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!
Serial Killer Randy Kraft Identified as Suspect in 45-Year-Old Oregon Cold Case Murder (NBC News – 5/10/2025)
Notorious California serial killer Randy Kraft has been identified as the suspect in the murder of a man almost 45 years ago, police said Friday.
Larry Eugene Parks, 30, was found dead along Interstate 5 on the morning of July 18, 1980, in Oregon, according to the Oregon State Police. An investigation into his death was opened, but Parks remained a John Doe until just last month, after an investigator from the sheriff’s department in Orange County, California, offered to help identify him using forensic genealogy in 2024.
Kraft, who remains incarcerated at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, was convicted of brutalizing and killing 16 men during a decadelong series of slayings in Orange County, California, that ended with his arrest. The convicted murderer is also suspected of committing over 60 murders across the West Coast and Michigan, police said.
To identify Parks as another potential victim, a genetic profile was created using a sample of his blood, which helped investigators find and contact possible family members. They submitted DNA, leading to his identification. Parks was a Vietnam veteran and had lost contact with his family a year before his death.
Fort Worth Police Crime Lab Clears Rape Kit Backlog Ahead of Schedule (Forensic – 5/12/2025)
The Fort Worth Police Department (FWPD) Crime Laboratory reinforces its commitment to the community by officially clearing the 2024 sexual assault kit backlog.
Within six months, the crime lab successfully eliminated a backlog of 898 sexual assault kits. Those kits were tested, but also required Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) entry. The entire process has been completed.
On Oct. 18, 2024, 190 additional kits were mailed out for testing. Although these kits exceeded the 90-day requirement for CODIS entry while awaiting results, their testing and entry have since been completed, bringing the department to full compliance with all state requirements.
In addition to clearing the backlog, the Crime Lab now has the necessary staff to process all sexual assault kits. It has implemented policy changes that support continued compliance with state and federal requirements and the City of Fort Worth’s standards.
Police Encourage Community to Participate in Genetic Genealogy Efforts (Forensic – 5/12/2025)
The Northern Territory Police Force, in collaboration with the Australian Federal Police National Missing Persons Coordination Centre, are embracing innovative technology to help solve long-standing missing persons cases.
Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG) combines DNA testing with genealogy research to offer fresh hope for cases that have remained unsolved for years, particularly those of unidentified human remains.
The Northern Territory currently have 64 cases of unidentified human remains under investigation with the Cold Case Taskforce. FIGG technology presents a new frontier in forensic science and allows investigators to use genetic data to trace family connections through DNA. The use of genealogy databases is a game-changer, providing families of missing persons a much-needed opportunity to find closure.
FIGG can be particularly effective for cases where traditional investigative methods have not yielded results. The ability to access and cross-reference large, publicly available DNA databases greatly enhances the likelihood of making connections that would otherwise be impossible.
Members of the public who have already submitted their DNA to consumer databases such as Ancestry.com can play a pivotal role in solving cold cases. By downloading your DNA results and uploading them to genealogy databases like GEDmatch or FamilyTreeDNA, you could help solve a case that has left families without answers for years.
Forensic Graphology: The Silent Witness in Cold Case Investigations (Forensic – 5/12/2025)
In cold case investigations, the slow fade of physical evidence can stall justice for decades. Biological traces degrade, fingerprints blur, and traditional forensic leads dry up. Yet one silent witness often remains preserved: handwriting. Unlike DNA or physical samples, the subtle behavioral footprints embedded in handwriting endure, offering investigators a unique gateway into the mind of the unknown. Forensic graphology, when practiced within the scientific frameworks of behavioral forensics, psychology, and neuroscience, becomes an indispensable ally in breathing new life into dormant cases.
IGG Identifies Another Likely Victim of ‘Scorecard Killer’ 45 Years Later (Forensic – 5/14/2025)
Almost 45 years ago, in the early morning hours of July 18, 1980, Oregon State Police responded to a report of a deceased, unidentified male along Interstate 5 near Woodburn, Oregon. A homicide investigation was opened and while extensive efforts were made to identify the victim, he remained a John Doe—until recently.
The Oregon State Police Cold Case Unit, in partnership with Parabon Nanolabs, has now identified John Doe as Vietnam veteran Larry Eugene Parks, who was 30 years old at the time of his death. Given the location of the body and the evidence, Parks is believed to be another victim of serial killer Randy Kraft, also called the Scorecard Killer and the Freeway Killer.
Between 1971 and 1983, Kraft is believed to have killed 67 people. All of his suspected victims were males between the ages of 13 and 30, the majority of whom were in their late teens to mid-twenties. Many of the victims were members of the United States Marines Corps, and most of their bodies were found to have high levels of both alcohol and tranquilizers. They were then bound, tortured, and sexually abused before they were killed, usually by either strangulation, asphyxiation, or bludgeoning.
Despite an incredible amount of evidence indicating many, many more murders, Kraft was ultimately charged and convicted of sixteen homicides, all of which occurred between 1972 and 1983.
Genealogy Identifies Guatemala Native Found in 2008 (Forensic – 5/14/2025)
After nearly two decades, the unidentified remains of a teenager found in 2008 on the Tohono O’odham Nation in southern Arizona have been positively identified as María Eluvia Méndez Morales, born January 19, 1992, in San Marcos, Guatemala. She was just 16 years old at the time of her death.
