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!
Y-STR Profile Links Ted Bundy to 1974 Murder of Utah Teen (Forensic – 10/28/2026)
Fifty-two years after the body of 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith was discovered by hunters in Utah, DNA evidence has now confirmed she was a victim of prolific serial killer Ted Bundy.
This is the second time this year that investigators have tied Bundy to a murdered Utah teenager—the other being Lisa Ann Aime, who was also murdered in 1974 at 17 years old, just days after Smith.
In fact, police and forensic scientists used insights and evidence from Aime’s now-closed case to make the breakthrough on Smith’s case.
Pennsylvania State Police Receives Award for Statewide Rapid DNA Program (Forensic – 11/02/2026)
The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) has been recognized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) with the August Vollmer Leadership in Forensic Science Award for its innovative statewide Rapid DNA program.
The award recognizes law enforcement agencies that demonstrate proactive and innovative use of forensic technologies to advance criminal investigations and strengthen the collection, analysis, and use of evidence. The award is named for August Vollmer, often referred to as the “Father of American Policing,” who advocated for the use of forensic science and investigative technologies, including fingerprinting and crime laboratories.
PSP’s Rapid DNA program has a network of 15 fully automated genetic analyzers across the Commonwealth, providing law enforcement agencies with the ability to develop investigative DNA leads in hours rather than the weeks traditionally associated with laboratory processing.
Since its inception, the PSP has used Rapid DNA instrumentation to process over 354 samples which developed 190 DNA profiles, leading to 163 matches that have aided PSP investigations. The program was expanded in 2026 to provide municipal law enforcement agencies with access to Rapid DNA capabilities for qualifying, time-sensitive investigations.
The statewide initiative is the largest implementation of Rapid DNA technology to date and creates a distributed forensic resource serving both urban and rural communities. PSP has developed standardized policies, comprehensive training protocols, and centralized oversight to promote consistent operations and maintain scientific and quality-assurance standards across all locations.
Tucson John Doe 2000 is Identified, Police Now Seek Potential Witness (Forensic – 11/02/2026)
On January 21, 2000, a man was found dead in the passenger seat of a burning Chrysler Imperial near East Broadway Boulevard and North Kolb Road in Tucson, Arizona. Authorities suspected homicide and deliberate arson but could not determine the exact cause of death or identify the victim.
In October 2025, the Tucson Police Department (TPD) partnered with GenGenies to determine whether forensic investigative genetic genealogy could identify the victim. With funding from GenGenies’ donors, Resolve Forensics performed DNA testing and produced a usable SNP profile, while Parabon NanoLabs completed the bioinformatics analysis. In March 2026, TPD paid to upload the unknown sample’s profile to GEDmatch. Working pro bono, GenGenies developed and submitted a candidate lead within 24 hours.
“It’s just another example of how public and private partners can work together, combining their resources and funding to solve these cases. What we’re doing works,” said Britta Brewer, Executive Director of GenGenies.
Ramapo IGG Center IDs 1991 Quincy John Doe in 2 Days (Forensic – 11/02/2026)
On March 21, 1991 the body of a young man was found buried in a shallow pit in Quincy, Massachusetts. Examination revealed that the man was a victim of homicide who likely died from blunt force trauma, his remains later concealed at the site in Quincy. With no identifying information on his person and no tips as to his identity, his name remained a mystery for decades.
In June 2026, the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office and Massachusetts State Police partnered with Ramapo College of New Jersey’s Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center in an effort to identify the 1991 Quincy John Doe. The same month, participants in the RCNJ IGG Bootcamp began work to identify a potential candidate.
After less than two days of research, the team determined that Glenn Powers was the most likely candidate for Quincy John Doe. Glenn was born in approximately 1951 and would have been approximately 40 years old at the time of his death. Investigators confirmed the candidate lead in October 2026 by obtaining a reference sample from a sibling of Mr. Powers.
The Fifth Separation: DNA Match Accuracy (Forensic – 11/02/26)
Forensic biology’s reportable outcome is DNA match. The likelihood ratio (LR) match statistic quantifies the association (LR>1) – or non-association (LR<1) – between evidence and reference. The LR summarizes DNA evidence strength in one useful number.
But an LR statistic can sometimes point the wrong way, supporting a match even when a person’s DNA isn’t in the evidence. How often does such match misclassification occur? This error rate is governed by the item’s match discrimination accuracy.
Match accuracy is an inherent property of DNA evidence data and its inferred genotypes. New science illuminates the error rates of incorrect LR scores for DNA match. Let’s illustrate DNA match accuracy in a recent exoneration case.
After 17 Years in Prison, Innocence Project Client is Exonerated (Forensic – 11/02/26)
One week after walking out of Deerfield Correctional Center, John Anthony Holmes stood examining a wall of photographs in a conference room at the University of Virginia School of Law — all photos of men who had been exonerated through the work of the Innocence Project Clinic.
Holmes recognized a few of their faces from the more than 17 years he had spent in two Virginia prisons before the Court of Appeals of Virginia vacated all eight of his convictions for aggravated sexual battery and child abuse, granting his writ of actual innocence Sept. 24.
Mohave County Sheriff’s Office and FBI Leverage Othram’s Identity Inference Platform to Identify a 1992 Homicide Victim (DNASolves – 11/03/26)
On March 11, 1992, the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office was notified that human remains had been discovered in a shallow grave off Interstate 40 near Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The remains were found in a wash near Needles Mountain Road. Responding deputies determined that animals had partially uncovered the remains of an adult man.
