Moira “Holly” Branagan (Dec 8, 1962 – March 28, 1979) was murdered 40 years ago today. In 2014, it looked like the 1979 case was breaking open. However, Det. Thomas Galloway, in charge of the investigation, did not release any information except for this: “I have developed a suspect, but we’re not ready to move […]
Archives for March 2019
Daniel Dougherty: third trial
On March 27, 2019, the third trial started for Daniel Dougherty. In 2000, Daniel Dougherty was found guilty of the 1985 arson that killed his two sons, Danny (4) and Johnny (3). Police arrested Dougherty in 1999 after his estranged wife and mother of the two children claimed he had confessed. A jury found him guilty […]
The Ethics of Forensic Genealogy
Introduction Lately, we have seen numerous cases that were unsolved for decades, where the use of forensic genealogy provided authorities with answers. Checking people’s family trees based on characteristics from the DNA sample on file has given us a string of cases where a suspect has now been identified. The media started to pick up […]
Lapointe seeks $13.5M in state compensation
In 1992, Richard A. Lapointe was sentenced to life plus 60 years for the 1987 rape-murder of Mrs. Bernice Martin who was found stabbed, raped, and strangled in her Manchester, Connecticut apartment that was set on fire. Lapointe has Dandy walker Syndrome, a congenital brain malformation that made him gullible and vulnerable to giving a false […]
Mrs. Sherlock Holmes by Brad Ricca
Mrs. Sherlock Holmes by Brad Ricca is a book about Mary Grace Winterton Quackenbos Humiston (September 17, 1869 – July 16, 1948) and the Ruth Cruger case. Humiston Humiston was the first female Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York meaning she was the chief federal law enforcement officer for […]
DeKalb County GA John Doe 1999
Investigators have named him Dennis, a well-taken care off little boy whose remains were found on February 26, 1999 in DeKalb County, Georgia. But they don’t know his real name or his official cause of death. His case can be found in NamUs. We know this: the boy’s remains were found in a DeKalb County […]
Deborah Ann Danhaus (Oct 4, 1952 – Aug 1971)
We do not know exactly when in August 1971 Deborah Ann Danhaus (18) from Amboy, Illinois was murdered. We do not know why either. All we know is that the case went cold fast. Should any evidence still be in storage, hopefully properly preserved, they should be re-examined with modern technology. When I searched for […]