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!
San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office and FBI Team with Othram to Identify 1982 Homicide Victim (DNASolves – 9/25/2025)
In April 1982, the partial remains of an unidentified homicide victim were found in an almond orchard in Manteca, California, which is in San Joaquin County. The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office responded and began collecting evidence and investigating. It was determined that the victim was a White man who appeared to be about 22 to 26 years old and had distinctive tattoos including a snake’s head in blue ink on the outside of his right wrist and a colored grim reaper tattoo on his left forearm.
Despite a lengthy investigation and extensive community outreach, including releasing photos of the man’s tattoos, he could not be identified and became known as Manteca John Doe. Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP68492.
In 2024, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas to determine if advanced DNA testing could help identify the victim. 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 victim. The DNA profile was returned to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office who worked with the FBI’s forensic genetic genealogy team to develop new leads in the case.
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 man, who is now known to be Danny Joe Jentzen, from Flint, Michigan, born July 8, 1954. At the time his remains were found, he would have been 27 years old.
Jentzen’s family said he grew up as a ward of the state, had some law enforcement contact in Southern California and San Francisco, and may have struggled with mental health challenges, according to the Sheriff’s Office. His sister last saw him as a child after their father and younger brother were killed in a tragic car accident.
Colorado Bureau Of Investigation and Pueblo Police Department Team with Othram to Identify a 2022 Homicide Victim (DNASolves – 9/27/2025)
In September 2022, the skeletal remains of an unknown individual were discovered in a shallow grave on private property in the 3500 block of 36th Street, a rural area of Avondale, Colorado. Avondale is a small town located about 15 miles east of Pueblo in Pueblo County. A forensic anthropologist examined the remains and determined they likely belonged to a male of European ancestry. The man was estimated to be between 40 and 60 years old and was likely 5’8″ to 5’10” tall.
An autopsy determined the man suffered blunt force and sharp force trauma, and his death was ruled a homicide. A composite sketch depicting the man’s likeness was developed and released to the public in hopes that it would assist in his identification. Despite the efforts of investigators, the man could not be identified and details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP97796.
In 2024, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas, to determine if advanced DNA testing could identify the man. At Othram, scientists successfully developed a DNA profile for the John Doe using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing®. After successfully building the profile, it was delivered to Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s forensic genetic genealogy team so that new leads in the case could be developed.
Using this new information, a follow-up investigation was conducted, which led to the positive identification of the man, who is now known to be 39-year-old South Carolina native, Steven Robinson. Robinson moved to Pueblo, Colorado in 2017.
Following Steven Robinson’s identification, investigators focused on finding the person responsible for killing him. At the time of his death in early January 2022, Robinson lived with a man named Leon Pantoya. Pantoya told Robinson’s friends and family that he had died due to pneumonia, when in fact, Steven Robinson was murdered by him and buried him on his family’s property. Detectives learned that following Steven Robinson’s death, Pantoya withdrew more than $75,000 from Robinson’s bank account.
Investigators have now arrested 43-year-old Leon Pantoya who is charged with first-degree murder, identity theft, and theft. Pantoya was booked into the Pueblo County Jail and is being held without bail.
Police, University Partner on Innovative Cold Case Program (Forensic – 9/29/2025)
The Arlington Police Department, in partnership with the University of Texas at Arlington, has created an innovative, new program that could help solve cold cases.
While presenting to a class of UTA students last year, APD Homicide Sergeant Blake Ritchie was approached by Pat Eddings, a Senior Lecturer with UTA’s Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice (CRCJ) and a former forensic analyst. She wanted to know if APD might be willing to work with the university to develop an advanced course on cold case investigations.
Sgt. Ritchie pitched the idea to APD Command Staff, which immediately jumped on board. After both sides worked through the finer details of the course and signed a Memorandum of Understanding, the program officially launched during the Fall 2025 semester.
How long does DNA last? (LiveScience – 9/29/2025)
Scientists have been using ancient DNA to investigate questions about extinct animals since 1984, when researchers recovered two pieces of DNA from a museum specimen of a quagga, a zebra-like species that went extinct in the 19th century. Over the past 40 years, advancements in technology have allowed scientists to sequence older and older DNA from animals and plants, with the current record held by a 2.4 million-year-old Greenland ecosystem.