On June 22, 2008, the body of a Hispanic/Latin American female, estimated to be between 15 and 20 years old, was discovered on the side of the road in Crow Hang Village. The decedent was found with fraudulent Mexican identification papers under the name “Maria Mendez Morales.” At the time, authorities were unable to confirm the name or identity, though the photograph on the ID was believed to be hers.
With no confirmed identity and limited leads, Jane Doe went unidentified. Moxxy Forensic Investigations, in collaboration with the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner, launched a crowdfunding campaign, and a new hope emerged. Nearly 60 contributors from across the country came together to fully fund all costs associated with her case.
Texas Sheriff’s Office Upgrades to M-Vac System (Forensic – 5/14/2025)
Last week, the Bell County (Texas) Commissioners authorized the purchase order for the M-Vac DNA system.
The system is being purchased through the United States Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, fiscal year 2024 Community Funding from the Office of U.S. Representative August Pfluger, 11th Congressional District of Texas.
The M-Vac DNA system collects or extracts DNA from evidence and crime scenes. M-Vac describes its system as follows: “The M -Vac utilizes wet vacuum principles to release and capture cells. Nuclease and DNA -free buffer is sprayed directly onto the surface while vacuum pressure is simultaneously applied around the spray pattern to collect the buffer and suspended particles in a collection bottle.”
The Bell County Sheriff’s Office will host the instrument and will assist other law enforcement agencies. Training on the M-Vac System will be conducted on June 10 and 11.
The M-Vac system will be utilized as the police continue to investigate cold cases to identify new forensic leads, as well as current cases. This is an additional tool for the Sheriff’s Office, as well as local law enforcement, to investigate crimes with the goal of bringing criminals to justice.
French Forensic Experts Lead Training in the Balkins (Forensic – 5/14/2025)
In North Macedonia, the unlawful possession, misuse, and trafficking of small arms and light weapons persists to threaten the safety and security of everyday citizens. Amid this complex landscape, the Forensic Science Department of the Ministry of Interior stands as a critical pillar in the fight against firearms-related crime. Working hand-in-hand with the local crime scene investigation (CSI) units, these forensic experts are not only helping to piece together the puzzles of violent incidents, but also ensuring that justice is served through detailed, science-driven investigations and successful courtroom prosecutions.
To strengthen the role of crime scene technicians in the fight against firearms-related crime, UNDP is developing a state-of-the-art Training and Simulation Facility for Crime Scene Investigation in North Macedonia, that will be located in the Police Training Center in Idrizovo, near Skopje. This initiative, part of the MPTF-funded project supporting the implementation of the SALW Control Roadmap, is designed to enhance the methods for collection, analysis and examination of firearms-related evidence by field technicians. Through investing in the skills of both new recruits and experienced professionals, we aim to ensure more accurate investigations and, ultimately, more reliable and efficient criminal proceedings in cases involving firearms.
International collaboration is essential when introducing advanced, modern solutions aimed at transforming established ways of working. With this vision in mind, the Forensic Science Department and UNDP set out to identify the right partner to help design a new Training and Simulation Facility for Crime Scene Investigation. The search was made possible through the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI), of which North Macedonia is an active member.
Thanks to this network, a collaboration was initiated with the French National Forensic Police Department (SNPS), a globally recognized institution renowned for its expertise in forensic investigations and specialized training. France is one of the key initiators of the SALW Control Roadmap and remains a major donor to the Western Balkans SALW Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF), playing a vital role in supporting tangible improvements in firearm control efforts in North Macedonia.
Orange County Sheriff’s Office Teams With Othram to Identify a 2006 John Doe (DNASolves – 5/15/2025)
In 2006, a man who had gone by the name “Steven A. Mason” for at least 10 years before his death, died of natural causes in his home in Apopka, a northern suburb of Orlando, Florida. He was identified visually by his wife, and his identity was confirmed with fingerprints. However, after he died, it was discovered that he was living under a fake name and his real identity was unknown. He was described as a white man with blue eyes and short graying hair. He was between 45 to 65 years old when he died and his left earlobe was pierced twice and his right ear was not pierced. On his right forearm, he had a tattoo of “Yosemite Sam.” On his left forearm, he had a tattoo of the “Tazmanian Devil” and near his left wrist, he had a tattoo of a heart with an arrow through it. Despite efforts by investigators to determine who he was, his real identity was a mystery and details of the case were entered into NamUs as UP9397.
In 2024, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office teamed with Othram in The Woodlands, Texas to determine if advanced DNA testing could help identify the man. Othram scientists developed a DNA extract from the forensic evidence and used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile that can be used for forensic genetic genealogy analysis. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy (FGG) team used this profile to conduct extensive genetic genealogy research, ultimately providing new investigative leads to law enforcement to identify the man.
Using those leads, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office continued to investigate and were able to locate possible relatives of the unknown man. Investigators then interviewed some of those possible relatives. One person submitted a reference DNA sample which was compared to the unidentified man’s DNA profile using KinSNP® Rapid Relationship Testing. This investigation led to the positive identification of the man as David D’intinosanto, who was born September 12, 1958. He was estranged from family in Massachusetts and New Hampshire and had been known to use fake identities.
