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!
Shasta County Coroner’s Office Teams with Othram to Identify a 2013 Jane Doe (DNASolves – 10/03/2025)
In March 2013, the skeletal remains of an unknown individual were found in Redding, California. Partial skeletal remains were found among blackberry bushes near the Anderson-Cottonwood Irrigation District Canal by a crew of brush cutting workers. Law enforcement, including the Redding Police Department and the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office, responded to the scene and launched a days-long search to investigate the area, but did not find any information that could identify the person.
After a thorough investigation, the Shasta County Coroner’s Office determined that the skeletal remains belonged to a woman who was likely 4’10” to 5’4″ tall and between the ages of 35 and 70 years old. Investigators could not determine when the woman died or how long the remains had been there, but estimated the remains had been hidden by the thick brush for several years. News reports at the time noted that the area was not a homeless encampment, but was frequented by transients and the remains of two other people had been found in the same area during the same time frame.
Despite a lengthy investigation, the woman remained unidentified for more than a dozen years. Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP125610.
The Shasta County Coroner’s Office partnered with Othram to apply advanced forensic DNA testing in the case. 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 woman. 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 woman. Reference DNA samples were collected from a potential relative compared to the DNA profile of the unidentified woman. This investigation led to the positive identification of the woman, who is now known to be Velma Louise Silva Lee, of Napa, California.
Velma Lee was born in 1936 and, according to her family, had not been heard from for many years. A private investigator searched for Velma Lee. In 2003-2004, after unable to find proof of life, Velma Lee was declared legally deceased. Lee’s family has been officially notified of her identification, and can finally provide a proper burial for Velma.
6 of 24 Bodies Identified in Mortuary Scandal Involving County Coroner (Forensic – 10/06/2025)
Two years after Colorado law enforcement and justice was hit with a forensic misconduct scandal, a mortuary business owned by Pueblo County (Colorado) Coroner Brian Cotter is now under criminal investigation.
On August 25, while conducting a routine inspection, Colorado regulatory inspectors discovered over 20 dead bodies in various states of decay hidden inside the Davis Mortuary funeral home owned by elected Pueblo County Coroner Brain Cotter and his brother Chris Cotter.
The next day, a confirmed total of 24 bodies—along with multiple containers of bones and probable human tissue representing an unknown number of deceased individuals—were respectfully transferred to the El Paso County Coroner’s Office for attempted identification. Given the state of the remains, investigators believe some of the bodies are at least 15 years old.
Late last week, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) held a press conference to confirm that 6 of the 24 recovered bodies have been positively identified. Investigators used dental X-rays, fingerprints and DNA. The remains identified so far are from the years 2010 to 2012—bodies that were allegedly never cremated as promised.
The CBI set up a questionnaire in the immediate aftermath to assist with the investigative process for families who sought services at Davis Mortuary. As of Oct. 1, the CBI has received 1,359 phone or email tips and has 655 responses to the form.
Investigators Locate Missing Daughters of Cold Case Homicide Victim (Forensic – 10/06/2025)
On Dec. 12, 1989, a female victim was found on Old Temple Bar Road off White Hills Road in Mohave County, approximately 50 miles south of Las Vegas. The victim had been stabbed multiple times and left nude in the desert. It appeared she had been killed at the scene where she was found. All attempts to identify the victim or suspects involved in her homicide proved unsuccessful at that time, however detectives were able to obtain a DNA profile from the victim which was entered into CODIS.
In February 2022, the victim’s fingerprints were retrieved from the investigative case file by our Special Investigations Unit (SIU) and submitted to NamUs (National Missing and Unidentified Persons System) for examination by the FBI. On February 23, 2022, SIU was notified that the prints were a match for Maria Ortiz out of Bakersfield, California. The prints were obtained from an arrest for shoplifting. Investigative follow up revealed that Ortiz had been arrested on June 15, 1989 by the Kern County Sheriff’s Office. A records check with the Kern County Sheriff’s Office and the Bakersfield Police Department showed that Ortiz had listed a residential address in Bakersfield along with the name of two friends.