But could DNA potentially last even longer? Because DNA preservation depends on a huge number of environmental factors, scientists are still grappling with the question of how long DNA can theoretically and realistically last.
Saskatoon and Toronto Police Services Team with Othram to Identify Canada’s “Woman in the Well” (DNASolves – 9/29/2025)
In June 2006, the skeletal remains of an unidentified individual were found by work crews who were excavating fuel tanks from an old gas station in Sutherland, a neighborhood in the Canadian city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The Saskatoon Police Service responded and began investigating. A clothing and textile historian assisted police with dating the woman’s clothing, which included a fitted jacket, high-collared blouse, and a long skirt, to between 1910 and 1920. A broken golden necklace and a man’s vest and trousers were found with the woman’s remains. These clues led investigators to conclude that the remains belonged to an adult woman who died sometime in the early 1900s.
The woman’s body was wrapped in a burlap sack and stuffed into a wooden barrel. The barrel had been dropped into a well at the site of the Shore Hotel, a local business that existed in the early 1900s. The Shore Hotel was a boarding house with a mixed reputation in the bustling railroad town and it was demolished in 1927 and a gas station, with fuel tanks, was later built on the site. At the time, Sutherland was a railroad town near the growing city of Saskatoon. Police believe that the woman was partially dismembered prior to being placed into the barrel.
After the discovery of the woman’s remains in 2006, the Sakatoon Police Service pursued a lengthy investigation to determine who the woman was including enlisting a forensic archeologist at the University of Saskatchewan who determined that the woman was White with a prominent nose and light brown to reddish hair, between the ages of 25 and 35 years old, and around 5’1″ tall. It is believed that the woman was of middle class or higher because of the clothing, jewelry, and dental work she had.
Over the years, investigators worked tirelessly to identify the woman. An STR DNA profile was developed for the woman, but there was no match to a known individual. Police unveiled two facial reconstructions hoping that someone might recognize the woman from old family photos. These efforts led to police receiving about 30 calls from people across Canada and as far away as France looking for a missing mother, grandmother or great aunt, but no match were made. The woman’s identity was a mystery.
In 2023, the Saskatoon Police Service submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas to determine if advanced DNA testing could help identify the woman. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from skeletal evidence, which were well over 100 years old at the time. Othram’s scientists then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown 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, forensic genetic genealogists with the Toronto Police Service conducted a follow-up investigation leading investigators to potential relatives of the woman. Reference DNA samples were collected from potential relatives and compared to the DNA profile of the unidentified woman. This investigation led to the womans’ positive identification. “Woman in the Well” is now known to be Alice Spence, born Alice Burke in September 1881.
Alice moved to the town of Sutherland, Saskatoon in 1913 from St. Louis, Minnesota. The Spence family consisted of Alice, her husband Charles, and young daughter Idella. A 1916 Census is the last record investigators have found indicating Alice was alive. A fire in 1918 destroyed the family’s home and later information lists Charles living with his daughter, a housekeeper, and her son in 1921. Investigators believe foul play occurred resulting in Alice’s death, sometime between 1916 and the fire in 1918. Using genetic genealogy, Alice’s descendants have been located. Most of them were unaware of her and her tragic death.
New DNA Technology Key to Solving 1991 Austin Yogurt Shop Murders (KXAN – 9/29/2025)
After 30 years, Austin city leaders announced the infamous yogurt shop murders had been solved. Austin Police Chief of Police Lisa Davis said, “advances in science and technology” allowed investigators to link Robert Eugene Brashers to the 1991 quadruple homicide.
Detective Dan Jackson with APD said that samples of Y-STR DNA found at the scene linked Brashers to another crime in South Carolina.
Y-STR examines short repeating DNA sequences only found in people with a Y chromosome. DNA testing to identify suspects was first used in 1990 in Germany.
Jackson said there are some limitations when using Y-STR for identification. It is not unique to only one individual and is “passed down paternally”. Certain combinations of Y-STR occur more frequently, so you can have multiple matches.
Irish Scientists Pioneer Breakthrough Forensic Test to Recover Fingerprints from Ammunition Casing (EurekAlert! – 9/30/2025)
A pioneering new test that can recover fingerprints from ammunition casing, once thought nearly impossible, has been developed by two Irish scientists.
