, city officials announced Thursday.
New York City Chief Medical Examiner and Mayor Eric Adams announced the 1,651st, 1,652nd, and 1,653rd persons to be identified through DNA analysis of remains recovered from the attack that claimed 2,753 lives. Ryan Fitzgerald of Floral Park, Barbara Keating of Palm Springs, California, and an adult woman whose name was withheld at the family’s request were the three to be positively identified. Fitzgerald was identified through remains recovered in 2002, and Keating through remains found in 2001.