Attempts were made to locate the friends, one of which was located residing in Tennessee. Telephone contact was made, and the question was posed to her if she knew anyone by the name of Maria Ortiz, missing since 1989. She said she did not but stated that her cousin, Marina Ramos, had been missing since 1989. A physical description of Ramos matched the physical description of the Jane Doe victim. It was later learned that Maria Ortiz was an alias used by Marina Ramos. Investigators were also notified that at the time she was last seen, Ramos was in possession of her two young daughters, Jasmin (2 months) and Elizabeth (14 months).
Since 2023, SIU has put out press releases, social media posts, and utilized broadcast television to obtain information on the homicide investigation and to find out what happened to the two daughters. Family members of Ramos provided DNA buccal swabs for entry into CODIS and completed commercial DNA kits in an attempt to locate the girls.
On Aug. 27, 2025, investigators located a woman with a high DNA match to a Ramos family contributor. Analysis by a forensic genetic genealogist revealed a high probability that the woman was one of the missing girls. She was contacted by Investigators and during the phone conversation it was learned that she and her sister were abandoned in a park in Oxnard, California in December 1989. A call to her sister confirmed the information provided to investigators. The sister was able to provide Investigators with newspaper articles and photos of the incident.
DNA buccal swab samples were obtained from the sisters and sent to the lab for analysis and comparison with the DNA provided by the Ramos family. The results confirmed the two women to be Elizabeth and Jasmin Ramos, daughters of homicide victim Marina Ramos.
Investigators conducted follow-up with the Oxnard Police Department and were provided with a copy of the original Child Abandonment Crime Report. The report revealed that the girls had been left in a park restroom in Oxnard on December 14, 1989, two days after Marina’s body was located. A witness walking in the area heard children crying in the women’s restroom. He asked a woman to check the bathroom, and she found the girls laying on the wet floor with no adult nearby.
Police were contacted and the children were taken to the police station and later placed in the custody of Child Protective Services. The girls were placed into foster care and stayed there for a significant amount of time. The girls were eventually adopted by a couple in Ventura County and were raised together in a loving home.
Man Arrested in Homicide of Roommate Who He Said Died of Pneumonia (Forensic – 10/06/2025)
Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office detectives assigned to the U.S. Marshals Task Force, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, arrested a 43-year-old Pueblo man in connection with the 2022 death of a man whose remains were found in a shallow grave in eastern Pueblo County.
Leon Pantoya was arrested on a warrant for first-degree murder in the death of 39-year-old Steven Robinson. Pantoya was also arrested for identity theft and theft and has been booked into the Pueblo County Jail.
Pantoya’s arrest follows a 3-year investigation led by Detective Vanessa Simpson.
On Sept. 25, 2022, detectives responded to a field in the 3500 block of 36th Lane after a property owner reported finding possible human remains in a shallow grave. Forensic analysis confirmed the remains were human. An autopsy determined the victim had suffered blunt force and sharp force trauma, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.
In late 2022, the unidentified man was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System database. Although no matches were made, several leads were generated.
In March 2023, a DNA profile was developed, but no matches were found. A forensic artist created a reconstruction image, which was shared publicly, but few leads resulted.
With assistance from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the victim’s DNA was later submitted to a genetic genealogy database. In late 2024, a match was found with a relative, leading to the positive identification of the victim as Steven Robinson.
Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office Teams With Othram to Identify a 1978 Homicide Victim (DNASolves – 10/06/2025)
In August 1978, a homicide victim was found burned in a fire at a boat ramp fire at the Poole Knobs Recreation Area in LaVergne, Tennessee. Rutherford County Sheriff’s deputies responded to find the remains of an unidentified male. The homicide victim was wrapped in a blanket and had been shot four times, twice in the face. Investigators suspect he was shot at another location before being dragged to the campsite and burned. Investigators determine the victim was a white male between 30 and 40 years old. He stood 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighed approximately 160 pounds, and had medium length brown hair. The only clues to his identity were a partial set of dentures and scars on his chest from a possible heart surgery. He also had a quarter-sized mole on his torso, about two inches from his waistline.
