The Wednesday keynote at ISHI 37 examines the Robert Eugene Brashers case — a multi-decade, multi-jurisdictional investigation resolved through the intersection of STR analysis, forensic genetic genealogy, and interagency collaboration — and the perspectives that emerge when a single identification reaches across decades of connected harm.
The moment a DNA profile links one case to another, the scope of an investigation can shift entirely. What begins as a single identification can reveal patterns spanning jurisdictions, decades, and families — transforming cold cases into connected investigations.
The Robert Eugene Brashers case is an example of that evolution at scale. Between 1985 and 1998, Brashers committed violent crimes across South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Missouri, and beyond. His identification came not from a single method, but from the intersection of STR analysis, forensic genetic genealogy, ballistic evidence, and persistent interagency collaboration. That identification resolved multiple cold cases and exonerated wrongfully accused individuals.
This session examines that case through three distinct perspectives — the investigative process, the genealogical analysis, and the broader human impact of what a forensic identification can set in motion.
The Investigation: Missouri State Highway Patrol
A representative from the Missouri State Highway Patrol will open the session with a detailed account of the 1998 Sherri and Megan Scherer double homicide investigation — walking through the evidence collected, CODIS hits across multiple states, the forensic genetic genealogy analysis, the exhumation process, human remains analysis, and autosomal DNA confirmation.
For analysts and investigators, this portion of the session provides a concrete look at how multiple forensic methods operated together across a long-running, multi-jurisdictional case — and what the investigative process looks like when databases, technologies, and agencies intersect over years.
The Genealogical Analysis: CeCe Moore
Genetic genealogist CeCe Moore will explain how the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s identification of Brashers enabled her genealogy work on other connected cases — linking crimes across jurisdictions that had remained unsolved. As databases expanded and tools like forensic genetic genealogy became available, DNA’s role shifted from answering isolated questions within a single case to revealing connections no one had anticipated.
Moore’s portion of the session illustrates how Y-STR analysis and forensic genetic genealogy coexist with — rather than replace — traditional methods, each contributing to investigations that span years and geographies.
The Family Perspective: Deborah Brashers
Deborah Brashers closes the session with a perspective rarely represented at a forensic science conference: what it means to learn that a family member was responsible for multiple violent crimes. Her account offers insight into the family impact of forensic identification — a reality that exists alongside the resolution experienced by victim families, and one that this field’s work directly shapes.
For ISHI attendees, her perspective is a grounding reminder that the results produced in the lab reach people in ways that extend well beyond the case file.
This session is part of ISHI 37’s From Evidence to Impact keynote series, which examines what is now scientifically possible in human identification — and what those results mean for the people, families, and justice systems this work serves.