Due to the condition of the remains, investigators were unable to determine the man’s cause of death. However, the circumstances surrounding the discovery led investigators to classify his death as a homicide.
Initial efforts to identify the man were unsuccessful. His fingerprints were searched against local and national databases, but no match was found. During the autopsy, X-rays revealed a metal pin extending from the man’s right knee to his ankle. Investigators traced the pin’s brand and serial number through its manufacturer, but the information did not lead to his identity.
Despite continued investigative efforts, the man remained unidentified for more than three decades. Details of the case were entered into NamUs as UP15671.
In March of 2026, as part of a renewed investigation, Othram received a DNA extract developed from forensic evidence in the case. Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to develop a comprehensive single nucleotide polymorphism profile for the unidentified man. The resulting SNP profile was provided to law enforcement.
The FBI conducted a forensic genetic genealogy search using the profile developed by Othram. The search generated new investigative leads and connected the unidentified man to a relative who reported that Willie Blanton Mills had been missing since 1992.
On October 21, 2026, Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit investigators received confirmation from the FBI that the man had been positively identified as Mills, who was born on April 4, 1955. The FBI Latent Print Unit further confirmed his identity through fingerprint analysis. Investigators also learned that Mills had received a metal pin in his right leg following an accident.
Mills was originally from Pennsylvania and was living with relatives in Santa Ana, California, when he disappeared. His cause of death and the circumstances that led to his burial in Mohave County remain unknown.
Coroner Awarded Nearly $1 M to Fund On-site Forensic Science Center (Forensic – 11/04/26)
The Kane County Coroner’s Office (Illinois) has been awarded $963,000 to fund an on-site forensic science center. The initiative, in partnership with the Kane County Sheriff’s Office and the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office, is aimed at generating faster leads in criminal investigations, streamlining the process of obtaining information related to pending court cases, and help determine the cause of death in a timely manner for bereaved families.
“The significance of evidence cannot be overstated in shaping the verdict of a case,” said Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser. “Having a forensic laboratory in Kane County promises enhanced evidence processing capabilities, thereby improving case outcomes.”
Since June, the Kane County Sheriff has operated a small, on-site forensic lab, staffed by two full-time, skilled forensic technicians. The additional federal funding will allow the lab to expand, both in size and capabilities.
“Investing in the Kane County forensic science center is essential,” said Kane County Coroner Rob Russell. “We see it becoming a central hub for forensic investigations, which will expedite case resolutions right here. That’s a vital component in achieving timely justice for victims and their loved ones.”
Police Use DNA Tech to Recreate Face of Cold Case Murder Victim, Seek Help to Identify (Forensic – 11/04/26)
The Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD) is requesting the public’s help to identify a woman whose remains were discovered 50 years ago.
In an effort to solve this historic cold case, the VBPD and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) partnered with Parabon NanoLabs, a Virginia-based DNA technology company specializing in advanced genetic analysis. Through DNA phenotyping—an advanced process that predicts physical appearance and geographic ancestry from DNA evidence—investigators have generated new leads that may finally determine this woman’s identity.
On May 30, 1976, the body of an unidentified woman was discovered in the water near the First Island of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Due to the condition of the remains, immediate identification was impossible. The OCME subsequently ruled the death a homicide, estimating the victim was killed within 48 hours of her discovery. Despite exhaustive investigative efforts over the decades, her identity remains a mystery.
Toronto Police Service Leverages Othram’s Identity Inference Pipeline to Identify a 1995 Sexual Assault Suspect (DNASolves – 11/04/26)
On April 14, 1995, a 16-year-old girl was walking home through the grounds of Amesbury Middle School in Toronto, Ontario, when she noticed a man following her. As she crossed the school field, the man ran toward her and ordered her to accompany him.
The man threatened the girl with an object that appeared to be a firearm and sexually assaulted her. After the attack, the girl fled to her home and told her mother what had happened. Police were contacted, and the girl later returned to the school grounds to show investigators where the assault occurred. She was taken to Women’s College Hospital, where a sexual assault examination was performed. Investigators also collected and preserved clothing that she had been wearing.
Despite investigative efforts, the person responsible for the assault could not be identified, and the case remained unsolved for nearly three decades.
In July 2023, Othram received a DNA extract developed from forensic evidence in the case. Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive single nucleotide polymorphism profile for the unknown suspect. The resulting SNP profile was provided to the Toronto Police Service.
The Toronto Police Service conducted a forensic genetic genealogy search using the profile developed by Othram. This search generated new investigative leads, and in November of 2023, investigators identified Leslie Richard King as a person of interest.
On December 6, 2023, investigators recovered a cup King had discarded in a public garbage receptacle. Swabs collected from the cup’s lid were submitted to Ontario’s Centre of Forensic Sciences for DNA testing. The analysis determined that King could not be excluded as the source of the male DNA recovered from evidence in the 1995 assault.
King was arrested on February 8, 2024. Investigators subsequently obtained a warrant for a direct DNA sample from him. The Centre for Forensic Sciences compared that sample with the male DNA profile developed from the victim’s sweater and again determined that King could not be excluded as its source.
On October 29, 2026, King was found guilty of sexual assault. King, who was 25 years old at the time of the attack, had been charged with sexual assault with a weapon. He was found guilty of the lesser included offence of sexual assault after the court determined that the evidence did not establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the object used during the attack was a firearm. King remains on bail and is expected to return to court for sentencing at a later date.