Investigators undertook a decades-long search to determine who the man was and what happened. Fingerprints, from one hand that was not burned, were collected but generated no matches to an identity. A traditional DNA profile was created but did not produce a match in CODIS. In 2018, a facial reconstruction and a sketch of the victim were generated but, to date, have not produced any leads. More than forty years later, investigators are still looking for leads that might point to the identity of the victim and those that might be responsible for his death. Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP1585.
In 2020, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas to determine if advanced DNA testing could help identify the victim. At Othram, scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the provided evidence, which presented significant challenges given the burnt condition of the man’s remains. After the successful extraction of DNA, Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the victim. 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 victim. Reference DNA samples were collected from a relative and compared to the DNA profile of the unidentified man. This investigation led to the positive identification of the murder victim, who is now known to be 52-year-old Jessie Lee Williamson
IDENTIFIED: 1989 Franklin County John Doe (Ohio Attorney General – 10/07/2025)
In another victory for forensic genealogy, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Franklin County Coroner Dr. Nate Overmire announced today that the skeletal remains of a white male found 36 years ago have been identified.
“Solving a cold case takes teamwork, technology and tenacity – all of which were are on display in this case,” Yost said. “This type of public-private partnership has a direct impact on so many and brings real results to loved ones.”
The remains – discovered on Nov. 3, 1989, on Walcutt Road in western Franklin County – are those of Ernest Emerson Carter, who was born in 1923. Very little is known about Carter’s life or death.
“We believe each person is worthy of dignity and respect,” Overmire said. “Our patients can no longer advocate for themselves so we must on their behalf. I am extremely proud of the compassionate, talented staff who worked on this case from my office, BCI and our community partners. Together, we were able to utilize science to solve a mystery.”
Investigators from Overmire’s office and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, part of Yost’s office, had long worked to solve the mystery of the remains.
BCI became involved in 2000, when the Franklin County coroner at the time submitted the remains to BCI’s Project LINK (Linking Individuals Not Known), an initiative that collects DNA samples from unidentified human remains and from people with missing loved ones in hopes of turning up a match. No leads were generated.
In the ensuing years, BCI conducted additional, advanced DNA testing on the remains – but, again, no leads were generated.
Last year, the nonprofit Porchlight Project, which funds forensic genealogy for families of the missing and the murdered, became involved, paying for the testing conducted by Othram, a Texas-based forensics technology company.
“I am grateful to Ohio BCI, the Franklin County Coroner’s Office, and Othram for their collaboration and dedication throughout the process of solving this decades-old mystery,” said Val Bogart, The Porchlight Project’s genetic genealogist. “I am hopeful the identification of Mr. Carter brings long-awaited answers and a step toward closure for all involved.”
Genealogists and BCI’s Criminal Intelligence Unit worked collaboratively to build a family tree to locate a close relative. This process turned up a match with a male relative, whose DNA was used to confirm the remains as those of Ernest Emerson Carter.
1964 Cold Case Solved in New York with DNA Evidence, Authorities Say (ABC News – 10/08/2025)
Authorities in New York’s capital city have identified the man they say raped, stabbed and bludgeoned to death a woman inside her home more than 60 years ago.
Officials linked DNA from Joseph Nowakowski, who died in 1998, to the killing of 50-year-old Catherine Blackburn in September 1964, Albany Police Chief Brendan Cox said during a news conference Wednesday.
The identification was made through a joint effort by the Criminal Investigation Resource Center at Russell Sage College and other forensic and investigative agencies, authorities said. The work, which spanned several years, eventually allowed authorities to match DNA from the crime scene with DNA from Nowakowski, whose body was recently exhumed as part of the investigation, Albany Police Commander Melissa Morey said. Nowakowski’s relatives cooperated with the investigation, she said.
Nowakowski had a lengthy criminal record, including an attack on an elderly woman in 1973 in Schenectady and several burglaries, authorities said.