Dr Eithne Dempsey, and her recent PhD student Dr Colm McKeever, of the Department of Chemistry in Ireland’s Maynooth University have developed a unique electrochemical method which can visualise fingerprints on brass casings, even after they have been exposed to the high temperature conditions experienced during gunfire.
For decades, investigators have struggled to recover fingerprints from weapons because any biological trace is usually destroyed by the high temperatures, friction and gas released after a gun is fired. As a result, criminals often abandon their weapons or casings at crime scenes, confident that they leave no fingerprint evidence behind.
“The Holy Grail in forensic investigation has always been retrieving prints from fired ammunition casings,” said Dr Dempsey. “Traditionally, the intense heat of firing destroys any biological residue. However, our technique has been able to reveal fingerprint ridges that would otherwise remain imperceptible.”
The team found they could coat brass casings with a thin layer of specialised materials to make hidden fingerprint ridges visible. Unlike existing methods that need dangerous chemicals or high-powered equipment, the new process uses readily available non-toxic polymers and minimal amounts of energy to quicky reveal prints from seemingly blank surfaces.
It works by placing the brass casing of interest in an electrochemical cell containing specific chemical substances. When a small voltage is applied, chemicals in the solution are attracted to the surface, coating the spaces between fingerprint ridges and creating a clear, high contrast image of the print. The fingerprint appears within seconds as if by magic!
Despite Immigration, Underrepresented Demographics, Moxxy IDs 1982 Jane Doe (Forensic – 10/01/2025)
Moxxy Forensic Investigations, in partnership with the McLean County Coroner’s Office and the McLean County Sheriff’s Office, has positively identified a woman whose remains were discovered in rural McLean County in 1982. The individual, previously referred to as “McLean County Jane Doe,” has been confirmed through investigative genetic genealogical analysis to be 39-year-old Linda Cecilia Haddad. Linda’s remains were discovered on February 2, 1982, along US Route 136 between LeRoy and Bellflower.
Despite dedicated investigative efforts at the time and over the decades since, her identity remained unknown for more than 40 years. Using advanced DNA technology and investigative genetic genealogy, investigators were finally able to identify the body of McLean County Jane Doe.
10 Years of SAKI and Nearly 100,000 Kits Tested (Forensic – 10/01/2025)
When the Department of Justice launched the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) in 2015, it was an ambitious and uncertain endeavor. The program was built on the belief that every sexual assault kit (SAK) matters, and that every survivor deserves answers. However, very few jurisdictions had the resources to meaningfully address cold case sexual assaults.
Simultaneously, the criminal justice system was just beginning to learn the importance of adopting a victim-centered approach to these investigations. Knowledge about how trauma affects victims’ memory, behavior, and reporting was emerging, but widespread understanding was limited. Investigators and prosecutors were increasingly recognizing that survivors must be believed, supported, and heard, regardless of how much time had passed since their assault — and that effective investigations depend on this foundation of trust and care.
Horry County Police Department Teams with Othram to Identify the Suspect in a 2006 Sexual Assault (DNASolves – 10/01/2025)
In November 2006, a woman was sexually assaulted by an unknown man in the Myrtle Beach area of South Carolina. The victim was working after-hours at a local business when a man she did not know attacked her in the parking lot and forced her inside a building. Once inside the building, the woman was sexually assaulted by the man. The Horry County Police Department responded, launching an investigation and the collection of evidence.
DNA evidence was collected and an STR profile was developed for the unknown suspect. The STR profile was uploaded to CODIS, but no match was found to any known individual. However, the profile did match to multiple other unsolved crime scene profiles that had been previously submitted to CODIS, linking the suspect to several unrelated crimes, though their identity remained unknown.
In December 2020, with no leads on the suspect’s identity, the Horry County Police Department submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas. Othram scientists developed a DNA extract from the evidence and applied Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile of the man. Using this profile, Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team conducted a genetic genealogy search and generated new investigative leads, which were returned to law enforcement.
Using this new information, a follow-up investigation was conducted by the law enforcement agency, which led investigators to identify the suspect as 60-year-old Randy Barnhill of Conway, South Carolina. Barnhill was arrested and on September 30, 2025, he pleaded guilty to rape, kidnapping, and burglary. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison.