No murder weapons were ever found in the case of Oluwaseyi Ogunyemi. However, scientists used DNA profiling to prove that samples collected during the investigation were a billion times more likely to come from two specific dogs than any other animals. The results conclusively linked them to Oluwaseyi Ogunyemi’s death. The dogs used in the […]
Forensics
DNA fails unidentified WWI soldiers
Family members of the WWII soldiers thought to have been killed in the 1916 battle of Fromelles gave DNA samples after the bodies were exhumed last year. But it has not been possible to identify all the 250 Allied soldiers found buried in the mass grave. It has only been possible to say that three […]
Conviction in 1984 Beverly Dyke case
The jury found Robert Kociuk guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Beverly Dyke (48). She was killed in May 1984 in a wooded area near the airport. Police say she was sexually assaulted and then stabbed a number of times. The case would have remained unsolved if it weren’t for the advancement of DNA […]
Yolanda Baker; trial without a body
It’s been 11 years since Yolanda Baker’s family has seen her. So much time had passed that authorities declared her legally dead last year, although her body has never been found. Last summer, authorities arrested Baker’s boyfriend, Terrence Barnett, 45, the father of the D.C. woman’s twin children. He has been charged with first-degree murder. The […]
Which Brian Parsons murdered Ivy Batten?
Which Brian Parsons is responsible for the death of Mrs. Ivy Batten? It is a story of mistaken identity, of mishandling evidence, prosecutorial misconduct, and the fight to get someone to listen to you. Lucky for Brian David Parsons, reporters Neil Young and Aislinn Simpson were listening. These reporters have re-investigated this controversial case. Brian David […]
Nose scanning
Nose scanning techniques could sniff out criminals. The BBC states “that researchers at the University of Bath, UK, scanned noses in 3D and characterised them by tip, ridge profile and the nasion, or area between the eyes. They found 6 main nose types: Roman, Greek, Nubian, hawk, snub and turn-up. Since they are hard to conceal, the study […]
Do you know me?
Do you know me? Orange County (NC) authorities unveiled a three-dimensional facial reconstruction of a boy found dead near Mebane more than a decade ago. The sculpture was made by forensic artist Frank Bender who has worked with “America’s Most Wanted” and the FBI. The boy’s skeletal remains were found on Sept. 25, 1998, near the Buckhorn […]
No government bodies regulate forensic labs
No government bodies regulate forensic labs, that should make you wonder. If DNA plays such a huge role in criminal court, why is it that there is no federal oversight? Even the best labs can make mistakes. The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology landed at the center of the high-profile case of Cynthia Sommer, a […]
Identifying the Lost Soldiers of Fromelles
Identifying the Lost Soldiers of Fromelles is a great BBC Magazine article on another use of DNA: to identify the remains of World War I soldiers found in mass graves in France. “The remains of 250 British and Australian soldiers had lain undiscovered for 93 years since falling on the Western Front.Boots, purses, toothbrushes and […]
Catching Colette Aram’s killer
How police caught Hutchinson for the murder of Colette Aram Colette Aram (Feb 3, 1967 – Oct 30, 1983) featured on the new program “BBC Crimewatch.” The program showed forensic evidence including a taunting letter Hutchinson wrote to police in which he bragged about the crime. In 1983, police managed to get fingerprints from the letter but no […]