“We wanted to make sure that we took every step possible to be 100% positive that he was, in fact, tied to this and that we have his DNA on file,” Cox said.
Nowakowski was in his early 30s when Blackburn was attacked and was not a suspect at the time. Authorities said Wednesday that there is no indication that Blackburn and Nowakowski knew each other.
Human DNA Identification Lab Hosts Genetic Genealogists to Work on Cold Cases (University of Nebraska Medical Center – 10/08/2025)
The Human DNA Identification Laboratory in UNMC’s Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology hosted nearly two dozen professional investigative genetic genealogists from around the country in August to work on a number of unsolved Omaha homicides.
“We have a cold case grant with the Omaha Police Department, and we have been working on seven cold case homicides for about a year now,” said Mellissa Helligso, manager of the lab. Omaha police have collected DNA evidence in the cases, but the evidentiary samples that are in the federal database (Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS) remain unidentified. The lab worked with United Data Connect, a private firm devoted to forensic investigative genetic genealogy, or FIGG, to run the samples through two other DNA databases—GEDmatch and Family Tree DNA—in hopes of finding relatives of the unidentified suspect. The next part is extremely time-consuming and involves traditional genealogy methods, such as combing through public records like birth certificates and marriage licenses, newspaper obituaries and so on.
Helligso said their lab agreed with United Data Connect that it would be helpful to get more people together to do this critical work in building out family trees. “Basically you’re trying to build the tree backwards through the grandparents, then once you identify where this evidence and the match are related, then you have to start building out all their siblings and their kids. And those kids, their partners, and then their kids. As you can imagine, the tree gets gigantic. So while these people were in Omaha, I think they added between all of the cases about 30,000 people to our trees.” Out of that number, the genealogists pored through records to come up with a much smaller list of names for investigators to follow up on – people who have some connection to Omaha or Nebraska.
DNA Matters: Lance Shockley Set to Die (Forensic – 10/08/2025)
On October 14, 2025, Missouri is set to execute Lance Shockley by lethal injection. The circumstantial evidence is compelling, but comprehensive DNA testing wasn’t done—and the courts have decided that it never will be.
In 2005, Sergeant Carl Graham was investigating Shockley’s role in a fatal drunk driving accident. Graham was killed by a rifle shot. Shockley (28) was charged with the murder. There were no eyewitness or physical evidence—no DNA, fingerprints, blood or murder weapon.
Shockley’s trial started on March 20, 2009. The jury found him guilty but deadlocked on the penalty—life or death. The trial judge sentenced him to death. Shockley’s many appeals have been rejected by the Missouri and U.S. Supreme Courts.
On May 20, 2025, Shockley requested post-conviction DNA testing of 10 evidence items. A crime scene cigarette butt. Paper and plastic shotshell wadding. Latent fingerprints and a cell phone. Touch DNA or mixtures found on these items would have been uninterpretable in 2009, but they could prove potentially exculpatory today.
DNA Gives Back Name to 1978 Murder Victim (Forensic – 10/08/2025)
Family members wondered what happened to a relative from North Carolina who disappeared 47 years ago.
The relative was identified as Jessie Lee Williamson, 52, last week after more than 11 years of extensive DNA testing, said Rutherford County Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Richard Brinkley.
Williamson’s body was found by a maintenance worker Aug. 1, 1978 at Poole Knobs Recreation Area on Jones Road near La Vergne. An autopsy showed he suffered multiple gunshot wounds and severe burns.
“He’s been without a name to us for 47 years,” Brinkley said of Williamson. “We no longer have a John Doe.”
Williamson’s identity allowed Brinkley to give answers to a niece who is in her mid-80s. She told Brinkley her uncle lived in Alabama and visited his family in North Carolina but she hadn’t had contact with him for years. Family members didn’t know his whereabouts.
She gave a DNA sample that led to Williamson’s identification. She was the only surviving family member Brinkley was able to locate.
“I had mixed feelings,” the niece said after learning about his identity and death. “I am glad to finally know where he was. I am sad my mother and grandmother didn’t know what happened to him.”