Colleen Fitzpatrick, PhD is widely recognized as the founder of modern Investigative Forensic Genetic Genealogy. She has pioneered the use of genetic genealogy Y-STR and autosomal SNP analysis for generating forensic intelligence on cold cases sometimes decades old. Dr. Fitzpatrick’s expertise with compromised DNA has led to identifications that otherwise were believed to have gone beyond the reach of modern technology.
Dr. Fitzpatrick has been a three time finalist in the prestigious international Gordon Honeywell Thomas Cold Case Hit of the Year competition – in 2018 for solving the
1992-1993 Phoenix Canal Murders, the first case solved using genetic genealogy, in 2020 for the 1991 Sarah Yarborough Homicide, the first case where genetic genealogy was used to generate investigative leads, and in 2025 for her efforts in identifying the 1957 Boy in the Box.
Dr. Fitzpatrick is the founder of Identifinders International. She collaborates with both domestic and international law enforcement agencies. She is a Member of the Vidocq Society, the Australia New Zealand Forensic Science Society (ANZFSS), a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS), and an Affiliate of the Victoria Australia Institute of Forensic Medicine.
