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!
What a Career in Forensics Looks Like While Solving Crime in the Outback (ABC.net – 6/11/2026)
The ancient wilderness of Scotland couldn’t be further from the harsh Australian outback.
But western Queensland is now home for Scot Kim Lawrence, a forensics officer working across a beat larger than her home country.
Travelling to remote towns on lonely highways, she navigates the challenges and unravels the mysteries of life in the outback.
‘Carla Walker Act’ to Help Solve Cold Cases Passes Senate (VermontBiz – 6/12/2026)
The Senators’ Carla Walker Act would create a pilot program to make this cutting-edge FGG DNA analysis more widely available to investigative agencies to:
Aid in resolving previously unsolvable cold cases;
Assist in the identification of criminals;
Seek justice for previously unidentified victims;
Help exonerate wrongly accused suspects; and
Bring closure for the victims’ loved ones.
Idaho Murder Victim’s Family Launches Foundation to Solve Cold Cases (USAToday – 6/13/2026)
Steve and Kristi Goncalves created the Kaylee Goncalves Foundation, also known as “Murder Has a Name,” to fund advanced DNA testing and investigative genetic genealogy for cold cases, turning their grief over their daughter’s 2022 murder into a mission to help other families find answers.
Key points:
Kaylee Goncalves, 21, was one of four University of Idaho students killed on Nov. 13, 2022.
Investigators used investigative genetic genealogy to identify Bryan Kohberger as a suspect in the Idaho murders.
Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to the murders and received four consecutive life sentences.
The Kaylee Goncalves Foundation aims to expand access to advanced forensic DNA technology and IGG for underfunded law‑enforcement agencies.
The nonprofit will partner with law‑enforcement agencies and specialized DNA laboratories, allowing agencies to apply for funding to cover testing costs.
Chisago County Sheriff’s Office & Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Team with Othram to Identify the Suspect in 2010 and 2017 Sexual Assaults (DNASolves – 6/13/2026)
In May 2010, a woman was attacked and sexually assaulted by an unknown man while walking on 315 Street in Stacy, Minnesota. The woman was able to escape her attacker and go to a nearby residence where a family member reported the incident to police. Seven years later in July 2017, police were dispatched to a residence in the area of the intersection of Broadway and Third Avenue North in the city of Lindstrom, in Chisago County, Minnesota. A woman reported that she had been attacked and assaulted by an unknown man while walking home from an event in the early morning hours. At the time of each attack, forensic evidence belonging to the assailant was collected and a DNA profile was obtained from the evidence. STR testing was performed and government databases were searched, but there was no match to a known individual in either case.
In 2023, working with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Chisago County Sheriff’s Office submitted forensic evidence to Othram for analysis. Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown male suspect. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the profile in a genealogical search to produce investigative leads. These investigative leads were returned to law enforcement, who continued the search for the suspect’s identity.
With these new leads in-hand, investigators were able to identify a person of interest, Donald Edmond Warner, born March 03, 1979. Warner lived in the city of Stacy in 2010 on 314 Street, near where the first attack occurred. Detectives continuing their investigation began surveillance of Warner and observed him exiting his truck and discarding a cigarette butt in a dumpster. After Warner left the area, law enforcement entered the dumpster and retrieved the discarded cigarette butt, which was provided to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for DNA testing. The additional DNA testing confirmed that the DNA profile from the cigarette butt matched the DNA profile previously obtained from the forensic evidence collected at each of the attacks that occurred in 2010 and 2017.
Donald Edmond Warner was arrested and booked into the Chisago Jail on felony charges of Criminal Sexual Assault on December 15, 2023. In April 2025, he escaped from the Chisago County Jail while working his custodial duties. Law enforcement found him nearly two hours later in a trash can in a park. In May 2025, he pleaded guilty to each of his charges and asked to be sentenced by a judge.
On October 6, 2025, Warner was sentenced to a 288-month sentence on the first-degree criminal sexual conduct charge from 2010 which constitutes a double upward departure from the State’s Sentencing Guidelines. In addition, the court sentenced Warner to 90 months and 180 months on the two attempted first degree criminal sexual conduct matters, respectively, which will run concurrently with the 288-month prison term. The sentence also includes lifetime conditional release/supervision and predatory offender registration. An appeal made by Warner was dismissed in June of 2026.
Upcoming Workshops Will Provide Training in Use of STRmix™ PG Software (STRmix – 6/17/26)
As the use of STRmix™ forensic software continues to grow, the need for comprehensive training in its use is stronger than ever. To address this need, three upcoming workshops will offer participants the opportunity to receive full training in the use of the groundbreaking software, which is capable of resolving mixed DNA profiles previously considered too complex to interpret.
The STRmix team will present a virtual STRmix™ user training workshop on July 20-23, followed by two regional in-person sessions on August 24-27 in Richmond, CA and on October 19-22 in Hamilton, NJ.
Each STRmix™ user training workshop will cover likelihood ratios and sampling uncertainty, an introduction to STRmix™ software, and a detailed description of the biological models and mathematics on which STRmix™ is based.
Ample “hands on” sessions are included in each workshop, allowing participants to use and familiarize themselves with STRmix™ under the guidance of the instructors.
Pima County Medical Examiner’s Office Teams with Othram to Identify a 1976 John Doe (DNASolves – 6/17/26)
On February 12, 1976, the skeletal remains of an unidentified individual were found on a ridge in the Baboquivari Mountains of Pima County, Arizona, approximately four miles south of Kitt Peak, near Tucson. Pima County officials responded and began collecting evidence and investigating. They determined the remains likely belonged to a young white male who was between 18 and 24 years old.
Partial skeletal remains along with clothing and personal effects, including blue denim jeans, a blue and red shirt, Dunham brand boots size 8, a green aluminum-framed Camp Trails backpack, a hatchet and scabbard, and an orange plastic tarp, were found. No identification was available and because of the condition of the remains, there was no way to identify the man.
Despite a lengthy investigation, the man could not be identified and became known as Kitt Peak John Doe (1976). Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP17676.
In September 2024, the Pima County Medical Examiner’s Office submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas to determine if advanced DNA testing could help identify Kitt Peak John Doe. 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 man. 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 this new information, a follow-up investigation was conducted leading investigators to potential relatives of the man. This investigation led to the man’s positive identification as David Michael Resnik, born December 25, 1947. David Resnik, an Army Medic who served in the Vietnam War, would have been 28 years old at the time that his remains were discovered. Resnik lived in Tucson prior to his disappearance. Resnik’s identification brings long-awaited answers for his family and friends.
Yavapai County Medical Examiner and Sheriff’s Office Teams with Othram to Identify a 1983 John Doe (DNASolves – 6/18/26)
On August 16, 1983, workers conducting trenching along the southwest side of a building in Prescott, Yavapai County, Arizona unearthed a human cranium, a collection of non-human bones, and a time capsule. The co-occurrence of the time capsule and the fragmentary skeletal material prompted investigators to characterize the burial as “possibly historic in nature.” Investigators determined that the remains likely belonged to a White male, estimated to be 30 to 40 years old at the time of his death.
Despite extensive investigative efforts, the man could not be identified and details of the case were entered into NamUs as UP10465.
In 2025, the Yavapai County Medical Examiner and Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office submitted skeletal remains to Othram’s laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas. At Othram, scientists worked to extract DNA from the provided evidence, and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile suitable for forensic genetic genealogical research. Othram’s forensic genetic genealogy team worked to develop new leads in the case, which reinvigorated the decades-old case.
The investigation allowed investigators to identify the John Doe as Edwin “Edd” Mowrey. According to his family, Mowrey disappeared in the early 1970s after returning from Vietnam. At the time of his disappearance, he lived in Yavapai County, Arizona.
A DNASolves crowdfunding campaign was launched to cover Othram’s casework costs; we are grateful to those who donated. The remaining funds were provided by NamUs, a national program that assists the criminal justice community with the investigation and resolution of missing, unidentified, and unclaimed persons cases across the United States and its territories. NamUs is funded and administered by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and is managed through a contract with Research Triangle Institute International (RTI).
No Longer Unknown: Advanced DNA and Genealogy Used to Identify Teenaged Revolutionary War Hero (FHD Forensics – 6/18/26)
His name was John Pumphrey.
At a small gathering of his relatives in Baltimore today, in the shadow of his boyhood home, FHD Forensics revealed the story of a young fallen Revolutionary War soldier. More than 240 years after the Maryland teen died on a bloody South Carolina battlefield, a tiny piece of his skull was used to extract his DNA and uncover his identity.
“It is actually beyond my comprehension that such a thing could be done,” exclaimed Steven D. Smith, principal investigator with the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology (SCIAA). “To the relatives: here is your cousin and uncle, after 246 years, home from the war.”
“We were aware that unmarked graves were present on the site,” added James B. Legg.“but we had no notion that there was any prospect of identifying anyone.” Along with Smith, project archaeologist Legg has been involved with the preservation and interpretation of the Camden Battlefield for almost three decades. “The DNA combined with a remarkably sophisticated genealogical process has now given us Private John Pumphrey,” he said.
After uploading his genetic profile to databases that allow this kind of matching, the FHD team quickly identified his ancestors – all from prominent founding families of Anne Arundel County. Genealogists asked themselves why a young boy from a prosperous family would have chosen to go to war. Eventually a picture emerged: Army pay, new clothes, and meals would have been life changing for an orphaned middle son.
According to biological anthropologists, Drs. Madeline Atwell and William Stevens of the Richland County Coroner’s office, John Pumphrey was just 13 to 15 years old when he enlisted in Maryland’s 7th Regiment in Baltimore in 1777. He would have been one of the youngest members of George Washington’s revered “Old Line.”
“Our success at uncovering the story of this young American hero couldn’t have come at a better time as we’re celebrating our 250th anniversary as a country,” said genetic genealogist Allison Peacock, president of FHD Forensics. “It’s the ultimate gift to every American to get to know this boy who literally gave his life for the concept of freedom from tyranny.”
Pumphrey’s remains were unearthed in 2022, along with those of 13 others when SCIAA archaeologists from the University of South Carolina rescued shallow battlefield burials from erosion and relic hunting. After a lavish military funeral, they were reburied in 2024.
Astrea Forensics in Santa Cruz, California extracted and sequenced the DNA that empowered FHD’s analysis. Three different types of DNA matching were required to make the identification that many believed impossible.
“There are so many interesting chapters of history that can now be known more fully. Especially in the fog of war, where the sacrifices that were made couldn’t always be documented,” said Richard E. Green, PhD, Astrea’s co-founder describing the advances in ancient DNA technology that made telling John Pumphrey’s story possible.
“When we started this journey in 2023, we had no idea if it would even be possible to identify someone whose living genetic relatives would be so many generations distant,” explained FHD senior genetic genealogist Valerie Kemp. Kemp uncovered the critical X Chromosome connections to John Pumphrey’s mother that made the whole picture come together.
Like many worthwhile public endeavors, Peacock says it truly took a village to pull off the groundbreaking case, thought to be one of the oldest John Doe genetic genealogy identifications ever.
“It’s incredibly expensive work and it was the ultimate group effort to make the dream we were chasing a reality,” she remarked. “And at times everyone on the team worked pro bono. We don’t give up on identification cases.”
SCIAA’s lengthy dedication to the Camden Battlefield laid the groundwork for the endeavor. They also helped fund the genetic profiles. Additional sponsorship came from the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust (SCBPT), Historic Camden Foundation, Genealogy For Justice™, and the DNA project’s participants and fans.
While relatives frequently contribute DNA or cooperate with investigators, Peacock verified that John Pumphrey’s relatives helping to finance the final expenses for his identification was truly unique in unidentified remains cases.
The investigation also received generous support from FamilyTreeDNA, who facilitated a research upload of Pumphrey’s data to their database of users who had opted in to this kind of comparison. “FTDNA’s unique YDNA services were crucial to our success at confirming this soldier’s surname,” assured Cyndi Despault, FHD’s operations manager, who was in charge of reference DNA testing.
As SCBPT’s executive director, Rick Wise told the relatives in attendance, “We are proud that identifying this soldier allows you, his family, to know the fate of their relative and that his sacrifice is being honored by a grateful nation.”
Wise also pointed out that Private Pumphrey represents about 400 others – including over 330 Continentals – who fell on the Camden Battlefield that day making it a hallowed ground filled with shallow, unmarked graves.
John Pumphrey now rests in Camden’s historical Quaker Cemetery not far from the battlefield. Peacock thinks John’s Quaker grandfather, Ebenezer Pumphrey would have surely approved of his grandson’s final resting place.
In a full circle development, just a few yards away in the very same burial ground with John Pumphrey, lies another very special man. That man’s YDNA, passed down to his own son, helped to confirm our hero’s identity.
In a stunning twist of fate, this man’s paternal ancestor was the family villain whose actions surely led to John Pumphrey dying in battle at such a young age. To understand that bombshell requires reading the biography that Peacock published on her Family History Detectives® blog.
“We are proud to have supported this research, and honored that he is now laid to rest in Camden where his story can continue to educate and inspire future generations,” stated Austin Sheheen, Chairman of the Historic Camden Foundation Board of Trustees.
FHD Forensics joins with the entire cohort of collaborators on this project to thank the Secretary of the Army and the Executive Director of the Office of Army Cemeteries and Army National Military Cemeteries, Ms. Karen Durham-Aguilera, for expert advice and stewardship of this project honoring America’s first veterans.
Inglewood Police Department & FBI Team with Othram to Identify a 1991 Homicide Victim (DNASolves – 6/18/26)
On February 19, 1991, the remains of an unidentified individual were discovered in Inglewood, California. At approximately 6:30 a.m., the man was found lying inside a trash dumpster in an alley behind an apartment complex. The decedent was a White male estimated to be between 55 and 75 years old, approximately 6 feet tall and 155 pounds.
The man had no identification or personal belongings with him, and although investigators noted several distinguishing physical features, there was no way to identify him at the time. Authorities determined that he died of multiple blunt injuries to the head and his manner of death was ruled as a homicide.
Despite investigative efforts, the man could not be identified and became known as Inglewood John Doe. Years after the man’s remains were found, an STR profile was developed and entered into CODIS, but there was no match to a known person. Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP3866.
In September 2024, the Inglewood Police Department submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas. At 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 John Doe. Upon development of the profile, the FBI’s forensic genetic genealogy team conducted a genetic genealogy search to develop new investigative leads about the man’s identity.
Law enforcement then conducted a follow-up investigation which lead to potential relatives of the man. This investigation led to the positive identification of the man, who is now known to be Elmer Holmgren. Elmer Holmgren was a lawyer when he vanished more than thirty years ago after moving from Florida to Las Vegas to worked for Sante and Kenneth Kimes, Sr.
Sante and her son became known as “Mommy and Clyde” due to their connection to crimes that spanned the country, including murders committed in Los Angeles and New York City. Investigators traveled to Houston, Texas to notify Holmgren’s son of his identification. The investigation into Holmgren’s homicide remains open.